There’s lots of advice out there on what to do if you want to sell your house. From ensuring your home has the perfect ‘I want to live here’ aroma to creating the allusion of a perfect lifestyle, it obviously makes sense to do what you can to get the best price possible for your property.
A full makeover, with new carpets and flooring, kitchens and bathrooms, and newly decorated throughout is of course the ideal. But that all costs money and it may be out of the question for you right now. But there are things you can do which don’t need to cost a fortune to make a big difference.
These are our top tips to help create a good impression:
- Say bye to the kids and animals – not permanently of course, but for the duration of the viewing! Not everyone is a fan of cats or dogs and it might put them off the house instantly if they feel on edge or have allergies. Similarly kids can be distracting, and may mean your focus is torn – plus they can create mess in minutes, so that living room you left immaculate half an hour ago, now looks like a jumble sale!
- Decluttering is key – everyone wants space in their home, and so it’s vital you declutter as much as possible. This goes for every room in the house – no piles of toiletries in the bathroom, no dozens of gadgets cluttering up the kitchen work surfaces, no inability to see the floor through the pile of toys in your children’s bedrooms. Also pay attention to things like garages – viewers will want to look inside, so probably best you don’t give the impression you just cram everything in there as there’s no room in the house! A self storage centre like our ones in Harrogate, Leeds and Wakefield, are the perfect solution. You can move in whatever you need, yet still get access round the clock should you realise you packed away the toaster as well as the ice cream and popcorn maker which had been gathering dust since 1999. It’s only temporary so you can convince children they won’t miss any excess toys too much – and if you’re lucky they may even have forgotten about them by the time it comes to move in to your new home!
- Kerb appeal – it may seem like a cliché, but first impressions really do count. Whether you’ve got a front garden, a drive, or you’re straight on to the pavement, make sure it’s neat and tidy and welcoming. Absolutely no leaky guttering or missing tiles – it’s only going to make them wonder what DIY you’ve not done inside the house! Give the front door a good clean, and a lick of paint if need be.
- Car parking – gone are the days when most households only had one car. You need to ensure that any potential buyers feel like they would have plenty of room to park safely and conveniently. If that means moving one or more of your cars temporarily, or asking a friendly neighbour if they’d mind moving from your usual spot, it’s worth doing.
- Become a neighbourhood expert – are your potential buyers likely to be families, young professionals or empty nesters? Whichever they are, their expectations of an area are likely to be very different. For families, do you know which the local schools are and how they fare on Ofsted reports? Is there a playground nearby and lots of children on the street? Some viewers might be more interested in public transport links, and nearby nightlife, and for others it might be having facilities such as shops, community groups and a social life in walking distance.
- The small things are the big things – make sure lightbulbs are all working, everywhere is clean as a whistle and there isn’t dirty pots in the sink. Obviously these aren’t huge issues – but it helps create a picture of light, space and freshness, and doesn’t show a worrying lack of attention to detail on your behalf.
- Smells of success – it always used to be said that you should have a loaf of bread baking, and a pot of coffee brewing to create a wonderful, enticing homely smell for a potential buyer. That may not be possible, but of course bad smells are not going to appeal to anyone! Ensure the bin has been emptied, pet food put away, sinks and toilets cleaned and maybe consider some none offensive air fresheners or reed diffusers. Freshly washed bedding and towels is always going to smell amazing!
- Don’t cram it in – according to research last year, 80 per cent of viewers will take a look in under stairs or airing cupboards – so don’t be tempted to cram it all in there and slam the door shut, hoping for the best! When it all falls out, they’re going to assume you struggle for storage space! It might be time to look at that self storage again…
Hopefully, if you follow the advice, you’ll be signing contracts in no time at all. And if you need a removals firm…. you know where we are!