Make your home ready to sell

Are you thinking of selling your home? The housing market is still busy, so this may be as good a time as ever to take advantage of this and put your home on the market. There are still high numbers of homebuyers looking to buy right now, so make sure you give yourself the best chance of attracting them and getting the best price for your property. Here are a few tips to give your home the wow factor!

Choose the right estate agent

We recommend you get at least 2 or 3 agents around to value your home. This gives you the chance to make the best decisions going into the selling process of your home.

• How experienced are they in your area?
• How will they market the property?
• Have they successfully sold properties like yours recently? (Find out how long it took them, what prices were achieved, and what the difference between their initial asking price and the sold price was)
• What are the fees and any other costs they charge?
• What is my property worth? Keep in mind that all agents are different and have different driving forces on how they value your home. Some may charge a fixed fee so may overvalue your home to achieve a higher commission. Others may undervalue to get a quick sale. A good agent will be able to explain in detail why your property is worth that much specifically and justify it with evidence, unfortunately if the agent cannot justify with correct relevant information there is a good chance they are valuing it for the wrong reasons.

Dealing with an estate agent who provides a great service, is responsive, proactive, and is an expert in your local area, will make a huge difference to the whole experience, and will most likely get your house sold faster.

Get the price right

Don’t just go with the agent promising the highest price for your home. It’s tempting, but if you end up over-pricing the property, it will only prolong the process, and you’ll more than likely have to reduce the price down the line anyway. Instead, ask the agent to provide evidence to support why they recommend that asking price.

The first two weeks that your house appears on sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla is usually when it gets the most attention from people looking to buy. So, if it’s priced correctly, and marketed well, you may even end up with an offer in the first couple of weeks.

Have your documents ready. Your estate agent and solicitor will ask for various bits of paperwork throughout the selling process, so if you can get these all together ahead of time it will save a lot of time.

Some of the paperwork to consider getting together:

• HM Land Registry title documents
• Gas checks completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• Electrical checks – an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
• Planning permission for any major work carried out
• Building regulation completion certificates and builder’s guarantee certificates for alterations or additions

Getting your home picture-perfect!

You’ll need to spend some time cleaning and de-cluttering to make your home look as presentable and attractive as possible, that way as soon as you’ve instructed your agent they can get straight to work.

The quality of the photos and look of your home that appear online play a big part in determining the level of interest your property will get. Low-quality photos of cluttered and messy rooms will put some people off, whilst high-quality images of bright, tidy, and well-presented homes are sure to attract potential buyers.

Make it bright – Dark Rooms generally look smaller than lighter ones, and this can be a big turn-off for potential buyers. We suggest making sure that any blinds or curtains are open to allow as much light in as possible and potentially changing the bulbs in your rooms to the brighter 'Daylight' bulbs.

Keep the gardens tidy - The front garden is the first thing that a potential buyer will see, so make sure that they aren’t given a reason to judge a book by its cover. Similarly, the back garden can be a deal clincher, an impressive outdoor space could set your home apart from the rest.

• Clear away any old/broken garden furniture
• Remove any weeds or dead plants
• Clear away any children’s toys and games
• Trim back any overgrown bushes or trees
• If you have any pets make sure the garden is clear of any animal mess

Bathrooms and kitchens - These two rooms are the most expensive for a buyer to change should they need to. However, if you make an effort to clean and declutter them thoroughly, you’ll be giving potential buyers another reason to be positive about your home.

Bathroom:

• Getting rid of any mould is a must! Make sure any dirty grout or sealants are cleaned or replaced
• Store toiletries away where possible
• Clean any shower doors/screens and shiny surfaces
• Keep the toilet seat down

Kitchen:

• Make sure worktops are tidy and free of clutter
• Keep utensils organised and food in cupboards
• Keep the sink empty and put any washing up away

General home standards

Potential buyers like to walk into a property where they can imagine themselves living there. Everyone’s situation is different, therefore it’s best to keep your house as plain as possible.

• Keep children’s toys and games packed away or in their rooms
• Keep any pet items tidy or packed away
• Keep any personal or confidential information locked away
• Don’t leave any money or expensive items on show
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Done! Your now ready to sell.