How To Prepare Your Property For Selling Purposes

Kerb appeal: creating a good first impression

How your property appears when a potential buyer first pulls up outside can have a significant bearing on its appeal.

If the frontage looks neat, tidy and in good condition, that puts the viewer in a positive state about your home from the start, so ensure the following:

• Tidy garden – grass cut and plants and shrubs neat, tidy and not overgrown.
• Roof – obvious faults such as loose slates or tiles repaired.
• Woodwork – ensure it’s in good condition; if UPVC give it a cleanup.
• General tidiness – put the bins away, ensure the pathway is clear – even details such as oiling a creaking gate hinge can help.

Sometimes we don’t always know how to look at our homes from a selling point of view, but a good estate agent will, and they can offer good advice regarding kerb appeal.

So appoint a trusted one with good knowledge of the market in your area: for instance, if you’re in the north east Essex area then estate agents in Chadwell Heath could be a good bet.

De-clutter and de-personalise

Ensure your property is tidy and free of space consuming clutter. The more clutter, the less easy it is for your viewer to imagine living in your home.

It could be worth removing some furniture that may be making some rooms look smaller, especially if you have a lot of furniture in a small lounge – removing one or two items can help make it look more spacious.

Similarly, remove at least some of your personal artefacts, souvenirs and photos as this will de-personalise the environment enough for your viewer to better imagine themselves living in the property.

Decor with wide appeal

If you have more extreme colour schemes in certain areas, it may be worth toning them down, so they have wider appeal.

That’s not to say you need to repaint every wall magnolia but consider ways you can widen your property’s appeal and help more viewers visualise themselves in the space.

Repaint darker shades with something lighter to improve the impression of spaciousness; you shouldn’t have to spend a lot to achieve this; just a few tins of paint may do the job. One or two mirrors in the right places can help make an area feel more spacious.

Minor repairs

As above, you’ll be aware of not wanting to spend too much since you’re leaving, but certain items needing repair could cost you a sale.

Something obvious like a dripping tap should be repaired as should aspects that might affect kerb appeal such as loose roof tiles or shabby woodwork.

Cleanliness

Your property can’t be too clean, and if it’s in any way dirty or unkempt it will put potential buyers off in droves. Again, they’ll find it harder to imagine themselves living there; even a sink full of dirty washing up can prove a downer so keep on top of things.

Cleaning the carpets helps enormously to remove odors and cheer things up.

It could be worth calling in a professional cleaner to do a deep clean; they’ll also leave all rooms smelling pleasant which is very important; certain odors can prove a big turn off for potential buyers.

This step alone could really boost the chances of making a quick sale.

Garden and exterior

Along with the frontage, don’t forget the rest of the exterior and garden areas.

People value the outdoor space and tidiness of a house, so remove any items cluttering things up such as old pots and have a tidy up – maybe pressure wash the patio and pull the weeds from between paving slabs.

If time is of the essence, perhaps hire a gardening service to come and tidy things up for you.

Put the sale board up

It’s better to wait until your home is prepared for sale as above before marketing it; get off on the right foot with a property ready to welcome viewers and attract those bids.

Description:

How to prepare your home for sale to appeal to the widest range of buyers and secure a quicker sale including maximising kerb appeal, de-cluttering and cleaning.

Websites:

https://www.homewise.co.uk/blog/prepare-your-house-for-sale

https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-selling/top-tips-how-to-make-your-home-more-saleable-and-valuable

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/seller-timeline

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