10 Apr 2020
Get Ready for Selling Your Home in 7 Easy Steps
So you’ve found your dream new home and now you need to find a buyer for yours. Selling your current home doesn’t need to be a chore – here’s our quick 7-step guide to get you moving!
1. Make The Right First Impression
We know what your thinking – viewings! But actually, the first impression a buyer gets of your home is through the photos in your online listing. Make sure your house is picture-perfect inside & out for when the photographer or estate agent comes to take their shots.
2. Get The Outside Looking Great
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but we all do it! So make sure the cover of your book is as appealing as what’s inside. That means cutting the grass, weeding the garden, clearing any toys or clutter away into the shed and even adding a few potted plants to finish off!
Don’t stop there though, make sure windows are clean and any fading or peeling paintwork is redone.
3. Tackle The Clutter
People want to picture themselves living in your house and they can’t do that if all they can see is your stuff.
Tidy all your personal belongings away and make sure the floor space is clear to emphasise space. Consider replacing any oversized or damaged furniture, it’s a small expense on a considerable purchase price!
4. Look Out The Paintbrush
Your goal here is to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and get buyer’s thinking its ‘move-in ready’. Any time a viewer says ‘we would need to…’ its pounds off the purchase price or maybe even a dealbreaker.
If you have any rooms that you’ve decorated to your, erm, personal taste, you might want to consider re-painting these in more neutral colours like white or cream. Light grey is also very in at the moment!
Bear in mind too that lighter colours give the illusion of space whereas darker colours can make a room feel smaller.
5. Repair & Clean
Time to get round to those little jobs you’ve been meaning to do…forever.
Fix the hinges on the kitchen doors, clean the grout in the shower, screw in the creaky floorboard and blast the grime out of the oven. Small wins can make a BIG difference when it comes to getting an offer.
6. Put Yourself In Your Viewers Shoes
Take a walk through your home and use all your senses to get an idea of what a potential buyer might be feeling.
Is it too hot or too cold? Easy one – adjust the heating!
Is there a smell in any areas? Try to identify and solve the issue at the source, but also don’t discount the freshly brewed coffee trick!
Is it dark? Replace any dull or blown bulbs and open the blinds & curtains to let the natural light in!
7. Sell, Sell, Sell
There’s no doubt about it, sales works. And nobody knows the benefits of your home better than you. Make sure you highlight these to your estate agent and in any conversations with viewers. It also helps to think of any trouble areas and come up with a way to overcome those objections in advance!
