How To Present Your Home When It’s Up For Sale
Does anyone remember when the top tips for presenting a home included baking a loaf of bread to make the house smell nice and popping a vase of flowers on the dinner table? Ahhh, nostalgia!
These days, buyers are much savvier, and will scrutinise every nook and cranny to ensure their future home isn’t hiding any nasty surprises…… so be prepared with this list of top tips for when your home is on the market –
- De-clutter. Then de-clutter again. And again. People need to imagine their things in your house, and will struggle to visualise it with all your bits in the way (as lovely as they maybe)
- Following on from point 1, don’t then store all those bits in the loft and/or garage – viewers will want to see these areas too, not just a room full of boxes, which will hide the real scale of the spaces.
- Repair cracks in plaster, peeling wallpaper, broken tiles or glass and dripping taps, and replace mouldy grout or sealant in the bathroom. Ironic how those jobs needed doing for years, and you’re finally getting around to them now you’re moving!
- Update any décor if necessary. It needn’t be expensive, but the paisley carpet and tartan curtains are a definite no-go and should be sent back to the seventies immediately.
- Clean outside and in, all windows and window ledges and cobwebs clinging to walls. Do not forget to tidy the front garden as that is the first thing buyers will see.
- Make the bed. Using crisp white bedding and big fluffy pillows.
- Make sure the bathroom is spotless and there are clean towels out.
- The kitchen is the most expensive room in the house, so ensure that all fixtures are in good working order, as this can also influence the value of the property. Make sure that all the worktops are clear and clean as well.
- Make sure all the rooms are clearly defined. The exercise bike in the dining room needs to go, along with the computer at the end of the table.
- Tidy up the garden. In the summer months, this becomes an extra room and so should be treated that way. Cut the grass and dig up the weeds, front and back.
It’s also very important that you employ the right Estate Agent, one who knows how to present your home in the best way possible on their website, with quality imagery and description. Make sure you get final sign off on the images; as well all know, first impressions are everything. You may have put in the hard work using the tips from above, but if they haven’t done their job properly, your house could easily be swiped up in a heartbeat.
Then there’s the buyer – Once the offers are on the table (wouldn’t that be nice!), your next big job is to choose the most reliable buyer, if you have the luxury to do so.
Those who have already sold their home and are in rented accommodation, chain-free first-time buyers, or cash buyers who don’t need a mortgage are considered to be safer buyers.
Good Luck!