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Ways to Sell Your Home Now

January 30, 2012 By

Struggling to sell your property? Can’t understand why? Maybe you need to make some changes… here is a list of top things that can sell a home:

  1. The right estate agent. Choose wisely, get positive recommendations and if you need to pay higher fees then it may just be worth it.

  2. The right marketing. Don’t be shy about telling the world your house is for sale! Some estate agents even put the price on their ‘for sale’ boards and this could help immensely.

  3. The effort you make with your agent. Be available when they need to get hold of you via phone or email, check in regularly and be polite and respectful about their expertise.

  4. The viewings. Your behaviour at viewings may be having a negative effect. Do you feel the need to point out the lack of space around double beds or just gush desperately about how wonderful the place is? Do yourself a favour and go out! Let the estate agent do their job and manage viewings for you.

  5. The neighbours. Potential buyers envisage themselves living in your house so a friendly nod from your delightful neighbours is going to do wonders. Gloss over the details of any less than desirable residents in your street.

  6. Presentation is key. Dress the house to suit your most likely buyers. Sleepmasters have a great range of beds if you need extras and always have fresh bedding neatly on display.

  7. Keep it calm. A quiet, relaxed viewing is the most conducive to a sale. Turn off the television and any loud music, send those noisy kids out with the dog which barks incessantly and give potential buyers all the time they need.
  8. Care and cleanliness. Show how much you value your home by looking after it properly. Clear up clutter and mend any damage. A much loved house is much quicker to sell.
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Easy Mistakes to Avoid when Selling your House

January 30, 2012 By

If your property is on the market and has been sat there for some time with little or no interest then check this list and make sure you are not making one of the biggest mistakes frequently made by people selling a house:

  1. Being unrealistic about the price. If you are in negative equity and need to sell high it just might not happen. Marketing a property too high will lead to nothing so make sure you get a professional opinion on what is possible in the current market or decide to wait a while.

  2. Surviving the drive-by viewing. Many potential buyers will research properties on the internet and then drive around their desired neighbourhood to whittle down the list further. If your front garden and front door are looking shabby and uncared for you may not get past this stage: remember, first impressions really do count.

  3. Living in a mess. It’s not just outside either! Once a viewing is arranged you need to make sure the house is as clean and tidy as possible to show it in its best light. You might not mind a mess but your viewer could be a neat freak! Plus tidy equals looks bigger which also adds to appeal so stash unnecessary bed accessories and put all those clothes away.
  4. Talking too much. Believe it or not you may actually be destroying possible interest by saying the wrong thing without even realising. Viewings are best left to the estate agent so clear off out to Sleep Masters for some retail therapy and let them do their job.

  5. Creating the wrong impression. Try and use rooms for their intended purpose as many people imagine themselves living in a house as they view it. Star Wars might be your passion but a spare bedroom dedicated to the theme as a shrine to all your memorabilia may just come across as odd! Pack it away for now and dress the room to show off its best features.

  6. Keeping it a secret. Marketing and advertising are really important. OK so you don’t want the neighbours to know your private business, but how do you expect to get any interest without letting people know the place is available?! Swallow your pride and tell everyone!

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Bathrooms Sell Houses

January 30, 2012 By

When I was growing up nobody had a second bathroom, and an en suite was unheard of – even in some hotels! I actually think my Grandparents toilet was still an out house when I was very small, though that was unusual even way back then (no, I am not that old…) These days however expectations have changed and every new build seems to have at least one en suite as well as the family bathroom and some larger properties are starting to have shower rooms off the boot room too. Most posh me thinks!

If you are looking to sell your family home and it is an older model with only one bathroom then making improvements to this situation could very well help to sell your house. In this climate of a sluggish property market anything you can do to give your house the edge over neighbouring homes for sale is a good thing and whether it’s walk in baths, power showers or wet rooms there is always something which can be added to catch potential buyer’s eyes.

If a lack of bathrooms is not the problem but rather the need to spruce up the ones you have then make sure you do that too. It is not difficult to make sure that grouting between the tiles looks fresh, everywhere is sparkly clean and the facilities function properly. A lick of paint is easy to do and some cosmetic improvements won’t go amiss either. How about new towels – which you can of course take with you when you move – and some ornaments or house plants? If you have special needs and have installed recommended equipment by www.mobility-plus.co.uk then make sure you advise anyone viewing your house on how to convert the room back to its original state. Bathrooms are big news for buyers so get it right and cross your fingers for an early offer.

