If you’re selling your home or rental property, you want to make sure that you get the advantage over other properties on the market and make your home stand out from the crowd. Here are our top tips for property sellers, based on selling several thousand properties over the years.
Making the First Impression
‘You don’t get a second change to make a first impression!’, and these tips will make your property stand out from the crowd, get more potential buyers through the door and could lead to increased competition that will help you to get the very best price.
Clear Out the Clutter
It may sound simple, but a good declutter of your property can make a huge difference in how your property is perceived. Once you have finished decluttering, declutter again! Getting rid of the clutter that we all accumulate, even without realising it, can create an impression of light and space within your property. This will make for great photographs and allow your potential buyer to imagine their own furniture and belongings in place.
Little Touches
One of the most common questions that sellers ask us is, ‘Should I redecorate?’ In the vast majority of cases it is not necessary to redecorate the whole property to achieve a successful sale. Your potential purchaser is likely to put their own personal stamp on the property when they move in anyway. Your aim is to minimise the amount of work that a buyer feels they will have to do and keep them focused on the things that they love about your home. We would therefore recommend replacing old, damaged or stained carpets. Consider hiring a local carpet cleaner for a few hours or take advantage of several suppliers who will rent you a machine for 48 hours so that you can do it yourself.
Where possible try to add a splash of colour. This is especially effective if you have already moved out of the property or it has been rented-out. Fresh flowers, towels and crisp, new bedspreads can help too.
Spring Clean
It may colloquially be called a ‘Spring’ clean, but this is advice we recommend all year round! Make sure your kitchen and bathrooms are gleaming. It is a great idea to re-seal wet areas, such as round the bath or shower tray and to re-grout areas where staining due to everyday use is likely to occur. Clean, ready to use kitchens and bathroom areas enhance the feeling that buyers can just move in straight away and get on with living in the property.
And don’t forget the windows! You may not notice it when you live there every day, but a quick clean of your windows can make a huge difference to how bright your property appears and how it looks in photos.
Don’t Neglect the Exterior
Whether it is the depths of winter or the height of summer (though the difference is hard to tell sometimes!) a fantastic exterior picture of the building or garden can add a lot of appeal for your potential buyer. If your garden is looking a little bare, or is paved, some colourful, potted plants or shrubs can go a long way to making your property stand out. If you have a lawn, make sure that the grass is trimmed and not overgrown.
A Fresh Pair of Eyes
If you have a friend whom you trust to be honest with you, consider asking them to take a look at your home with a fresh pair of eyes and to give you feedback on things that their eye is drawn to. Frayed carpets, the damp stain on the wall, cracked paintwork or mildew in bathrooms…you name it, we’ve all lived somewhere long enough that we stopped seeing the odd jobs that we were going to get round to once upon a time! If your friend spots it, any potential buyer will see it as well.
If you are thinking of selling your property this year, it all starts with a free pre-sale valuation and our expert property valuers will also be able to help you with suggestions for maximising the appeal of your property to buyers when they visit you.
To arrange yours today, just call 0345 646 0208 or email [email protected] and we will arrange an appointment at your convenience.
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