Best tips on how to sell your property
In this article, we want to cover some very simple tips in order to achieve a hassle free and speedy home sale.
I know that you might be thinking you need to have your house spotless and emptied of most of the things you use on a daily basis, toys etc. Maybe you’re tempted to shift the dog and cat off to kennels and maybe even the kids whilst you’re trying to sell your home! Although that’s tempting, it’s much less work than you think. Just try to understand your target market e.g. if it’s a family home then try and set the stage for a family looking to buy.
Curb side appeal
One of the most important things to get right in a property sale is curb side appeal. That initial view of your house from the outside, first from the photo on the property portal the buyers are viewing, and after when they turn up for a viewing. You want them to click on your property advert and look further. Without that feeling of “that looks nice”, you may struggle to get them to click on your advert. Not all houses have arched doorways and an interesting feature, and that’s ok, just a tidy and appealing front photo is often all that’s needed. Viewing adverts in your area of properties that have sold will also give you a good indication of how they have presented their house and achieved a sale. Jobs like de-weeding, shaping hedges, maybe even a quick lick of paint on any gates or fences visible. But don’t hide your bins out of sight. Put them somewhere handy so they know where they are. They won’t mind seeing bins outside as we all have to have them. If your windows look a bit tired a good clean from a window cleaner will go a long way to making them look presentable. You can also ask the cleaner to give the frames a good clean, which most would be happy to do.
Garden Space
Whilst we are talking about the outside, let’s think about the garden space. Whether its large or small is of no consequence, buyers will want to see a neat and tidy garden. They won’t expect perfection as often, with pets and children, the garden takes a big hit. Grass being patchy where the football goal is, pet patches etc. Nothing some grass seed won’t solve. I grass seed myself every year to cover patches. If you’re not green fingered, call in some help, even if it’s cutting the grass and pulling out some weeds, shaping some hedges or painting fences. As long as people see a neat and tidy garden, they will envisage what they will do with it. If you have the space, making an area for socialising with family and friends is a big plus, somewhere they can see themselves relaxing with the BBQ out on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The inside space
Now we come to the inside. I’ve seen articles that tell you to de-personalise your, house pack away your ornaments and remove your family pictures and posters from the children’s bedrooms. We don’t recommend you do this, De-personalising your house means that others viewing it will struggle to picture themselves personalising it. They might not like your taste but they will see that they can put their own stamp on it. Your space still needs to have a good flow to it. So if you have accumulated furniture and the property seems a bit cluttered, then it’s important to start thinking about storing some articles to make the space more inviting.
The important thing to remember is there will always be things that a buyer wants to change, or that they expect some maintenance or updating, but it’s important to try and lessen this. Unless they’re quite handy themselves, they will just be thinking of the extra cost and disruption this will bring. But as long as they can see that its ready to move into, clean and functions as it should they will be happy to make some changes gradually as they start their journey making memories in their new property. The kitchen and bathroom are the two areas people like to see looking good, as they are the most expensive areas to update. So now might be time to tighten up that loose handle, or fix that loose kitchen cupboard door, maybe throw some paint at a few walls that are looking tired. Shampooing carpets professionally is also a great way to freshen up your home ready for presenting it.
Some Estate agents might suggest upgrading the kitchen and bathroom areas if they are looking a bit tired. It’s true that these are the most important rooms in the house to buyers, mostly due to them being the most expensive areas to upgrade. If you do upgrade just for the house sale, you may well get more interest and maybe even a higher price achieved. However, there is always a small risk that the upgrades you do might not be to everybody’s taste. Making these areas look clean and tidy might be a good option. If it functions well and they can move in with no issues, it would mean that they can put their own preferences on upgrading these areas at a later date. Although it might mean you get a lower price for your property, you would also not have the cost of doing these works and the disruption it would bring. This choice would not only be a personal one, but it would also depend on your area and your target market e.g. A first time buyer may not want the cost of doing these works and it may put them off making an offer. An estate agent should be able to advice you on this and how properties in the area have sold in the past with or without updating these areas.
If it’s a family home, don’t worry too much about clearing the toys out, try to organise them as best as you can to make the space look tidy a family is going to want to feel that it works already as a family home, their home is probably no different and they know the challenges that you face.
Storage space is also something that viewers love to see. If you have free standing wardrobes, they are unlikely to want to look in them. But if you have built in wardrobes and other storage area, they may want to look in them to see how its organised, so now might be the best time to sort through some of those old clothes ready for sale or charity shop.
If you have some space to do so, we strongly recommend setting up a desk/workspace area. We are now living in a world were home working is on the rise, and potential buyers may want to see that this is possible.
In order to make things less daunting, we would suggest making a list of jobs that needed doing in each area, putting a timescale and cost to it. That way if you haven’t got time for some of the bigger jobs on the weekend, select a few quicker jobs to get the list down. Don’t forget to cross them off your list. Crossing things of a list gives a sense of achievement, a mental feel-good reward to motivate you to get the rest of the list done.
Empty Houses
With Zoopla reporting that nearly a third of properties on the market are empty, we thought we would share some tips on this. When it comes to the outside space, the above still applies. But internally is a different story. If the property is nearly empty, then it might be best to completely empty it. It will then be a blank canvas for people to put their own imagination in gear. We would still recommend the tips above as much as possible and making the space clean and well maintained. However a property that needs some love and attention can sell well for the right price to someone on a budget.
Energy efficiency
Being energy efficient is high on most buyers’ priority list, simple things like loft insulation, an efficient heating system and energy saving bulbs will help improve your energy performance score. We know that sometimes this can come at a cost, but there are other options to consider. ECO scheme (Energy Company Obligation) might be able to assist with Loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and other energy improvements. Speak to your energy supplier to see what they might be able to do to assist you. The other scheme is HUG (Home energy grant) If you’re off the main gas grid and in certain postcode areas you may be able to apply for this improvement grant via your local council. There are also other schemes like boiler upgrade schemes that you might be eligible for, We recommend looking at www.Moneysavingexperts.co.uk for more information.
If some of these things are going to be difficult to achieve, don’t panic, a good estate agent will be able to advise you accordingly. Any house is sellable, it’s just about setting the right stage and pricing for your property.
There is a lot that can be done to make a house presentable. At Stark and Couzens, we are always available to help and empower people to sell their own property, if they choose that path. Our advice is free, whether you’re a client or not. If you would like to speak to us you can call us on 01603 336254 or email us at info@starkandcouzens.co.uk.
