In order to gain a quick sale at the best price, you need to stage your house to appeal to the buyer. Many people think that buyers are looking at their house, not their belongings and, therefore, this is unimportant but it has been proven numerous times that houses which have stuck on the market for some time gain far more interest once they are staged to sell. Many people are unable to see past people’s belongings and in order to imagine themselves living in a house, need clear space to visualise their furniture in a room. Once they start discussing where their furniture will go, then the sale is almost certain.
Disassociate Yourself From Your Home
The first thing to do is disassociate yourself from your home. Realise that your much loved family home is no longer that; it is now a product which you wish to sell and must be displayed as such. Look at it with a dispassionate eye and try and imagine what you would see if you were looking at it for the first time.
Potential buyers make their decision to purchase your home in the first 30 seconds upon entering. First impression is the key to selling your home fast and for the top price.
Curb Appeal Counts
Curb appeal is vital for this. Because you see it every day you may not notice the weed filled drive or peeling paint but this will stick out like a sore thumb to a potential buyer. Stand at the end of the drive and take a really good look at what you see. Does the house look clean, tidy and welcoming? If not tackle the problems. A coat of paint, some weeding, new plants in the borders, polished door furniture; all these will make the viewer think the house is well maintained and help sell your house.
De-clutter and Clean
Next tackle the interior. De-clutter, clean, and organise all rooms in the house. Pack up anything you don’t think you’ll need to use right away and rent a storage unit to put things in if necessary.
Define each room. You may use your second reception room as an office, come gym, come playroom but a buyer wants to know exactly what the room is for so clear your belongings away and dress it with a dining table laid up with your best china and glass to show it is ideal for entertaining; thus making it clear that this is the dining room. Likewise, you may use a small spare room as a work room or ironing room but bedrooms are valuable so clear the room and put in a bed to show that it is large enough to be used as such.
Clean and tidy your wardrobes and drawers, as potential buyers will open them to look inside, and put anything you think you might need in a small, organised box out of the way. Overflowing wardrobes give the impression that the house lacks storage space which is very off putting to a buyer.
Thin out books in bookcases, clear the kitchen worktops apart from a strategically placed fruit bowl or vase of flowers and ensure bedrooms are tidy with only essential pieces of furniture and that beds are made with fresh, crisp linen. Bathrooms should only have essentials on show and clean fluffy towels to make them look inviting. Take down family photos and ornaments in the living room; these things all detract the viewer from the room’s potential.
Do the DIY
Once you have cleared the clutter, carefully inspect each part of the house and make a list of all minor repairs that are needed and get these fixed. Stand at the door of each room and try and imagine you are seeing it for the first time. Repair cracked tiles, fix leaky taps, replace dead light bulbs. Look carefully at the paintwork. Chipped, scuffed walls and skirting boards are unattractive and it is worth a quick coat of paint to freshen these up. Consider painting your walls a neutral colour. You may love strong colours but they can make rooms look smaller and dark and put buyers off who think they will have to paint them themselves to suit their taste. The small investment of time and money will mean a bigger return when it comes to the sale price
Clean your house from top to bottom. Windows need to shine and grout around baths and showers may needs bleaching. Make sure that the house smells fresh; you may not notice the smell of your beloved old dog but a potential buyer will.
Tackle the garden; mow the lawns, prune the shrubs and scrub the patio. In summer, a table and chairs on the patio again help sell the dream of relaxing in the garden.
Plan a viewing
If you will be showing the house yourself, think how best to do this. Work out a logical order in which to show your house and let viewers walk into a room before you so that you are not taking up space. Go round before they arrive and make sure each room is looking its best, curtains are fully open, lights are on if needed, there are fresh flowers, the rooms are warm and, if you have an open fire or log burners, this is lit in winter. Always ensure you do not stand between the viewer and the window when showing a room so that a maximum amount of light flows into the room.
Bake some bread!
Finally, there is nothing more enticing than the smell of fresh coffee and baking bread. Just before viewers arrive turn on the coffee and put a loaf of bread in the oven and sell the lifestyle dream.
If all this sounds as if it is an awful lot of trouble to go to, just remember it is the best way to achieve your goal of moving on to your next home. From personal experience I can assure you it works. Not only do I gauge the reaction of my clients when I show them properties but we also put our own house on the market at a time when the market was at its worst in our area and properties were typically languishing on the market for some months and sold it immediately to the first person who viewed it.
If you are looking to move to Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Gower, or purchase a property here, give West Wales Property Finders a call on 01834 862816. We can find your perfect property for you whilst saving you time, stress and often money too http://www.westwalespropertyfinders.co.uk
