In this competitive housing market, there are a number of things you should do prior to putting your house on the market that will increase your chances of selling quickly and at a price you are happy with.

Properties that are overpriced simply will not sell and, although you can bring the price down later, this may give the appearance that there is something wrong with it. It is certainly worth doing some research of your own to establish what you think would be a realistic asking price. Also, get at least 3 agents to value your home and ensure you ask them to supply you with some comparable evidence to support their valuation. It is not wise to select an agent purely based on their high valuation.

As well as the rather fundamental business of getting the price right, it is also a good idea to contact your solicitor to ensure that any issues which may cause complications later on in the sales process are ironed out in advance. For example, do you have any outstanding planning issues or boundary disputes which may present problems for your buyer. Sales often fall apart for these very reasons and getting them sorted out beforehand can save a lot of stress and disappointment.

Also, you will never realise your home’s potential value if it is not presented correctly. Please find below some guidelines which may help you to prepare your home before you put it on the market, what to do immediately prior to a viewing and how to show viewers around your home most effectively

How to Prepare Your House For Sale
 

Complete any half finished jobs – most people want a house that does not require any work. Also, they want to feel that a house is cared for so replace broken hinges or handles and finish any paint jobs.

Touch up chipped paintwork –painting woodwork can be a laborious task and may put people off. Ensure woodwork is gleaming. Remember, your front door is extremely important. Viewers spend more time looking at this than at anything else, while they wait for you to answer the door, so ensure it is immaculate with door furniture polished.

Tidy up front and back gardens – dig up weeds, mow the lawns, trim bushes and hedges, remove any garden toys, sandbags or rubbish and remove cars from driveway. Ensure the front garden is immaculate and plant some colourful flowers – a bit of colour works wonders. Remember a lot of people drive past a property before they arrange to view. If the front looks a mess, they may not call to make an appointment.

Turn rooms back into their intended functions – if you are using the spare bedroom as a study, get a bed in there instead, or if your dining room has become a playroom, clear away the toys, redecorate and turn it into a sophisticated dining room. This will enable viewers to see how they may use the room.

Many viewers prefer a blank canvas – interior décor is a very subjective thing and many buyers may not be able to see beyond your taste. Consider redecorating rooms using whites and creams, replacing heavily patterned curtains with plain ones, investing in cheap natural carpet to replace old patterned ones, removing or replacing any loud artwork on the walls.

Bathrooms and kitchens sell houses – it may be worth investing in a new bathroom suite or replacing kitchen unit doors or repainting them. Replace old tiles with cheap white ones or re-grout for a fresh look.

Before a Viewing

Clean windows inside and out – they need to sparkle!

Eliminate odours – remove pet bedding and food bowls. Open windows for a couple of hours prior to a viewing, have fresh flowers and spray scent. Previous recommendations to fill your house with the smell of fresh coffee and freshly baked bread are now old hat. More delicious smells can be created by baking almonds or boiling a cinnamon stick in some water just prior to a viewing.  

Clean house from top to bottom – there’s nothing nicer than a clean smell

Ask a friend to look after your pet - many people are allergic to animals or simply don’t like them, so ensure they are sent elsewhere prior to a viewing.

Remove all clutter from the floor and surfaces - to maximise feeling of space. Remember, if your house is too personalised, with lots of family photos or personal collections, viewers may not be able to see how they would live in the house.

Make the most of features – light a fire (in winter), open curtains/blinds wide to maximise light.

Use discrete lighting to brighten up dark corners – dark corners can become cosy retreats with a bit of clever lighting

Make your house look loved – have fresh-cut flowers and some nice cushions or throws.

Loud noise can be a distraction - so turn off the television, send the children to play with friends and play some music softly.

During a Viewing 

Sell the special/unique features of your home – talk glowingly about the amount of light if a room is sunny, or talk about how cosy a room is in the winter with the big open fire

Sell a lifestyle – if your patio has the sun in the evening, tell viewers how you enjoy sitting on the patio for an early evening drink in the summer, say how much you enjoy throwing large dinner parties or huge family Christmases if you have a large dining room. If you are selling in the autumn, talk about where you put your Christmas tree.

Let viewers go into rooms first – this will give them a better feeling of space.

Keep all internal doors closed - so they cannot see all rooms at once

Find out as much as you can about the viewers from the agent beforehand – age, whether they have children, whether they are from out of the area etc. Think about the sort of questions they may ask you and pre-empt these questions with positive remarks – tell them a little about the neighbours and neighbourhood, information about local schools, societies, sport & leisure facilities, nearest shops, parks etc.

Turn negatives into positives – if you have no off-street parking, talk about how parking isn’t a problem, tell them how you can just pop to the shops without having to worry about parking or to restaurants without driving if you are in a busy town center position, if you are in a small village tell viewers about the services available ie, if you have newspapers and milk delivered, if the local pub does food, if you can get takeaways delivered, etc

Don’t try the hard sell – if you appear too keen to sell, viewers may wonder why and you are unlikely to get the price you want. We will get feedback from the viewers afterwards so don’t push them for their opinion; we will pass their comments on to you, good or bad. Ensure you do not make any negative comments such as ‘wouldn’t accept a penny less than the asking price’ or ‘we’ll only move if we find the right house’. But most of all, leave all the negotiations to your agent, that’s what we’re good at!

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