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Time to Sell Your House

December 26, 2011 By

In springtime as the housing market picks up it is really important to make sure that your home stands out from the crowd if you want to sell it. With a few months to go until peak sales time it is now more than ever that you want to spend a bit of time and effort to make your property more appealing on the house market. When I look down my, albeit quite long, street the number of ‘for sale’ boards which have been there for quite some time is rather worrying so I am going to make sure my house leaps out from the rest.

First of all I went to stand on the opposite side of the road and made an honest assessment of what needed doing to give the house instant appeal. It is well known that many homes which stay unsold for a length of time might be being overlooked for viewing as they don’t pack any punch from the outside. My list includes hiding the bins from view, tidying the garden and hedge, replacing broken paving stones in the driveway and painting the front door. What about you?

On the inside I want to appeal to my target market directly and so need to turn the home office back into a proper bedroom. With money tight at this time of year I am researching beds on finance and have found that the range and deals on offer at Bensons for Beds is fantastic. I have also moved unwanted items into the loft and garage, including over-sized furniture which make the rooms look smaller than they really are. With a lick of paint around the place and a really thorough clean and tidy I think we are just about good to go. Cross your fingers for me!

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Smarten Up to Sell Up

December 17, 2011 By

 

In the current financial climate house prices are still not quite at their best. House sales are moving slowly, and whilst estate agents predict the usual uplift in the market come the spring it is up to the home owners themselves to do everything they can to make sure their house is looking at its best for potential buyers. If you are wondering how to go about selling your house in the shortest possible time then the following tips might just help:

  1. Get the right estate agent on your side. Take a recommendation from a successful neighbour and make sure all available advertising channels are being exploited on your behalf. Try to get the fee to an acceptable level too!

  2. Stay in touch. Make sure you are easily contactable and flexible about being around for viewings as this will make the estate agents life much easier.

  3. First impressions count. Many house hunters will do a drive-by of any properties they have seen online or in the newspaper which they like the look of. Make sure your home passes this test by keeping the front garden tidy and the front door looking inviting.

  4. Freshen up your paintwork. Don’t spend a fortune re-decorating somewhere which you are about to move out of, but a lick of paint to cover up marks will not go a miss. It will show you care about the property too.

  5. Tidy up all the time. It’s a tough one this but keeping on top of household mess will help when it comes to viewings. Get the family to lend a hand and enjoy the results everyday.

  6. Present rooms in the right way. If you have an empty bedroom then consider beds on finance to dress it for the sale; many people are not able to visualise how big a room is without some scale clues to tell them whether a double bed will fit in or not.

  7. Smarten up the appearance of your rooms. Get some nice new bedding from http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk so that potential buyers aren’t put off by washed out old linens

  8. Be nice! Smile and be as welcoming as possible when people come round, but give them enough space to look everywhere too.

In the current financial climate house prices are still not quite at their best. House sales are moving slowly, and whilst estate agents predict the usual uplift in the market come the spring it is up to the home owners themselves to do everything they can to make sure their house is looking at its best for potential buyers. If you are wondering how to go about selling your house in the shortest possible time then the following tips might just help:

  1. Get the right estate agent on your side. Take a recommendation from a successful neighbour and make sure all available advertising channels are being exploited on your behalf. Try to get the fee to an acceptable level too!

  2. Stay in touch. Make sure you are easily contactable and flexible about being around for viewings as this will make the estate agents life much easier.

  3. First impressions count. Many house hunters will do a drive-by of any properties they have seen online or in the newspaper which they like the look of. Make sure your home passes this test by keeping the front garden tidy and the front door looking inviting.

  4. Freshen up your paintwork. Don’t spend a fortune re-decorating somewhere which you are about to move out of, but a lick of paint to cover up marks will not go a miss. It will show you care about the property too.

  5. Tidy up all the time. It’s a tough one this but keeping on top of household mess will help when it comes to viewings. Get the family to lend a hand and enjoy the results everyday.

  6. Present rooms in the right way. If you have an empty bedroom then consider beds on finance to dress it for the sale; many people are not able to visualise how big a room is without some scale clues to tell them whether a double bed will fit in or not.

  7. Smarten up the appearance of your rooms. Get some nice new bedding from http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk so that potential buyers aren’t put off by washed out old linens

  8. Be nice! Smile and be as welcoming as possible when people come round, but give them enough space to look everywhere too.

