Presenting your property

How to prepare a home for sale

For most people, their property is their most valuable asset, so it makes sense to prepare it as best as you can in order to get the highest possible price for it. Think about it – you wouldn’t sell your car without giving it a good clean and showing it in its best light, so why not do the same when selling something of a far greater value and meaning?

With a little bit of elbow grease and not much outlay, you can transform your home into something much more saleable that appeals to a wider proportion of the buyers’ market.

Based on industry research, comments from buyers, TV programmes, trade magazines and surveys, we’ve compiled a list of top tips on how to maximise a property to its best effect.

Neutralise your décor.

• If you only take one piece of advice from us, take this one.
• You are selling your property, now is not the time to get sentimental over a striking red bathroom or a cluttered, ‘lived in’ study.
• You might think white walls are boring; but believe us, it sells. A coat of neutral coloured paint on every wall in a home can make an enormous difference to its look.
• Don’t neglect the flooring. If carpets are a crazy colour or have seen better days, replace them with an inexpensive neutral option, like beige or oatmeal. Alternatively, if the floorboards underneath are up to it, pull up the carpets and sand down the floors.

Clean up

• We mean that in every sense of the word. Have a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering session, and get rid everything you haven’t used in the last year and really won’t use again. Be ruthless: detach yourself from your home and view it solely as a saleable commodity.
• Kitchens and bathrooms are two of the most important rooms in your home, and can make or break a deal. Both need to be clean and offer a hygienic atmosphere, and doing this will greatly increase the chances of selling your home.
• In the kitchen or bathroom, scrub everything clean, re-paint cupboards and surfaces, fix that wonky toilet seat, replace mouldy sealant around baths and showers, and banish unsightly limescale. Hide half empty shampoo and shower gel bottles, and put new and stylish ones out on show.
• A front garden and front of a house are the first and last impression for potential buyers. Mow the lawn, cut the hedge, replace missing roof tiles, paint or clean the front door, rebuild a crumbling garden wall – plenty of house viewers make their minds up in the first few seconds of seeing a property.

Face some home truths

• Get an objective and honest person to walk around your house and give you a real view on how your house looks to others.
• Be honest – if you were viewing your house for the first time, would you buy it? If not, why not?
• Think to the future. Don’t be upset at changing around your house and getting rid of its ‘personality’. You’re looking to move on, and your aim is to get it sold at the best price, within a reasonable time frame, and with the minimum of fuss.

By implementing some the changes above, we promise a home will be infinitely more appealing to buyers.

Finally, the top turn offs for people viewing houses

• Clutter. No one wants to buy a property that looks cramped and busy. Clear floor space and store or sell everything that you don’t really need.
• Pets. You may be a dog or cat lover, but that doesn’t mean that your potential buyer is. Be sensitive to the fact that not everybody loves animals, keep your pets under control, and where possible, store away Fido’s bowl and basket during viewings to encourage the fact that your house is spacious and clutter free.
• Garish décor. A Moroccan melee or brightly coloured walls and carpets won’t appeal to many. Bite the bullet and re-paint and carpet in neutral tones that will show a house off.
• DIY disasters. A job badly or half done is worse than not doing the job at all. If you’re not an expert, get the professionals in, or else you could pay the price later on.
• An unclean house. Your buyers will expect your loos and sinks to be sparkling, your carpets vacuumed, and a fresh atmosphere, and anything else is a big turn off.
• You! In the nicest possible way, buyers will always feel awkward when walking around your home when you’re still in it, as they’ll feel that they can’t be honest. Take a walk or visit some friends whilst you’re having a viewing, safe in the knowledge that we’re selling the best assets of your property.