more house selling advice required
Discussion
come on then PH house selling gurus.
Viewings start tomorrow on the house. The kitchen decoration has not quite been finished so its a bit of a state but going to get the cupboards back on the walls tonight and give it all a decent clean - what else should I do? I am letting the agent do the viewings to get decent feedback but any hints and tips on marketing the place? Coffee pots, flowers and all that jazz? scatter cushions?!
Viewings start tomorrow on the house. The kitchen decoration has not quite been finished so its a bit of a state but going to get the cupboards back on the walls tonight and give it all a decent clean - what else should I do? I am letting the agent do the viewings to get decent feedback but any hints and tips on marketing the place? Coffee pots, flowers and all that jazz? scatter cushions?!
1. You need to present your house so that it will appeal to the broadest possible buying audience. The trick is to ensure that they can imagine themselves living there as soon as they walk in.
2. Clear the clutter. Mess all too easily becomes familiar junk which we are used to having around. It makes rooms look smaller and sends unhelpful messages to your buyers. Tidy away family photos and books. If you can't find space to store the less personal stuff, take as much as possible to the nearest dump.
3. Elbow grease can add more value to your house than almost anything else. Clean, clean and clean some more. The kitchen and bathroom are the two most important rooms, but don't stop there. Dust every surface, ornament and lampshade you possess.
4. Make sure all entrances are uncluttered, warm and welcoming. Mark the path to your front door with potted plants on either side. Make sure the doors open properly and aren't hampered by a row of coats or muddy boots behind. Check that furniture doesn't stop any of the internal doors from opening or shutting properly.
5. Potential buyers won't be able to visualise themselves living in your home if the walls are bright, patterned or just plain ugly. Paint them in light, neutral colours. You can introduce splashes of colour with rugs, cushions, throws, table runners and flowers.
6. You can make a world of difference to a dark entrance hall with a strategically placed mirror. Carefully positioned, it will add space and maximise the available light. Ensure that it is hung at eye level.
7. Do all those little jobs round the house that you've always meant to finish. If you don't know what you're doing, get someone in who does. Broken window catches, a front door bell that doesn't work or half-finished shelves convey an air of neglect and signal to a potential buyer that there may be other, more significant aspects of the house that have been left undone.
8. Ensure that every room has a clear function and purpose. Play up the existence of a dining room by clearing away all the children's homework and games. A third bedroom could be a bedroom, a study or a dressing room, but not all three at once. Organise some storage systems so that the principal function of the room they're in remains clearly defined.
9. A carpet that is dark or heavily patterned dominates a room and makes it seem smaller. Replace carpets that are old, worn or just dirty. This may seem an unnecessary expense, but it will lift the appearance of the room and your buyers won't be imagining the extra cost of replacing the carpet themselves.
10. Be ruthless when it comes to dealing with your pets. It's easy to get used to their smell - so ask a friend to be brutally honest with you. Does your house smell? Before each viewing eliminate unpleasant smells and banish pets to a willing friend's while you are showing people round. Get rid of pet hair too - brush and vacuum until you're sure it's gone.
2. Clear the clutter. Mess all too easily becomes familiar junk which we are used to having around. It makes rooms look smaller and sends unhelpful messages to your buyers. Tidy away family photos and books. If you can't find space to store the less personal stuff, take as much as possible to the nearest dump.
3. Elbow grease can add more value to your house than almost anything else. Clean, clean and clean some more. The kitchen and bathroom are the two most important rooms, but don't stop there. Dust every surface, ornament and lampshade you possess.
4. Make sure all entrances are uncluttered, warm and welcoming. Mark the path to your front door with potted plants on either side. Make sure the doors open properly and aren't hampered by a row of coats or muddy boots behind. Check that furniture doesn't stop any of the internal doors from opening or shutting properly.
5. Potential buyers won't be able to visualise themselves living in your home if the walls are bright, patterned or just plain ugly. Paint them in light, neutral colours. You can introduce splashes of colour with rugs, cushions, throws, table runners and flowers.
6. You can make a world of difference to a dark entrance hall with a strategically placed mirror. Carefully positioned, it will add space and maximise the available light. Ensure that it is hung at eye level.
7. Do all those little jobs round the house that you've always meant to finish. If you don't know what you're doing, get someone in who does. Broken window catches, a front door bell that doesn't work or half-finished shelves convey an air of neglect and signal to a potential buyer that there may be other, more significant aspects of the house that have been left undone.
8. Ensure that every room has a clear function and purpose. Play up the existence of a dining room by clearing away all the children's homework and games. A third bedroom could be a bedroom, a study or a dressing room, but not all three at once. Organise some storage systems so that the principal function of the room they're in remains clearly defined.
9. A carpet that is dark or heavily patterned dominates a room and makes it seem smaller. Replace carpets that are old, worn or just dirty. This may seem an unnecessary expense, but it will lift the appearance of the room and your buyers won't be imagining the extra cost of replacing the carpet themselves.
