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4 Top Tips to Maximise the Price of your Property
4 top tips to maximise the price of your property
Is your property for sale? If so, you’ll no doubt be making every effort to maximise the value of your home. In theory this sounds like a great idea, but how do you actually do this? Worry no more, these tips will give you a perfect starting platform to squeeze every last penny from your sale.
Make a lasting first impression
Don’t be fooled, first impressions are massively important when it comes to persuading buyers to part company with their hard-earned money. An unattractive exterior is likely to put off potential investors before they’ve even set foot through the door. You can add to the value of a house by improving its exterior, with such methods including:
• Repainting anything that is likely to catch immediate attention, including doors, windows, bricks and walls
• Replacing damaged features such as old garage doors, windows and cracked or broken cladding
Fix even the smallest of defects
Whilst small defects might not appear important to the value of a property, a collection of ugly features can prevent it from selling at its optimum price. Any DIY enthusiast can fix many of these issues. Such defects include:
• Broken door latches
• Smelly sewers
• Dripping taps
• Shoddy paint work
• Mouldy sealant in both the kitchen and the bathroom/s
• Sticking doors and windows
The market will always look favourably upon an attractively decorated and styled property. Whilst it’s impossible to estimate the exact increase in value due to cosmetic improvements, it is likely to add on around 5-10% to the overall value of a property.
Garden makeover or garden maintenance?
There are two ways in which you can tackle this one. Conduct a complete restructure of your garden, or simply carry out the basics if you’re working towards a tighter budget.
The garden can be a wonderful place for celebration, relaxation and so much more, so it really deserves some attention. Add value to your property by ensuring it is attractive, tidy and impressively designed. Consider adding fences and trees to create a feeling of privacy and seclusion. Create specific areas for those celebrations, social gatherings and times for relaxation. Actions such as these will build the perception of useable living space within the garden which is likely to add value.
If restructuring the garden isn’t an option, ensure it is well maintained. This includes carrying out the basics, such as removing litter or dead plants, weeding, lawn cutting, repairing the lawn to leave a healthy green glow, cutting back shrubs and trees that have become overgrown, and adding a bit of colour and interest with carefully selected plants.
Thorough domestic clean
Before even contemplating having potential buyers round for viewings, ensure the whole house has been cleaned from top to bottom. A dirty and untidy house will no doubt put off any potential buyers, so this last step is vitally important. We’re all aware that cleaning can be a monotonous and soul-destroying task but think of the long-term goal; this is a small sacrifice that will allow you to buy your new dream home. If cleaning really isn’t your thing, luckily there are wonderful people who will take on these cleaning jobs for you!
To Bleach or Not To Bleach!?
Should we really be using bleach to clean around the house?
When there are so many alternatives to bleach coming about and new home made recipes is it about time that we adapted and began changing the products we use?
I mean, of course there are upsides to using bleach; it is an amazing disinfectant, you can get instant results and it is guaranteed to kill germs and bacteria. It holds so many different purposes and uses around the house that it is almost silly to think about not using it.
Using bleach can remove the toughest of stains on glass cookware (there is always that burnt bit of pasta bake that refuses to let go) and will make them shine like they’ve never shone before! Still got that mark on the toilet from the previous owners that is staring you down in the constant battle of cleaning? Bleach can get rid of that for you; maybe not instantly but definitely over time, you’ll win the war. After a long day of working in the garden those tools just look like they’ve been beaten and attacked, when in fact they’ve been doing the attacking. Show those tools whose boss and let them soak in watered down bleach and you are good to defend your flower borders next time you’re out there.
While you are outside in the garden, dilute some bleach with water in a spray bottle, spritz some on your garden bricks or slabs and use a brush to really clean them. Just hose away afterwards and your garden will look fabulous and it should also help keep the weeds at bay.
Using bleach may seem like a good option, but there are also other things you have to think about.
With children around it is vital that you properly rinse away any remaining product that could be left on surfaces. You must also be very careful not to get it on your skin as you are using it. It is extremely irritating, especially to the eyes.
It has also been shown that children who grow up in houses regularly cleaned with bleach are more prone to illnesses such as the flu and tonsillitis. With an environment so clean it hinders the development of their immune system making them more susceptible to germs outside of the home. We all know that the smell of bleach isn’t terribly pleasant and is hard to get out of the house, even with all the windows open.
So what are the alternatives?
There are so many new cleaning products on the market that are just as effective AND do not contain bleach. They can be found in supermarkets, smaller retail shops and even your corner shop. We have our very own eco friendly product that is perfect for de-greasing any surface whether it be the oven, the hobs, or the counters.
Why not have a go at making your own?
Do you eat oranges? How about instead of throwing away the peel, put them in a jar and when the jar is full, add white vinegar, then leave it either in the cupboard or on the counter for 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks, simply dilute with water in a spray bottle and clean away!
