Selling your home is a big step, a step towards the next exciting chapter in your life. When you put your home on the market you don’t envisage it taking months or even years to sell. You love your home, so surely everyone else will? It’s pretty much a given, right?
It’s easy to think this but it doesn’t always happen. There are many homes that languish on the market through no fault of the owner. Sellers just don’t know what they can do to help the situation or where to turn. It is so important to get your sale off to the right start, right from the word go. There is a direct correlation with the time a home is on the market to the offer it will receive. The longer a home is for sale, the lower the offer accepted.
One of the best ways you can avoid this happening to you is to prepare yourself and your home for sale before you take the plunge and a For Sale board is being hammered into your front lawn. As the saying goes “Proper preparation prevents poor performance”, and when it comes to selling houses… it couldn’t be more accurate. It’s all about the preparation and planning. Here at Alexander Gibson we have tried and tested many ways to help sellers with this. Through many years of experience we know the best ways to set yourself up for a successful sale so you achieve the best offer. Here are our top seven tips to prepare your home for sale and get it right first time.
1. Mindset
The best place to begin is to start thinking like a buyer and get into a buyer’s mindset. Try and look at your home through the eyes of your buyer. What do you think they will see, smell and hear? Doing this will help you look at your home objectively. Looking at your home objectively will aid you in identifying areas that will appeal to a buyer and those areas that won’t. It will focus your attention on improving these areas. Do this and you will appeal to more buyers and are far more likely to achieve a sale.
2. Declutter
The next step is to declutter. Buyers want to see what they are buying, if they can’t see it they won’t buy it. Clear as much space as possible and show your home off to its best. Looking through the eyes of your buyer, where and what do you think they will see as clutter? What is distracting? Remove furniture that makes a room feel small, clear the years of junk that you have been hoarding. Thin out book shelves, box up toys, clear away unnecessary ornaments. If you have a garage hide away the items you don’t need, or put them into storage. Clearing space will make your home feel bigger and lighter. Far more appealing to a potential buyer.
3. Deep clean
For a buyer to fall in love with your home, they have to imagine themselves living there. Make this easy for them by presenting your home spotlessly clean and tidy. Deep cleaning will brighten and lift your home and will also neutralise any odours. If this seems like too much hard work, call in the professionals. A one-off deep clean is very cost-effective and makes it much easier to keep on top of the cleaning daily.
Clean carpets, upholstery and wash your curtains. Fabrics absorb smells and dirt so professionally cleaning them will rid them of stinky odours and make them look brighter. Make sure all surfaces sparkle, especially bathrooms, kitchens and windows. Helping light reflect around your home will make your home brighter to the eye.
4. Complete your odd jobs.
It’s time to get all the little niggly odd jobs finished off. Nobody wants to see unfinished DIY jobs. It will make a buyer suspicious about what other DIY disasters are lurking underneath the surface. Give your buyers confidence in your home by making sure your home is well maintained. This goes for inside your home and outside.
5. Spruce up your décor
It is surprising what a lick of paint can do. A small investment in time or by employing a decorator to freshen up your walls can make a huge difference on how your home appears, especially on photographs. Lift the feel, space and look of your home by giving it a lick of paint. Inside and out – including your front door.
6. Outside
Buyers see the garden as an extension of the home. A well-presented and tidy garden will add value to a home and make it more saleable. Ensure all gardens are well manicured. Paint or treat wooden fencing and sheds. Trim and tidy hedges and bushes. Weed and turn over flower beds. Mow the grass and sweep the paths. Add colour by planting some new bedding plants or dotting plant pots filled with colourful plants around your garden or patio. Frame your front door by adding pots or a few bay trees each side. Working on your kerb appeal will entice buyers to want to know more about your home. A house that looks cared for from outside will help impress buyers and we all know how important first impressions are.
7. Finishing touches
Subtle accessorising can make a big impact. Accessorising can add colour and character in an understated way. Cushions and throws on beds and sofas will add a pop of colour and texture. Luxury toiletries and fluffy towels in bathrooms create a sense of hotel luxury. Flowers and scented candles add a pleasant homely smell. Soft lighting using lamps and dimmed lights create a warming ambience. For ideas on how to accessorise, browse through a few home interior magazines or websites. House Beautiful is a good example www.housebeautiful.com/uk/
Your aim when selling your home is to get buyers to fall in love with it. This can start from the moment they click on a Rightmove advert or the point they pick up a beautifully designed brochure. A well-loved, well maintained and wonderfully presented home is far more attractive than one that is not. By viewing your home through your buyer’s eyes and making tweaks, you are making your home more appealing to them. This is the best way a seller can set themselves up for a successful sale. A small investment in time and money as suggested is worth it. A buyer that falls in love with your home is more likely to pay a higher price and want a quicker sale. A win-win situation for the buyer and seller. They have a home they love and you have achieved the best price possible.
For more help on successful selling see our website http://www.alexandergibson.co.uk/successful-selling
If you are thinking of selling and would like a free personal consultation on the best way to present your home for sale get in touch. Call us on 01423 563077, email talk@alexandergibson.co.uk or visit our website at www.alexandergibson.co.uk. One of our helpful experts would be happy to come and visit you in your home and walk you through the best way you can present your home for sale.