10. Be ruthless when it comes to dealing with your pets. It's easy to get used to their smell - so ask a friend to be brutally honest with you. Does your house smell? Before each viewing eliminate unpleasant smells and banish pets to a willing friend's while you are showing people round. Get rid of pet hair too - brush and vacuum until you're sure it's gone.
In the same boat, as you know 
We're going the whole hog. Everything that isn't vital on a day-to-day basis and that doesn't contribute to 'the sell' is getting packed away. At the moment we have a garage full of boxes and furniture - all of which are going into storage in a week or two.
Tip of the day: get the carpets cleaned if you haven't already, especially in they're unpatterned and/or light colours. Cost us £130 for the whole house - well worth it when you have cream carpets throughout and three cats
>> Edited by judas on Friday 3rd February 12:33
We're going the whole hog. Everything that isn't vital on a day-to-day basis and that doesn't contribute to 'the sell' is getting packed away. At the moment we have a garage full of boxes and furniture - all of which are going into storage in a week or two.
Tip of the day: get the carpets cleaned if you haven't already, especially in they're unpatterned and/or light colours. Cost us £130 for the whole house - well worth it when you have cream carpets throughout and three cats
>> Edited by judas on Friday 3rd February 12:33
.....
We moved last year. We'd spent a lot of time and money on the house and it looked great, as a few others have already mentioned we cleared out all the clutter and kept everything as minimal as possible.
However, we had a few estate agents come over and value the place and almost all of them uttered words something along the line of 'wow, I was not expecting this'. Why? Because we had forgotten the exterior and that first impressions count for a lot!
This was on a Friday; we chose the agent we wanted to go with and asked him to come back on Monday to take the photo's etc. We then spent the entire weekend cleaning the front garden, planting in the boarders and then laying wood chip over all the boarders and 'iffy' areas. I also washed down all the sofets (sp?) and gutters and sanded down and repainted all the windows.
When the agent came back on Monday he had to give us a call as he couldn't find our house it honestly looked that different!
We sold 3 days later, job done! Not sure it would have been so easy though if we had not done the outside as it was looking quite sorry for itself, we'd just got used to it and didn't even notice.
A few hourse spent outside looking at and cleaning what prospective buyers will see as they turn the corner can make a big difference!
Good luck!!
Matt
However, we had a few estate agents come over and value the place and almost all of them uttered words something along the line of 'wow, I was not expecting this'. Why? Because we had forgotten the exterior and that first impressions count for a lot!
This was on a Friday; we chose the agent we wanted to go with and asked him to come back on Monday to take the photo's etc. We then spent the entire weekend cleaning the front garden, planting in the boarders and then laying wood chip over all the boarders and 'iffy' areas. I also washed down all the sofets (sp?) and gutters and sanded down and repainted all the windows.
When the agent came back on Monday he had to give us a call as he couldn't find our house
it honestly looked that different! We sold 3 days later, job done! Not sure it would have been so easy though if we had not done the outside as it was looking quite sorry for itself, we'd just got used to it and didn't even notice.
A few hourse spent outside looking at and cleaning what prospective buyers will see as they turn the corner can make a big difference!
Good luck!!
Matt
In the current climate, make sure the house is bloody warm! Nothing worse than being round someone's house and it's bleedin' freezing.
Low light in the living room helsp to make a place more cosy, welcoming etc.
As has been said, shift all the personal stuff OUT ... make the loo spotless ... clean the windows too - every thing you can do to make it fesher, nicer.
Think your rendering might want a want a coat of paint though shnozz!
Low light in the living room helsp to make a place more cosy, welcoming etc.
As has been said, shift all the personal stuff OUT ... make the loo spotless ... clean the windows too - every thing you can do to make it fesher, nicer.
Think your rendering might want a want a coat of paint though shnozz!
MikeyT said:
Think your rendering might want a want a coat of paint though shnozz!
yeah I know. Unfortunately the exterior decorator has told me its not worth doing until at least March if I want it to last more than a few months so he is booked in for then if the house is still on the market.
I have knocked £10k off the price at the moment and its the cheapest 3 bed in the area by quite a margin (comparable price with the 2 bed semis). If I get the outside all done nicely and redecorate and new carpets etc then the price will go back up but I would rather get on with it and have a quick sale as the money isn't really important to me.
Personally as a buyer (and I must eb one of the few) - don't like houses which I feel try too hard. One I visited had been completely decluttered and tidied, they were brewing coffee and baking bread!!! It puts me off if there is nothing to do - I always perceive means the house is overpriced
shnozz said:
well cheers all. First viewing saturday morning resulted in offer of the asking price so must have done something right 
>> Edited by shnozz on Monday 6th February 14:50
Excellent
Congratulations! I've just had my first valuation, and it is unfortunately what I was expecting, but so long as we get the middle of the range they are saying, we should be ok
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