Whilst the property market is a little stagnant its important that you make the very most of your property when looking to sell. With few buyers its important that your house sticks out in the crowd and there’s a few simple things you can do without spending too much money in order to help.
First Impressions – First impressions are very important. A buyer will often make their mind up quickly when walking into a property for the first time. Ask a friend to view your house as a buyer. Its important that the person doesn’t know your property too well and are not familiar with it. Open the door and allow them to walk through as if carrying out a viewing on your property. It’s surprising what someone will pick fault with. Maybe its a bit dull, lights are old fashioned, or maybe an old picture is putting them off. Allow the person to criticize your property without worry of offence. Not everything they say will be correct and obviously a lot is down to personal taste, but it may give you some great pointers as to what could put someone off.
Lighting – There is nothing worse than walking into a dull house. Lighting really can sell your house quickly and make a huge difference. Make sure when any prospective buyer walks in to your house that there is light and you are making the most of any special lighting you have. Look at your light fittings, switches. Are they old or dirty? These are simple things to change and will not cost you much at all. Maybe think about adding a dimmer switch to add to the lighting effect.
Tidiness – It sounds obvious, but its surprising how many people do not quickly tidy up before someone comes round. Walk in to any new build showroom and you will know what I mean when I say “tidy up”. As well as cleaning and hoovering make sure you remove all clutter, paperwork and piles of stuff. You may think looks OK, but will not look good to the buyer. People like to see a blank canvas when moving into a property. This includes clutter. Get rid of it, its not a good look! Clean the windows as dirty windows do not look good. Clean windows however look great!
Decorate – We are not talking about re-doing the whole property spending lots of money. After all you will need this when you move into your new property. But paint is relatively cheap and a brand new coat will make a huge difference to a room especially if its a little grubby. Magnolia is a great neutral colour, nobody hates it and it always brightens up a room and looks modern. Look at the carpets as well as an old carpet will put someone off and it may be worth while replacing old fashioned or worn carpet. Many people, who refurbish for a living, buy a property and cover it in magnolia change the carpets and then sell it. That’s often all they will do!
Garden – Cut the grass! If it’s a nice day there is nothing better than cut grass. It will make the garden look neat and tidy and will not leave people thinking they have a huge task in looking after the garden. Instead it will allow them to think of it positively. Clean up any rubbish, quickly sweep the driveway and patio as it all makes a difference. Dont leave loads of cars on the driveway either. Nice expensive cars however will give a good impression. Old bangers will not.
Kitchens & Bathrooms – Two of the most important rooms in the house are the kitchens and bathrooms. A nice kitchen can sell a house on its own. Even if the rest of the property is lacking somewhat a nice kitchen, with a wow factor can really sell a property and even add value. Not that everyone can afford a new kitchen. But if your kitchen or bathroom is old fashioned its probably why your house isn’t selling and it may be worth upgrading. Its not always as expensive as you think. B&Q do fantastic own brand kitchens. You may only need to replace the doors for example or even old tiles. But it may be worth it.
Smells – Many people say the best smell for a house is fresh bread or coffee. Not necessarily, but a nice smelling property is definitely a positive when selling your house. One of the worst things when walking into a house is a bad smell. If you have animals, especially large dogs, you have to realise that they smell and people do not like that smell. Do not cook a curry any time before you are selling your house. It will smell for days and it’s not good. Put in a few air fresheners, they don’t cost much as will make a difference.
These are all tips to help sell your house, but not to sell house quickly. A cheap price will sell your house quickly and we can help with that if you want 
. But the above are all good things to help you get the right price for your house. The tips may be quite obviouse to many, but you would be suprised how some people present their houses for sale. Then complain about having to drop the price. Do the above and you will be on the right tracks. If its doesnt sell then lower the price, or give us a call and maybe we will buy it.
Please feel free to coment and add any other tips which you think will help to sell a house.
