No matter what the reason, once you've made the choice to get your house on the market you want to sell your property quickly. So how do you get potential buyers to make an offer, without spending a fortune on further improving your property? We've got some handy top tips for selling your home that will put you one step closer to accepting an offer.
How you present your property is a huge deal. This is the difference between your home and your potential buyers seeing their new home. You want them to be able to view themselves living in your home, which is a little hard to do if it is filled with clutter and a huge number of personal items.
Having a good sort out is a great idea if you're looking to move anyway, and puts you in a prime position when it comes to packing. Removing clutter can make your house seem bigger, which is always a bonus when looking to sell.
Along with moving clutter out the way, look at giving the house a good clean. This may seem minor, but the last thing you want is scrutiny on minor details that shouldn't affect a house sale, but definitely do. If you're short on time, consider a local cleaner for a few hours to give the house a deep clean and get it 'show home' ready.
Define your rooms
Our homes adapt to what we need. So sometimes a bedroom also becomes an office space, or a dining room becomes a shared playroom space. By defining your rooms so they each have a specific purpose, not only do you allow the potential buyers themselves to imagine how they would use the space, but they may also perceive there is more value in one style of room to another.
For example, though you love the comfort of being able to roll out from your bed straight to your desk, a buyer might really value a spacious bedroom with room to get ready. Think of this as staging your home so that potential buyers have more of a chance of seeing themselves in it.
Make it smell good
The age-old advice of baking something before a house viewing didn't come from nowhere. Once your house is de-cluttered, nice and clean and has potentially had a move around to make the rooms have a sole purpose, you can focus on smells.
This doesn't necessarily have to be baking, but can be air fresheners, candles or freshly laundered bed linen for example. Even if you think your house smells neutral, sometimes the smell of cooking from the night before, or your bins, or even your pets could be off putting for a potential buyer.
First impressions count
A potential buyer is already making a decision before they step in the door. Yes, we're talking about curb appeal, making sure that your house looks amazing from the outside too. Adding a lick of paint to the front door, weeding and sweeping the path/driveway or entrance is an essential when looking at how to present your house for sale.
If you have a front garden, ensuring that it is mown is a must. If you have the time and inclination, you could even look at making sure it's cleanly edged all the way along to add that extra touch.
Depending on the season, you could also add some seasonal touches to your entry. For example - pumpkins over autumn, a wreath over winter or a vibrant hanging basket during summer. This isn't for everyone, but could provide that extra welcoming touch that means a potential buyer remembers your property over someone else's.
Minor fixes
If they are minor, get them fixed! Not only as it's the right thing to do, but for a potential buyer this could be a red flag if they spot little problems. If you can't be bothered to fix the leaky sink, then what else have you not fixed or maintained?
A number of these could be quick fixes that you've not had time to do, but now is the time to do them. If you don't have the time or the know-how, consider utilising a trusted and recommended handyman to complete some of these minor home improvements.
A fresh coat of paint
This one is a little more time consuming, and requires a bit of budget. But, one of the best bits of advice on selling your home is to give it a fresh lick of paint. If your room design is a bit out there, this could be a time to change it to a slightly more neutral colour, so it appeals to a wider audience.
If it is already neutral, a paint update can make the room look more fresh and welcoming. Not to mention that if you've moved away clutter, or rearranged rooms, you may have areas of the wall that weren't seen previously and may be different shade to the rest of the wall. A quick lick of paint, and your home could be way ahead of others on the market.
Now you are armed with all of our house selling tips, and have a list of things to do to sell your house, go out and make it happen! If you're already looking for your new home then why not take a look at our available properties?