The perfect lockdown checklist for future buyers, sellers & landlords
Here's how to spruce up your home to sell post-coronavirus and what to do if you were hoping to buy, let, or sell during the lockdown.
Whether your plan was to buy your first home or sell your old one, it will have been put on hold by coronavirus, leaving you with the feeling that there’s nothing you can do except sit and wait…
However, Londoners with unexpected time on their hands can take practical steps now that will save valuable time and effort when life returns to something closer to normality — and your time is once again in short supply.
Here is our useful checklist:
Top tips for buyers and renters
1. Go virtual
You may not be able to physically view homes but an online search is valuable research.
We’ve had video marketing for our properties for a while now, and this is proving extremely useful during this time for buyers who can’t leave their home. A video viewing is almost like walking through a property yourself, and will at least give you an initial sense of whether you can see yourself living there.
Some sellers are even filming things such as their daily run, to give buyers a sense of the local area. Buyers get a good idea of a neighbourhood without stepping outside their front door.
2. Learn to read a floorplan
It will save you time down the line because square footage written down doesn’t mean much to novice buyers.
Measure your living room or kitchen — then you will understand space better when you compare your home to a house you are viewing.
3. Prepare your mortgage paperwork
A mortgage candidate needs a passport, at least three months’ worth of bank statements and pay slips, their name on at least one utility bill at their current address, and will be on the Electoral Roll.
When the market begins to normalise, it will put you in a better position as a buyer.
4. Check your credit rating
Check your credit rating online. If you have steered clear of all borrowing, you may find your score is low.
The solution, daft as it may seem, is to get a credit card, spend on it and pay off regularly, to show you are able to borrow and repay sensibly.
5. Register with your local estate agent
To be the first to know when a great property comes on the market, you need to be registered with the best estate agent in your area. They’ll email you before properties hit the market, meaning you’ve got a head start on other buyers or renters.
Top tips for sellers/landlords
1. Finish any DIY jobs
Hardware shops are on the Government’s list of permitted retail outlets, so sort your house out.
Replace broken tiles, paint out the scuff marks, wash windows, paint over watermarks on ceilings, clean the carpets, fix or replace that leaking tap, etc.
2. Sort out your garden
If you have a garden, make it look good. Wash down patios, fill planters, take away the rubbish, mend and paint the fence.
Box up or bin the contents of the loft, garage or garden shed. Go through all those boxes of old photographs and papers. This stuff takes hours — and you do not normally have the time.
3. Offer video tours of your home
Become a video star. If you’re up for the challenge, you could offer “vendor video tours” where sellers produce walk-through videos of their own home, which can be viewed by prospective buyers from the safety of their own four walls.
While not as appealing or polished as professional video tours, they do offer a temporary solution during lockdown.
4. Tackle those exterior projects
First impressions count. Paint your front door. A tin of exterior eggshell equals instant kerb appeal.
If you can, you should also clear your gutters (taking safety precautions), clean your windows, tidy the front driveway and get a bin store.
The colour of your house can have a real impact on its value, according to the HomeOwners Alliance. It calculates that homes in tastefully painted streets may be worth 20 per cent more than plain and boring exteriors.
Getting the exterior of a house painted costs between £450 and £1,500 depending on its size, location and whether you need scaffolding.
There is going to be a rush on painter-decorators when all this chaos is over, so while they may not be able to come to you right now, you can certainly get a quote and get the job booked in.
5. Find an Estate Agent
Finding a great agent can take research, so it’s a great thing to do while you’re stuck inside. Check reviews, look at their websites, maybe send a message to the ones you like – they’d be happy to chat to you about a game plan for when everything settles down. You may even be able to get a social distancing valuation from home.
We know things may feel a little bit crazy right now, and we want to keep everyone in our community safe, while still offering services to those who need it. Since we may in this for the long haul, we all need to pull together to make our wonderful town safe and bearable for everyone.
If you need help in any way, assistance with shopping or medication, or just fancy a chat, our team is here to lend a hand. Just get in touch.
Stay safe – stay home!