When it comes to selling your home, buyers expectations are at an all time high – with better technology, an increasingly competitive marketplace and homemovers priorities shifting, it might be time to review how you plan on selling your home in 2022.
Most expectations are set through your Estate Agent, for example, how they present your property online and how they sell it when talking to buyers over the phone and on viewings, so it’s important to take your time to choose the right agent for you and your property.
Picking an agent
Your choice of Estate Agent is not how it used to be, 20 years ago you would have a pick at 2 or 3 local estate agents and that would be that. Nowadays, especially since the introduction of online agents – your choices are between 10 and 20 agents. So, it begs the question, who do you pick?
Buyers expect highly knowledgeable, professional and honest agents to be dealing with the purchase of their property. Choose an agent with a good reputation and an upstanding position in your local area. Local or “High-Street” branches are still your best chance of getting your property sold as they have more offline channels for marketing such as windows, sale boards and a database of local clients. Secondly, you should compare the Agent with your property – evaluate whether they have sold anything similar and their passion for the property when they give you your valuation. You want your Agent to be as excited about selling the property as you are!
Online marketing
Secondly, you will want to evaluate how your Agent approaches their online marketing. The online marketplace is extremely competitive so here are a few key things to take note of:
- Photography: Some buyers won’t even peek at your property if the photographs don’t intrigue them so it’s important that you and your agent work together to capture your property in its best light. This includes high quality images, well-planned shots and thoughtful staging.
- Floorplans: Your agent needs to be able to produce accurate and good quality floorplans so prospective buyers have the opportunity to inspect the layout and make more informed decisions.
- Video tours: There has been a substantial increase in Agents offering video or virtual tours as part of their service over the past 3 years. They have been so vital during the pandemic that buyers now expect a property on the market to have one.
What is expected of you
Stage your home
Staging is the process of looking at every room in the house like your home is a show home and setting it up to sell. You can use what you have, assessing all your furniture and furnishings and rearranging room layouts to best show off the house. Often a layout that works for real life will not photograph optimally and small changes can make a huge difference to marketing images.
You can also bring additional items in – simple furniture additions to complete a room can work wonders when staging. Adding a few cushions and throws can add an extra dimension to a room. Completeness and liveability are key here, it’s real life but elevated. Consider plants and fresh flowers – you may already have some and can place them strategically for photos etc. or you can bring some in for the job.
Garden and frontage
Buyers will often drive by a house before they schedule a viewing and the external photos are usually their first glimpse of your house online too. Make sure that the outside of the property is as clean and fresh feeling as the inside. Cut the grass, trim the hedges, clear and clean the driveway and any paths. Make sure that the outside lighting is all working and that patio areas and furniture are really clean and properly staged. Any plantings or hanging baskets should be neat and tidy – you can add fresh plantings with colour to lift the look of the outside.
Maintenance and refresh
If you have any maintenance works outstanding you should make sure they are completed. Buyers test everything and snoop into every corner so if there’s a problem they will find it and it will hold up the sale.
A really thorough cleaning of all parts of the home is important. You want
your house to look it’s absolute best and you’ll also reveal any elements that need a repair or a refresh. Don’t forget the windows inside and out – the view in and the view out of every room is important to the buyer.
