5 Essential Tips To Maximise Your House Sale
Thinking of selling your home but not sure where to start? Read this article for five essential tips to ensure your home packs a punch when it launches to the market, and get those offers rolling in!
Selling a home takes time. There are many things to consider and numerous moving parts (please excuse the pun) from presenting the property to viewings and offers, then solicitors and mortgages. With each step in the process, making the wrong decision could jeopardise your sale or cost you money (either through expenses or offers which are lower than the expected or desired price!)
So, to mitigate these problems and to ensure that you keep as much equity from the sale of your home as possible, we've put together a step-by-step guide to getting your home on the market that will minimise expenses and maximise profits. By following these steps, you could increase the value of your property and secure a higher selling price.
- It starts with preparation - When you decorate a room, more time will be spent on the preparation of the walls and surfaces than on the application of paint, to ensure a better finish. The same principle applies when putting your home on the market. The photoshoot will take only a few hours, but it doesn't matter how good the photographer is if your home is not presented in the best way, the photographs might still not come out very well. Get your house in tip-top shape before your photoshoot so that your images are as good as they can be.
- Declutter - A cluttered house will appear messy and small. Instead, declutter as much as you can. Of course, this could mean getting rid of everything you own, becoming a minimalist if you like, but it doesn't have to. Start your packing process early by packing up ornaments and things that you are not going to need whilst you are selling the property, and store them somewhere. Plastic stacking boxes are great for this, or consider renting a storage unit for a few months to hide away all the things you won't need, creating an uncluttered home.
- Clean - A cluttered home is harder to keep clean, so, once you've cleared the decks, give everything a good clean. This includes walls and skirting boards, those hard-to-reach and often-overlooked areas. When viewers come to the property, they will be looking in every nook and cranny with a judgmental eye. They will scrutinise the property to decide if they like it or not, and they will open that cupboard that you've stuffed everything in or find that corner where the cobwebs have formed.
- Repair - Family homes are busy and, particularly if there are children or pets, can soon show signs of wear and tear. When you put your home on the market, you want to put your best foot forward, but potential buyers will not be impressed if the garden gate doesn't open or a doorknob comes off in their hand. Those annoying little repairs that we just put up with in our homes should be dealt with before you welcome your first viewer. Otherwise, viewers may think your home is too much work and opt for somewhere else instead.
- Present - Whether you need to cut the garden back and weed the path and driveway, or sweep up the autumn leaves, the presentation of your property can make a massive difference to the success of your sale. Clean scuffs and marks off the walls, remove cobwebs from around the doorbell and give the handle and letterbox a shine. Make sure the outside light works as the nights begin to draw in, you don't want your viewers to be left out in the dark and cold - this is not a good first impression to make.
- Style - with a few finishing touches, you can transform your marketing photographs from drab to fab! Rather than a simple image of each room, add in some stylistic flair, such as a pop of colour to grab the attention or staged scenes to highlight how your home can be lived in. For instance, you could have a lovely spot in the garden that catches the morning sun just right, where you enjoy a morning coffee - show this in the images with a coffee pot and that glorious golden glow. Or you could have a favourite place to have a catch-up with your friends over a bottle of wine in the kitchen - show this, with a bottle and some glasses. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words.
By following these simple tips, you can present your home in the very best way that will attract the right buyer for your property, resulting in the very highest offer possible. Remember, selling your home doesn't have to be a daunting task. With the proper guidance, it can be a straightforward and rewarding experience.
To find out more about preparing to market your home for sale, get in touch with our team of property experts today.