How
to Sell your home
Hints to sell your house
If you’ve put your house on the market how can you make sure you
can sell your house.
There are lots of things you can do to make your house sell. Some of
these can be done at anytime and not just when your house is on the market.
First Impressions
Go and stand outside your home and try to look at it objectively.
Are
the windows clean?
Does the car need cleaning?
Does the drive need pressure
washing?
Is there a pile of refuse outside? Is the bin outside?
What will someone who doesn’t know you think about what they can
see?
Does the garden need weeding?
Are there dead plants?
Would a hanging
basket improve how things look?
The outside being clean and tidy is as important as the inside. Potential
buyers might not even come in through the front door if it looks an eyesore.
If you have had buyers not turn up then they may have been put off by
the problems at the outside of your property.
This is also the time to look at all maintenance jobs you've been putting
off. If your windows need painting then do it, if you need to jetwash
then get on with it. Selling your home will take some effort but will
be worth if it you're after moving!
Inside the house
How you greet your viewers is important, be friendly and welcoming but
not over the top - you'll make them feel uncomfortable. Bear in mind
they'll be nervous too and will have questions to ask, but a simple "Did
you find us ok" can break the ice.
Questions you can ask them - have they been looking long, have they seen
many propeties.
Make sure the house entrance is free of clutter, an inital feeling of
space can really help spark a buyers imagination. Keep all hall doors
shut to give a sense that the house has lots of rooms.
Decide your walkthrough before they arrive - don't just tell them to
look round themselves. Don't gush over each room - pick one you're going
to say is your favourite and stick to it.
The kitchen
Clean Clean Clean! Make sure the kitchen is really clean. People will
shut off from the good features of the kitchen once they spot loads of
grease and grime. It is hard work keeping the kitchen spotless but well
worth the effort and not a bad habit to get into.
Is the kitchen cluttered with gadgets? Does it look full? make the kitchen
look as tidy as possible, clear worktops because this is what people
look for - how much counter space does it have? Some people set a small
table in the kitchen so that it implies its a kitchen diner - do this
only if you have enough room!
The Bathroom
Keep this clean and smelling very sweet. Keep the toilet lid down! Put
fresh towels in and new soap - just put the old ones out of site.
The bedrooms
Put away the washing - especially the dirty stuff!Again make sure the
rooms smell nice, open the windows and let some air in!
General Hints
- Some people reckon on saving the best room til last as it will linger
in their memory and encourage them to come back for a second viewing
- Get everything cleaned compleytely before you put your house on the
market. Consider having carpets cleaned if you think this will help.
- Wash the windows - ask the estate agent what day is likely to be
most popular for viewing - it might be Saturday - so get the windows
clean in plenty of time.
- Send the kids to grannys for the day if you're having lots of viewings
- it'll save them stressing you out more.
- Enlist the whole family in keeping the place presentable. Make sure
the kids understand why they've got to be really neat and tidy for
a while. You never know it might stick!
- Make sure you wear something nice - don't be in a holey shirt with
egg down it - this isn't the lifestyle you want to present to people.
- Think about setting the dining room ready for a meal - with nice
table ornaments - will make it look like you really use the table area
for eating.
- Put lights on in a room if it enhances the way the room looks.
- Unlock back doors - you don't want to fumble for keys and make it
look like you're a gaoler with a huge bunch of keys. This will spell
out security problems - which there are everywhere but people don't
want to think of their home being in a crime area.
- Be honest with people when they ask about items which need repairing
- if you've got quotes for things then tell them that its on your list
of things to do, and you have a price and are planning to do it.
- Don't have the tv on when people are viewing. Its very distracting.
- Vacuum up before they arrive but put the hoover away!
- If you have a utility space make sure its also clean and tidy and
try not to have washing on - its a bit offputting for people.
- If you don't feel comfortable doing viewings on your own, ask the
estate agent or a family member to be there.
- If viewers ask you a question you don't know the answer too then
tell them - don't make it up! It might be worth finding out names of
local schools if its a family house you have and you don't already
know.
- Make a mental note of which rooms get morning sun and which get sun
at other times of the day. This is the sort of information people like
to know and it can be difficult to work out without being there all
day.
- Put the ironing board away. Otherwise it looks like you don't have
anywhere to store an ironing board. And who wants to buy a house wheer
there isn't room even to put thr ironing board away.
- Be tactful about why you're moving. The usual thing to say is that
its for work - but if its for a relationship split then you might want
to say that, but you might not feel comfortable with that, so what
about "for family reasons - to be near other members of your family
who are getting on a bit"
- Try and be flexible about viewings - quite often people want to view
as soon as they've spotted a property - obviously you can't take time
off work all week but at the weekends when people are likely to be
looking try and be available as much as possible.
- Make sure you're not going to blush at the estate agents description.
If they've put back garden but its really a yard then viewers will
notice this!
- Weed the garden, mow the lawn.
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