There are so many other household items that can be used such as lemon juice, orange juice, baking soda, cream of tartar. All can be utilised in the right way to make great alternative products that can be used to clean. You can also add essential oils to any mixture which will add a pleasant fragrance and possible health benefits.
Give it ago yourself!
Should I Hire a Professional Handyman?
Well, there is a question that is common to many of us and normally requires a thought or two. For men, it is quite often a pride issue more than anything else. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to face up to the fact of hiring a professional but not everybody is good at DIY. There are pros and cons to getting a Handyman in to help you out of course and we are going to take a look at some of them now.
Pro’s-
Peace of mind
Sit back with complete peace of mind in the knowledge that you have left the job to be done by a professional. You do not have to worry about any of the issues or difficulties he might face when completing the job, or have to deal with the issue out of work hours. You can go out and leave the professional to it and come back to a finished job.
Professional Expertise
With a professional you can be rest assured to get the best advice on how to proceed with the job at hand. Whether that might be what materials should be used, colours, designs etc. The list could go on but one thing is sure, a trained eye could help you make the best decision for work around your home/ workplace.
Time
9 times out of 10 a professional will be able to complete a job faster than a nonprofessional. This is obviously due to the fact that they have the expertise and the skill to get straight into a job rather than learn first how to proceed with the job and then finally get started. Professionals get rid of that level of uncertainty when starting a DIY job and they can get stuck in.
Cons-
You do the jobs yourself and save some money
So you have opted to do the job yourself and so in turn, you think have saved yourself some money. Well in truth that may be the case short term but by hiring a professional, you are guaranteed to get the job done correctly using the right materials and tools. This halves the chance of the job needing repeating in the future. Then there is the chance that you do more harm than good. This is often the case when someone has half an idea how to fix something and ends up damaging/ making the problem worse, with a professional this is a problem that is not a worry.
There is a stranger in your home
Sometimes having a complete stranger working in your home can be discomforting for people especially if you have to leave them to it on their own and leave the house. At Mum’s we ensure that our Handymen work to the highest level of professionalism, providing a friendly customer service so that you are never put on edge or feel uncomfortable.
At Mum’s, we provide a high quality, friendly and professional Handyman service. We know that DIY is called Do it Yourself for a reason but we think why put yourself through the hassle and aggravation? Visit our Handyman page to see a full list of the services we provide or give us a call on 0115 942 0028 to discuss what we can do for you.
Why do I need to hire an office cleaner?
Your business image is everything. A clean, well-presented office presents a good image to visiting clients, and can even boost office morale. If you’re wondering why you need to hire a professional office cleaning company though, we’re here to tell you.
Save Time
At some point, your office will need cleaning. That’s a simple fact. Without regular cleaning, not only will your company image suffer, but there is a wide range of potential health risks for your team too.
When it comes to cleaning your office, you could do it yourself, or ask your team members to chip in. But, is that really a productive use of time?
With a professional office cleaner, you can sit back and do your job whilst they do theirs. Mum’s Helping Hands pride ourselves on our flexibility, so we can send out a cleaner to fit your schedule. If you don’t want a cleaner there during working hours, that’s no problem.
More Productivity
In addition to saving time, a clean office will transmit less of those pesky germs that make your team ill. And we all know that illness is the biggest killer of productivity. When office cleaning is done to a high standard, you should see a noticeable difference in your team.
Studies suggest that a clean office also boosts team morale, increasing productivity by as much as 30%. A clean office means happy workers. Happy workers mean a more productive office.
An office cleaner will do the job right
You wouldn’t choose an unqualified/inexperienced person to run any other part of your office, so why is the cleaning any different? There is much more to office cleaning than you might consider, but each one of our professional office cleaners is fully trained and licensed to make sure that your office is up to standard.
Want to speak to Mum’s Helping Hands about our office cleaning services? Get in touch today!
Mum’s Helping Hands in Best Cleaning Companies In Nottingham
Best Cleaning Services in Nottingham
Mum’s Helping Hands have recently been recognised as one of the top three cleaning companies in Nottingham!
Three Best Rated are a company that check through a company’s ratings, reviews, trustworthiness and services to choose the “Three Best” companies within an industry. Their goal is to collect information on the best businesses in each city to make it easier for you to find excellence in your local area.
Mum’s Helping Hands’ customer reviews, and the service we provide, have earned us recognition as a “trustworthy business”, and amongst the three best cleaning services in Nottingham.
The fact that this has come shortly after being mentioned as one of the best carpet cleaning companies in Nottingham is a great honour, and shows that Mum’s Helping Hands’ reputation for providing a quality, reliable and trustworthy service continues to grow.
If you want to see our ranking, and how we stack up against other cleaning companies, visit Three Best Rated.
To see our full range of services, and find out why we’ve been recognised as one of the leading cleaning companies in Nottingham, check out our cleaning services.