Affordable Ways to Get Your Property Market-Ready

If you’re thinking of moving home in the near future, there are some very easy and affordable ways to get your home market-ready and looking its best.

To help you get the best possible start, we’ve put together our top tips for budget-friendly improvements you can make to have potential buyers queueing up to view your property.

From decluttering tips, to kerb appeal and much more, this guide will have your house ready for sale in no time at all and keep your costs to a minimum.

Declutter and Depersonalise

When a potential buyer walks into your house, they need to be able to picture themselves in the space easily. If you’ve got clutter in corners, toys on the floor and unfolded washing on the landing, chances are they’re going to struggle to imagine your home as their own.

To keep things tidy and transform your house into an appealing blank canvas, put yourself into the buyer’s shoes to create an open, inviting and airy space. Here are some of our top tips for how to declutter and depersonalise your home to get it ready for sale.

Clear the Clutter

Make a plan of action by mapping out the rooms in your house, including any outdoor space, and work through one area at a time to make decluttering manageable. Then, in each room, organise your clutter into four distinct piles:

• Keep: for items you use regularly
• Donate: for items in good condition that can go to charity
• Sell: to get a little money back to help cover the costs of any new items you want for your new home once you've moved. Find out more about our Savings Pots.
• Throw or Recycle: items that are broken, damaged or unusable

This sorting system is easy and efficient. Before you know it, you’ll have halved your clutter, made your house more attractive, and saved yourself a huge amount of time when it comes to moving house further down the line.

Choose Simple Storage Solutions

Now you’ve sorted the items you want to keep, there’s no need to break the bank with additional storage furniture. Have a think about how you can make the most of the storage you already have - maybe you could pop a few things up in the loft or use empty suitcases for now. If you’re still short on space, a cheap storage option could be a handy backup. You could also use underbed storage boxes or packing cubes for out-of-season clothing. Not only will you save some serious money, but you’ll be able to store away your items easily without eating into any of your floorspace.

Remove Personal Touches

While they’re lovely memories for you, framed family photos and personal touches serve as strong reminders for buyers that they’re not in their own home. Simply store any personal items away safely to make your space feel more neutral while people are viewing your property. Don’t forget to use some bubble wrap or even a bit of newspaper to help protect things while they’re packed away.

Budget-Friendly Deep Clean

Prioritise areas that can get especially dirty, such as the kitchen, bathroom, flooring and windows. Professional cleaners can be very expensive, so we’ve put together a few affordable DIY cleaning ideas to help you on your way.

Low-Cost Cleaning Solutions

Homemade vinegar solutions are a great place to start. Simply mix together equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, shake well and use it like a commercial cleaner. You can even add in a few drops of lemon juice for extra cleaning strength and a fresher scent. For tougher stains and dirt, reach for more affordable cleaning brands that will help you to clean up on a budget.

The Power of a Fresh-Smelling Home

To make your home smell fresh and inviting for potential buyers, focus on neutral, warming scents rather than overpowering artificial ones. Choose budget-friendly air fresheners, candles and diffusers with scents often associated with comfort and nature, such as citrus, vanilla or pine. Open your windows regularly to ventilate your home and keep on top of your cleaning too. Removing stale odours is just as important as introducing new, lovely ones.

Affordable Repairs and Maintenance

Buyers are on the lookout for any potential issues, so it’s really important you fix any minor issues about your house. We’re talking about any squeaky doors, leaky taps and chipped paint, for example.

Take 20 minutes to check all your lightbulbs are working and replace those that aren’t. Spend an afternoon giving any tired-looking walls a fresh lick of neutral paint. Some local tips have leftover paint that people don’t need anymore - if you only need a little bit, you might be able to pick some up for free through schemes like PaintCare which could be worth checking out! Invest in some budget-friendly rugs or laminate repair kits to give your flooring a new lease of life.

It might seem like a fuss when you’re selling, but these low-cost quick fixes to improve your home can really make a difference from the buyer’s perspective.

Boosting Kerb Appeal on a Budget

Everyone knows the importance of making a good first impression, so make your home count. A well-kept exterior will start any viewing off on a fantastic footing and have the buyer excited to see more.

Affordable quick fixes could include repainting your front door, cleaning exterior windows, or making sure any pathways are cleared of debris with a good sweep. You could even add some potted plants to brighten things up a little. If you have a front garden, mow your lawn, de-weed and trim any hedges to keep everything looking prim and proper.

