What home buyers are looking for in 2021
One thing the pandemic hasn’t done to us Brits is reduce our insatiable desire to move house. The real estate market is as strong as ever, which is great news if you’re planning to sell this year. However, it’s worth being aware that Covid has changed what people look for in a home. Some of these are things you can’t do anything about, such as an increased appetite for rural homes or properties near to parks. But there are some changes you can make at just a small cost that could add thousands to your home’s value.
How the pandemic has changed things
The obvious change is that far more people are now working from home. This means home offices are very much in demand, whereas prior to 2020, most house-buyers wouldn’t have given them a second thought.
As people spend more time at home, gardens are more highly prized than before, so are large kitchen diners, as we now cook more for ourselves rather than heading to cafes and restaurants.
How to maximise your home’s potential
The usual ways to spruce up your home to make it more appealing still apply today – cleaning the carpets, jet-spraying the patio, painting tired-looking or chipped walls, as well as making your front doors and windows look their finest for good first impressions.
But there are key differences now compared to 18 months ago. For instance, if you have a spare room, it’s worth removing the bed and replacing it with a desk and office chair. This will show that your pad is ideal for someone needing a home office. If you have an outhouse consider kitting this out as an office, so would-be buyers can see the potential.
It’s also even more important than before to get the garden looking perfect, so an investment here might pay dividends when it comes to the sale.
A lovely kitchen is now of vital importance, as we now spend so much time there, so if yours is looking dated, replacing it with a modern stylish one will really add to your home’s appeal.
What puts people off buying?
It won’t surprise you to know that mould and bad odour are high on that list. These are common issues, but are easily fixed – bad odours with diffusers and candles, and mould with specialist cleaning products.
Also higher on the list than before are old bathrooms and kitchens, which are now often the first things people look for because of the cost of replacing them.
Before putting your home up for sale, it’s worth considering exactly what it is buyers will be looking for. That’s where you should focus your efforts when making changes to increase the value of your property. It might not need a huge investment, but it might make a significant difference.