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How to make your home sell

December 13, 2011 By

Selling your house can be an exhausting process, especially in today’s market where there are so many properties for buyers to choose from.  A lot of whether your house sells is down to luck, of course. You need the right person to come and see it at the right time.

But there’s plenty of stuff that you can do yourself to make sure that when a viewer comes to see your house it stands out in their mind as a beautiful home, somewhere they could imagine themselves living.

Be manically tidy

A house can be totally transformed by having everything neatly tidied away and just a few ornaments left out on display. Viewers will be able to imagine their own possessions in a house that looks clean, clear and spacious. If you have piles of paperwork everywhere and piles of ironing on the spare bed, it doesn’t create a good look. You’ll find that it’s a much nicer place for you to be in until you sell as well!

Spring clean

Have a really good clean up around your home.  Do the things that sometimes get neglected –skirting boards and woodwork around windows and doors.  A bowl of hot soapy water will get most sticky marks off, and if necessary, you can paint over anything really stubborn.

Be an illusionist

If your sofa has seen better days, it could drag the look of the living room down enough to put buyers off.  While it might not be sensible to rush down to a sofas sale for a new one – that might not fit in your new home – you can put a throw or cover on it to ‘lift’ the room’s appearance.

You might think about getting new furniture if it makes a significant difference to a room. For instance, you can easily pick up a cheap dining table and chairs – and they come in standard sizes, so you can pretty much guarantee these will fit in your new house when you make that sale!

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Improve your property’s value

November 10, 2011 By

When looking to sell your property, make sure it looks its very best to ensure a quick and speedy sale. As well as making sure it is of course structurally sound and in good condition on the outside, ensuring that your property‘s interior is looking its best will make a huge difference to the all-important first impressions of potential buyers.
One of the most obvious steps you can take to make sure your property looks fantastic inside as well as out, is getting the décor right. Shabby wallpaper, damp stained walls and chipped paint are all big no-nos if you’re looking to create a great first impression for potential buyers.
Take the time to give those walls a good lick of paint or replace that old wallpaper, and you’ll soon have your money and efforts paid back to you tenfold.
You should also not underestimate the important of furnishings when it comes to selling any home. A shabby old sofa that looks like it’s seen one too many dog hairs in its time can be all it takes to ruin the look of a room and put a prospective buyer off. Invest in a new sofa and you can take it with you to your new home.
The same can be said of dining furniture. Scratched and tired-looking chairs or tables with years of crayon marks all over them don’t create the best impression, so spruce up your dining furniture to show your house in its best light.
As well as furniture, consider those small but effective gestures when looking to sell a home, such as brewing a fresh pot of coffee to give a welcoming smell, and placing fresh flowers around the home to brighten the place up.
You will soon find that these small tweaks give your home a quick and easy lift and make it more attractive to the prospective buyer.

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Increasing a house’s value

November 7, 2011 By

Many people are starting to make alterations to their home because they wanting to increase the value for sale either now or later. Even though decorating a house does make the house look better for buyers and will encourage people to buy a house in good decorative order but it doesn’t really add much in overall value to the house. We are now too savvy about these things.

For many years now the home improvement project which most boosts house prices is a loft conversion adding around £20,000 to the house value and costing £10,000 or so. We had ours done 12 years ago and it is not just about adding value – it’s about adding enhancement to your lifestyle. We got a new large master bedroom with ensuite, and a home office. You can also use additional loft rooms as a games room, guest bedroom or as an additional space for children or teenagers.

Also new kitchens, double glazing and bathrooms add value – all three together in the order of £15,000. [Read more...]

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Can’t sell, can’t move?

October 31, 2011 By

People who are stuck in their house because the house market is sluggish and not selling can often lose interest in their current house and stop thinking about looking after and even upgrading their home and go into a kind of stasis. It’s happened to our next door neighbours. They know which house they want and have made and offer: their house is not selling and neither is the one they want to buy. But this isn’t really a time for inertia. They are moving because now they have two children the house feels so much smaller. They tell me that they need more storage space. [Read more...]

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Getting an old person’s house ready for sale is not easy

October 12, 2011 By

My husband’s Aunt now needs more care and is to go into a care home. Her two-bedroomed bungalow is in a nice quiet area and has a large front and back garden complete with vegetable garden, fruit trees and greenhouse. Great potential – but the house has suffered with years of neglect and the awful grime of a smoker. The walls are a sepia tinge to say nothing of the aroma. [Read more...]

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