Domestic properties are always a valuable asset, and – if the housing market over the last two years is anything to go by – only set to see demand increase. While economic issues threaten the value of properties at the moment, there is never truly a ‘bad time’ to sell; the difficulty, instead, comes from finding the right buyer at the right time. What should you be doing in order to increase viewer interest in your property, and better secure a sale?
De-Personalise
One of the essential principles of preparing your house for sale is ‘de-personalisation’. When living in a property, you will naturally decorate it to your personal tastes and needs. But taste is highly subjective, and having your home decorated in an idiosyncratic way that you enjoy could – and indeed does – distract from the intrinsic qualities of the property itself.
De-personalisation would see you re-decorate and renovate your property in a more neutral design and palette, to cater more widely to the tastes of potential viewers. Neutral colour schemes enable viewers to better understand the dimensionality of the spaces, and better envisage their own potential plans for the property.
Advertise
Publicising the availability of your property is key to upping the number of viewers, and hence potential buyers. Your estate agent will usually handle the advertising of your property sale, but these adverts usually do not extend beyond standard avenues.
You can take the advertisement of your property one step further, and have your own booklets printed for distribution locally. This way, you can actively expand the reach for your property, and drum up some more direct interest.
Repair and Maintain
Keeping up with property maintenance is another vital part of ensuring a swift and stress-free sale. There are many ‘little things’ that can dissuade a viewer from buying, aside from the larger issues you will have likely already fixed following an initial survey.
These little things can include cracks in walls or mouldings or discoloration where there was once damp. Replacing and repairing the little things before viewings can improve overall first impressions of your property, meaning viewers are more likely to perceive the house as a worthy purchase.
Start Packing
Another thing you can start doing is packing bits and pieces you won’t need on a regular basis. It’ll make it easier when the time comes to move and also helps with the following point of decluttering. If you are considering taking early steps in the packing process be sure to keep whatever is pack out of the way and hidden as you’ll want to put your homes best foot forward for viewings and potential buyers.
De-Clutter on the Day
Lastly, but certainly, not least, you will need to keep on top of your home’s cleanliness before and between viewings. As with de-personalisation above, having any clutter present in spaces your prospective buyers are touring can prevent them from seeing the space properly in their mind’s eye.
Keeping a tidy and clean house makes viewings easy and pleasant, and also tells your prospective buyers that you are a meticulous and trustworthy seller. De-cluttering can be as simple as tidying up after your morning