How to prepare your home for selling
Spending a little time preparing your home for prospective buyers to view can not only help sell the property quicker but also help you to achieve the very best selling price
Here’s our top tips…
Clean and freshen up
Have a good spring clean so that your home is really seen in its best light. Don’t forget to clean windows and freshen up net curtains, bed linen and any other soft furnishings. Remove any stains from the carpets – hiring a carpet cleaner is a good idea for this.
Clean and clear all the kitchen surfaces, cooker, hob, appliances and kitchen floor. Wipe any grease off kitchen cupboards and make sure the sink is bright and shiny. Remove limescale from bathrooms and check that tiles are in good order and grout is clean
If necessary, consider re-painting rooms in a neutral colour. That vivid coloured feature wall may have been a good idea several years ago but people generally prefer to move into a place that is more of a ‘blank canvas’
De-clutter
Get rid of all those piles of ‘stuff’ that accumulate in every home – find a proper place for it all, sell it or take to the charity shop. If you have too much excess furniture, boxes or bags, consider putting some items in storage for a short period
Don’t just throw it all in a cupboard – it will be better for viewers to appreciate how big the under-stairs cupboard is than have it piled to the brim with all your possessions
Make sure that there is space in each room for viewers to be able to be able to walk around and envisage how it would look with their own belongings in there
Tidy up the garage and shed – they often get forgotten!
Don’t be tempted to hide everything away, you need some personal effects to make it look like a home rather than a hotel room
Fix and mend
Make sure everything in the house is in good order. Outside, fix any loose guttering and mend broken fencing, make sure the lawn has been mowed, paths and patios washed and swept, the garden tidy of toys and dog mess.
Inside, fix all those little things that have broken but haven’t yet got to the top of the list for repairing – curtain poles that have pulled off the wall, doors that don’t shut properly, light bulbs that don’t work…every home has their own particular collection of jobs to do!
First impressions
You really don’t have to be baking bread or brewing coffee when people come to view but making sure that the house doesn’t smell of animals and ensuring last night’s cooking smell has left the kitchen is very important.
Open windows where necessary and air any rooms that smell a little stale. A scented candle or reed diffuser may also come in handy so your property smells clean and fresh when people walk in the door
Leave the viewings to the professionals
Let Belvoir, the property experts show prospective buyers round your home. We know which of the good things about your property we need to point out.
Whilst you leave the house for a short while (ideally taking children and dogs with you!), we can answer any questions about the neighbourhood, schools, local amenities etc and we will always make sure we know as much as possible about your home and what you have loved about living there. After the viewing we will also give you the all-important feedback
We can offer help and advice on any particular worries or queries you have regarding preparing your home for sale, so please do ask!
