Six Simple Steps to Prepare Your Home for a Successful Sale
Presenting a home in its best light can significantly increase the selling price and speed up the transaction. So why don’t all sellers dress their property for a successful sale?
This three-minute read looks at ways to present your property to achieve the best possible price when selling it.
Surprisingly, many people don’t change a thing before putting their home on the market (a decision that often eventually hits their bank balance). People who take this ‘warts and all’ approach to home-selling tend to fall into three categories.
- Sellers who have a strong emotional attachment to their home and can’t bear to change a thing.
- Sellers who think they have brilliant personal taste (often debatable) and can’t put themselves in the shoes of buyers.
- Sellers who just can’t be bothered.
Whatever the reason, take it from us: a little elbow grease and a small financial outlay can reap serious rewards.
We’re not suggesting that plush cushions and tasteful throws can make up for structural issues or a poor location. But most buyers are driven by emotion; they want to step inside a property and fall in love with it.
So, woo them, and wow them! Set your emotions aside and think about what will hit home with buyers.
Here are some top tips for preparing your Attleborough home ready for sale.
Declutter
It’s a classic piece of advice from an estate agent, but it’s true. Bin old furniture or knick-knacks that have seen better days. Sell items that you no longer use (treadmills or exercise bikes often gather dust in the corner of spare rooms). Put bulky possessions that you can’t part with into storage. It’s all about creating space that will fuel potential buyers’ imaginations.
Tidy
Ensure paperwork, photos, toiletries, and washing are out of sight. The same goes for shoes, coats, phone chargers, dog beds, and cat litter trays.
DIY blitz
Draw up a list of odd jobs that need doing and work through it. Fix broken cupboard doors and rickety fences and blitz carpet stains, mould, and any damp. Give tired walls a lick of paint in a neutral tone.
Identify your ideal buyer
If you’re selling a four-bed home with a garden, it’s a fair bet families will be your target market, so make sure the outdoor spaces are welcoming and safe. On the other hand, if you’re marketing a sleek studio, target young professionals and dress the property accordingly.
Don’t send mixed messages
If you’re marketing a four-bed home, make sure each bedroom has a bed in it (even if that means borrowing or renting one). Similarly, if you’re trying to pass a small room off as a study, put a desk, chair, and lamp in it. Never load up rooms with odds and sods like gym equipment, fishing gear, or bikes. This only confuses buyers.
Don’t overlook outdoor spaces
The exterior of your home matters because it’s the first impression viewers will get. Dress the garden just as you would any other room. That means taking any junk to the tip and installing garden furniture and a few colourful blooms. If you’re in a flat, make sure communal areas are clean and spend a few pounds on a nice doormat.
And don’t forget to get your paperwork ready in advance. This includes any receipts, warranties, guarantees or anything else related to the property. This will help speed things up from a legal perspective when you’ve accepted an offer.
We also have a wide range of expert advice guides covering many reasons people sell, including downsizing, probate, divorce, upsizing, and selling to pay for care home costs.
For more advice about getting your home sale-ready, get in touch with our friendly, expert team here at Millbanks. Tel: 01953 453838