Preparing your home for sale

Its important that your home looks the best I can prior to taking photographs for your schedule and conducting viewings. You may wish to consider doing some minor, cost effective improvements to make your property more attractive to buyers. Consider the following:
 

• Neutralise where possible – buyers like to put their own stamp on a property and they are more likely to be able to do that if the house is primarily neutral. Some buyers can’t see past decoration so they may not be keen on green and purple walls or something similar.
   
• Don’t lose the personal touch – buyers like to see that they are buying a home they could live in whether its for themselves, a couple or a family. So keep pictures on show so they can see where theirs can go when they move in!
   
• De-clutter – there is nothing more off putting to a buyer than mess, and it will only give them a negative reaction to your house. Mess can also make your property appear smaller than it is.
   
• Get some storage – if you do have a lot of possessions then it may be worthwhile trying to store some of it somewhere else during viewing whether its at friends/family, at a storage facility or even just in cupboards.
   
• Clean before viewing – buyers like to think the property they are viewing has been looked after by the current owners, so if they find a clean house then they are more likely to be positive that its been looked after.
   
• Add some bits and pieces – Buy some fresh flowers, replace tired rugs with new and inexpensive ones, buy some plants etc. These little touches can make all the difference.
   
• Don’t forget your garden – outside space is a good selling point to most people so make sure the grass is cut, hedges are trimmed and any mess is cleared away. Treat it like the inside of your house.
   
• Do minor repairs – you don’t want to incur a huge cost just before you move however its worthwhile spending a little bit of money on certain things to improve the look of the property. Perhaps the hall could do with a lick of paint, maybe there’s a shelf that needs put up, one of the kitchen doors needs to be fixed, or a light bulb needs replaced. Buyers will pick up on little things wrong with a house and depending on whether they can see past decor it may put them off a purchase.
   
• Consider the use of rooms – try and appeal to as wide an audience as you can by making all of your rooms functional. If you work from home consider changing your office back to a bedroom, or maybe you have a spare room that is used for storage, try to move its contents elsewhere and make it into a bedroom. Again the aim should be to show buyers what they could have if they lived there.

If you need any more advice about how to prepare your home contact us.

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