Selling Your Home: Top Three Tips

29th August 2018

If you’re thinking of selling your home, there are some dos and don’ts to ensure you get that all-important sale.

Maddisons Residential in The Pantiles has compiled three top tips to help you secure a ‘sold’ sign outside your property.

First Impressions

Most buyers form their first impressions of a house within seconds of walking through the door. You want them to approach your door feeling impressed and excited with what they have already seen and keen to see more.

Consequently, spend time tidying up the outside of the house – plant flowers (yellow is good – it evokes a buying emotion), trim bushes, weed beds, repaint the front door and make sure your door accessories are looking fresh.

Move your bins out of sight and make sure visitors can clearly see your house number or name.

If parking is sometimes a problem, leave a space free for them to park in and move your car up the road!

Define Each Room & Depersonalise

Buyers need to be able to picture themselves living in the house so it’s essential that each room shows its true purpose and is neutral enough for a buyer to imagine it being their home.

If your dining room is full of work papers or exercise equipment for example, return it to its original purpose. You don’t want your buyers scratching their heads, wondering what each room would be used for.

If your property is empty, pull pieces from your own home, or rent key pieces in (why do you think the big property developers spend so much money on show homes?) And don’t forget to utilise your outside space.

Gardens, or any type of outdoor space, can be another great selling point – but an overgrown jungle could make your buyer run a mile.

Not only will the space look smaller and ‘forgotten about’, but if paying out for a gardener isn’t in your viewer’s plan or budget, it could completely put them off the property.

The garden is now seen as an additional room, so be sure to make your garden feel like a great space for entertaining and relaxing.

Freshen Up Your Property

A fresh coat of neutral paint, new tiling or lino, and some new kitchen doors can do wonders to smarten up a tired-looking property. If you can’t stretch to re-tiling in the bathroom, re-grouting should make it look like new.

The same effect can be achieved by installing matching chrome fittings; replacing broken light bulbs; re-painting the front door; ironing sheets in the bedroom; taking down any heavy dark drapes; installing up-lighters in the living room for subtle lighting; and strategically placing flowers throughout.

If you have a dripping tap or a cracked tile, these will send the wrong message to potential buyers. They will think that your house has been neglected, so get all your problems, or “red flags” fixed before putting the house on the market.

For more top tips on selling your property, speak with Maddisons Residential in The Pantiles.