Presenting Your Property For Sale

Most buyers form an opinion within the first 15 seconds on entering a property. There are affordable improvements you can make to your home that will significantly enhance the buyer’s experience.

Years of busy family life, entertaining and general wear and tear is more obvious to someone entering a property for the first time. However, preparing your property for sale doesn’t need to be expensive.

The exterior of your home is the first impression buyers have of your property; a freshly cut lawn, scrubbed path or driveway, trimmed hedges and an inviting entrance will help create a positive impression.

Here are a few suggestions and tips to help maximise the selling potential of your home:

• Now Where’s That Tool Box:

  Sensitively repair or remove tired and broken fixtures and fittings and attend to any small DIY jobs. Sometimes it’s as much about what does not get noticed as what does. Tend to broken door knobs, cracked tiles, kitchen cupboards and anything else that can be easily repaired.

• Keep It Clean:

  Regardless of the time of the year give your property a thorough spring clean. Tackle lime-scale build up, heavy staining and any grotty grouting around your kitchen and bathroom tiles. If they look old and worn, then renew your sink and bath seals.

• Show Off your Space:

  Declutter where possible to avoid your home appearing smaller than it is. When we visit to take photographs this will make all the difference and we can always visit over two days if you need to move boxed up items from one part of the property to another. If you have outgrown your home, you could consider temporary storage. If your property is tenanted, perhaps offer your tenant a day’s free rent for making an extra effort to tidy and better organise the property in readiness for our photography.

• Smells, Odours and (Even) Allergies:

  This is something we’re sure everyone has heard before it can help. Avoid any strong smells being present when people are viewing your home. Cooking, smoke and pet related odours may be off putting to some people. Cat or dog hair may even cause an allergic reaction, and with it the potential to lose a could-be-buyer, so a quick vac around the house to pick up any loose hair is a good idea.

• Give Your Property the “Live Here Feel”

  Too often people worry about removing all trace of personalisation; however give this a little more thought as many buyers want to experience that all important “ I could live here” feeling, so a homely feel is a good thing. For vacant properties we would suggest using a home staging specialist. Prices are not as high as you might expect, especially in a market where property usually sells quickly.

• Flowers, Mirrors and Candles:

  Collectively these can create a feel good factor, help with odours and direct more light around a room.

• Freshen it Up:

  Partial redecoration to some rooms is certainly worth considering, especially if one area in particular is overdue a fresh lick of paint, maybe the hallway? If you can do this yourself, it’s simply a case of time and buying the materials. Why not look at the front door too as this will most certainly help to create a good first impression, newly painted door, plant pots or a hanging basket? If you feel unable to undertake any redecoration there will be plenty of decorators happy to help. Small jobs such as these needn’t be overly expensive but can make a huge difference.

• Don’t Freeze or Overheat Your Buyers:

  In the winter keep it warm, in the summer keep it cool. You want prospective buyers to feel comfortable when viewing your property; not left shivering to the bone or in danger of overheating. If the property is vacant set the heating/cooling system accordingly.

• Don’t Forget The Garden:

  If you have a shed use it. Clear everything from the garden to make sure it’s neat and tidy. Remove potential hazards, such as panes of glass or loose bricks and paving slabs, the last thing you want is a personal injury claim. If the garden is overgrown and out of control, use the services of a local gardener to give it a general overhaul.

• Put You House In Order:

  Allow your buyer to picture themselves in residence and present each room to highlight it’s purpose. If your dining room is full of work papers or exercise equipment, return it to its original purpose for viewing.