Preparing Your Home For Sale

Top Tips to help sell your home:

There´s no doubt about it, the UK property sales market has slowed down. Whether it´s as a consequence of the introduction of HIP´s, the increase the Chancellor made some years ago to the amount of Stamp duty, or simply the fact that wages just haven´t kept up with the rise in house prices….. The net result has been a market slowdown in sales numbers and numbers of properties becoming available to buy.

If you want to sell your home now, it´s not as easy as it was. There are ways to improve your chances of a sale once you have a viewer though. While these suggestions are not new, they will help to guide anyone to maximize the charm that their property offers.

Create a good first impression
Walk outside, stand back and have a long critical look at your home. Imagine you are looking to buy it. Now imagine you are looking at it for the first time.

Take a notebook and write down your own critical comments. It may be that the hedge needs a trim, the front door needs a re-paint, the drive needs weeding and some new flowers could brighten up the borders.

Redecorate, Redecorate, Redecorate
Walk around the inside of your home and cast a critical eye over the decoration.

Try to smarten up any damaged paintwork with a fresh lick of paint. Your goal is to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, so stick to neutral colours. Bold and bright colours may be your preference, but remember it´s easier for someone else to imagine your property as their home if they aren´t being dazzled by lime green walls!

Get rid of the mess
It’s very easy to ignore the clutter when you have lived amongst it for several years. Try to create a space that someone else could imagine their possessions in. The aim is to make your home as light and airy as possible.

The time invested in clearing away ornaments and collections that will distract a potential buyer, is time well spent.

Kerb appeal is vital because many potential buyers will first drive by your home before deciding if they would like to view it. Get the kerb appeal right and you have just increased your chances of selling.

Get it fixed
Household maintenance is not everyone´s idea of fun. Try to get those little jobs done now. A light bulb that doesn’t work, leaking taps, creaking door hinges, a squeaky floor board… It doesn’t take long to sort and will make a buyer have positive thoughts about your home rather than giving them the opportunity to leave with a negative thought.

Don't forget to get the doorbell fixed. You may never even know your viewer was there!

Pick the fluff out of the plug hole
Get fussy about the bathroom and kitchen. Nobody likes other people´s mess: Bathrooms and Kitchens are notorious places for us to leave our personal clutter.

Keep work surfaces clear in the kitchen to show how large the space really is and put all of those personal items away in the bathroom.

Get the lighting right
A home has to convey a feeling of warmth and comfort. Even though it´s daylight, turn some low lamps on in the corners of rooms that are away from windows. Always turn the bedside lights on, even in the day. This creates a welcoming feeling without being obvious.

Always open blinds, curtains (or anything else you have blocking the light out). Nobody wants to live in a dark home.

Outside, always leave a welcoming light on, if you have one. Don´t forget, a viewer is likely to walk or drive past first before making an appointment to view.

Tidy Bedrooms
There is nothing worse than seeing someone else´s bedding or clothes strewn about a bedroom floor when viewing a house.

Tidy away clothes in the bedroom, this helps make the room look more spacious and accommodating.

Cupboards
It seems ridiculous to suggest that you keep your cupboards and storage spaces tidy, but most viewers will try to imagine whether their own clutter will comfortably store in your home.

Try to create new storage areas, like under the bed in boxes.

Get the garden sorted
Give the garden(s) a small makeover. You don´t need to go out and buy new plants, you just need to cut the grass, clear the paths of weeds and children´s toys and tidy away any old tatty furniture.

Clearing overgrown bushes away from any windows helps to let the light in.

Pets and smells
Before your viewer visits, find somewhere else for your dog. Your viewer may not be a dog fan and the last thing you want is a viewer concentrating on where your dog is, rather than the house.

Ideally, most pets need to be placed somewhere where you have complete control and the viewer either doesn't´ know of their existence, or appreciates that you have made the effort to show your home, not your pet.

Five Do's to help sell your home

1. Make repairs
2. Clean the house
3. Tidy the clutter
4. Spruce the garden of front
5. Add a room or swimming pool

Five Don’ts to help sell your home

1. Leave dogs or pets to bite the buyers
2. Allow old relatives to clutter rooms
3. Leave hazardous objects around
4. Let the children out of the basement
5. Eat Kippers for breakfast

Five things that will put buyers off

1. Bad smells in the bathroom
2. Graffiti on outside walls
3. Wrecked cars on the drive
4. Soiled nappies on kitchen work tops
5. Grannys underwear on the line

Five highlights that will impress

1. Paint walls a neutral colour
2. Hang some nice pictures
3. Have some soft music playing
4. Put some fresh flowers in all rooms
5. Leave window and shutters open