And if your driveway is really quite dirty, why not borrow or hire a pressure washer to blast away any grime and restore the exterior of your house to its former glory?

Low-Cost Home Staging Tips

Did you know home staging can add value to your home and help you to sell more quickly? A home staging service helps prepare and style your home to make it look its best and appeal to potential buyers.

While you can pay for someone professional to come and stage your house for you, styling your home to appeal to more buyers is pretty simple when you know how. Here are some of our favourite DIY home staging tips which are as effective as they are fast, easy and affordable.

Add Some Mirrors

Natural light is a brilliant way to make a space feel more open and airy. To enhance the natural light in your home, place a mirror opposite a window to help bounce light around the space and make things feel bigger and brighter.

Play with Soft Furnishings

Professional staging can involve buying completely new furniture, but to save on splurging, why not revive your old furniture with soft furnishings instead? Knitted blankets, plump pillows and cosy throws can transform your current furniture and give them a new lease of life. Let's see if your friends or family have any you can temporarily borrow. Perhaps there are some in the loft you've forgotten about?

Bring Life with Fresh Flowers

Fresh plants and flowers can bring a splash of lively colour to your home, helping to add a sense of calm and freshness to your space in an instant. Whether you add a vase of peonies on the coffee table or a botanical Monstera in the kitchen, these small investments could lead to a profitable effect on your property.

Be Smart with Lighting

As well as promoting natural light wherever possible, using affordable lamps and lighting throughout your house can add to the cosy, warm feeling of your home. Warm LED light bulbs are an excellent choice for creating an inviting glow in bedrooms, for example. And what’s more, they’re incredibly energy efficient compared to traditional light bulbs, too.

Professional-Looking Photos on a Budget

In a world of Instagram reels and Pinterest boards, images play an extremely important role when motivating a buyer to purchase a product. And the same applies to selling your home.

Pictures of your property are likely the first thing a buyer will see, so it’s crucial you get them right. If budget allows, you can hire affordable local photographers or estate agents to do the job for you. But, if you’re looking to get behind the camera yourself, be sure to take the following tips into consideration.

Declutter and Clean

We’ve discussed this already, but removing clutter, clearing countertops and depersonalising your space will make sure your home is spotless and ready for the spotlight.

Use the Best Angles

Taking pictures from the corner of the room (and using a wide-lens camera if you have one) helps you capture the whole room and make the space appear larger. If you or someone you know has a small tripod, it could be a handy way to make your photos look even better! A tripod will help you to capture steady, top-quality images.

Focus on Features

Show off the unique selling points of your house. From beautiful mouldings, to fireplaces and large windows, these small accents are what will catch the buyer’s eye.

Take in Natural Light

Open your curtains and blinds, and let the light in before you get your camera out to capture your rooms at their very best. It’s a good idea to take your photos on a sunny day - bright, natural light tends to make a home feel more inviting and appealing.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, our top affordable ways to get your property market ready. Small, impactful changes really can go a long way to making your home incredibly attractive to potential buyers. And in the right circumstances, could even lead to you adding some value to your home.

To recap, here’s a final checklist you can follow before listing your property to get your home ready for sale:

• Declutter and Depersonalise
  • Keep, donate, sell, discard or recycle
  • Invest in simple storage solutions
  • Remove personal touches
• Deep Clean
  • Invest in low-cost cleaning solutions
  • Prioritise cleaning areas
  • Use budget-friendly scents to keep things fresh
• Repairs and Maintenance
  • Fix minor issues
  • Repaint any tired walls
  • Check lighting and fixtures
• Boost Kerb Appeal
  • Tidy your front lawn and pathways
  • Repaint your front door if needed
  • Add potted plants for visual interest
• Home Staging
  • Add warmth with soft furnishings
  • Maximise natural light with mirrors
  • Add life with plants and flowers
• Professional-Looking Photos
  • Capture photos in natural light
  • Take advantage of angles
  • Hire affordable local photographers or use your estate agent package, if applicable

Why not have a read of our handy guide on How to Improve Your Home for more inspiration? Or, for further and more bespoke advice, consider speaking with an estate agent to get the ball rolling.

You can find out more about Ways to Bank at TSB over on our website.