How to get your Home Ready for the Sale
Selling your home is always a big occasion, and finding a suitable buyer who doesn’t back out can often seem a big challenge.
There a few easy things you can do to tip the odds in your favour, however – and it is surprising how many people just don’t bother.
By preparing your home for sale in the right way, you can easily give yourself an advantage over the majority of other sellers.
Think about it this way. If you went to a car dealer looking for a new car, you’d expect the cars on sale to be fully valeted and with no trace of their previous owner, wouldn’t you?
Homes are just the same. By making your home a bit more like a show home, you will have a much better chance of a quick, easy sale.
Don’t worry – this isn’t as hard as it seems. In fact, all that’s required are a few, simple changes. You’ll be amazed at the difference they will make – and so will potential buyers.
Preparing the Inside of your Home
Get your home ready for sale before you get it valued by any estate agents (if you’re using one). That way, you will get the best possible valuation and any photos in your property’s details will look as impressive as possible.
Here’s how to do it.
Throughout Your Home
Thoroughly clean and tidy everywhere in your home. Have a really good clear out and de-clutter as much as you can. Then do it some more.
Don’t just be tempted to shove all the mess into your cupboards – potential buyers will often look in cupboards to see how big they are. If your cupboards are full to overflowing, any potential buyers will assume that they are too small and will be discouraged.
Personal possessions such as photographs, ornaments and other knick knacks do not help sell houses. Pack as many away as possible so that the places where they stood are clean and empty.
Remember: potential buyers want to imagine your home with their stuff in – they don’t want to have to mentally remove all of yours. Less is more – the less clutter you have, the more spacious your home will feel. This is just what you want.
Get the Details Right
Are your interior door handles or light fittings looking a bit past their best? Replace them.
Are there any half-finished DIY jobs lurking around? Finish them.
Is your bathroom lino well past its best-by date? Replace it.
Is the sealant around your bath or shower mouldy or discoloured? Scrape it all out and redo it.
You can clean off any unsightly scale using vinegar.
Do you have any walls painted in ‘interesting’ colours, or in need of a fresh coat of paint? Repaint them in a neutral colour.
The point of all this is that for relatively small amounts of money and time you can significantly improve the appeal and class of your home.
It may seem like hard work at the time – but when potential buyers are viewing your home, they will instantly be attracted by these details and will be much more likely to make a quick decision to purchase your home.
Does Each Room Have an Identity?
Each room of your home should have a clear identity.
Tip: ‘Box room’ is not an identity.
If your spare room has turned into a storage area, clear out all of the boxes and other junk – put them into storage, into a friend’s garage, into a skip – anywhere but inside your home.
Give the room a quick coat of neutral-coloured paint if it needs it, and then put a bed and perhaps a small wardrobe or chest of drawers into it. Don’t go overboard with the furniture – you’ll just make it look cramped.
You should take this approach throughout your home. Make sure each room has the right furniture in to define its identity – but get rid of anything that makes it seem ‘cosy’ or cramped.
Potential buyers want to see space for their own furniture, not evidence that the rooms aren’t big enough.
One final point is that some rooms are worth more than others. This may not seem to make any sense, but it’s true nonetheless!
Bedrooms are generally worth more than offices and definitely more than playrooms.
Likewise dining rooms are preferable to nurseries and playrooms or hobby areas.
If you’re lucky enough to have a conservatory, make sure it looks like one – not like another storage area.
It’s a simple fact of life that presentation is everything – most of what’s described above can be achieved without major expenditure or work. All that’s required is for you to look at the inside of your home as a visitor would – impartially.
Don’t be afraid to put some of your furniture and belongings into storage and use preparing your home for sale as an opportunity for a thorough clear out. You are moving, after all.