If you are planning on selling your home anytime soon you might want to brush up on these ten top tips. While most of them are nothing more than simple, impartial advice they are still worth remembering…
1. Target market and timing
Try to tailor your space to your target market. For example, if this is a professional coupe, make an office space. Spring and early autumn are traditionally the best times to put your house on the market to secure a swifter sale and a better price.
2. Take an average price valuation
There can be a huge range in the valuations given on your property, so ensure that you get at least three estate agents in to perform a property valuation. The median value between all three should give you an appropriate asking price.
3. Find the right estate agent for you
Make sure that you feel comfortable with your estate agents especially if you are looking around for estate agents online. Negotiate the terms of the contract so that their percentage is as low as possible and that they are only exclusive for four weeks, which will give them the added impetus to sell your house quickly.
4. Work on your “curb appeal”
Your chance to hook a buyer begins even before they have set foot in the door. So make sure that your front path, drive and door are up to scratch.
5. Clean up, de-clutter and neutralize
Prospective buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in your house, so put all your clutter away, take down personal effects and give the walls a lick of neutral paint, especially if you favour strong colours.
6. Complete long-forgotten maintenance jobs
Don’t allow your prospective buyers to nitpick about the little things that they might find wrong with your house. So change broken lightbulbs and oil creaky doors before viewings.
7. Make sure you’re out during viewings
Let your agent do the viewings for you – that’s part of the service that you’re paying for. Viewers will want to be able to spend time in your home and ask as many questions as necessary and they make feel awkward if the current occupant is there.
8. Make the most of your outdoor space
Whether you have a window box, a balcony, a yard or a garden, make sure that you promote it as a selling point. Make sure it’s neat and tidy, with the grass cut and the shingle swept away.
9. Coffee, fresh bread, flowers and homebaked cookies
It sounds old school, but create a homely and welcoming atmosphere by appealing to your prospective buyer’s olfactory senses. It will cover up bad odours and help to create a bond between the viewer and the house.
10. Choose the best buyer
If you have several offers, listen to your agent’s advice on the buyer’s circumstances. The highest offer is not always the best if the buyer is not in a position to move forward.
