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How to sell your home
Advice to help you sell your current home:
If you are selling an existing home you will need to make it as attractive as possible to potential buyers. This may sound obvious, but many people do not realise how their home is presented to strangers seeing it for the first time. Follow the tips below to give yourself the best chance of finding a buyer quickly.
When to sell your home Instructing an Estate Agent
Fixtures and fittings Gardens and kerb appeal
De cluttering Keeping the home clean
DIY jobs Viewing advice
Get the price right
If you set the price too high there will be little interest. If you then reduce the price it could look like you are desperate and may attract even lower offers. Check out what similar homes sold for in your road using Zoopla or OurProperty websites.
Photographs
The first time buyers will see your home is in a picture in an estate agent’s window or on the internet. Make sure you have good pictures, taken on a sunny day. Include some internal pictures and those of good views if you have them.
Consider Part Exchanging
Get the house builder to Part-Exchange. This will save you all the trouble and expense of selling your current home yourself. However, some builders offset this benefit against other incentives or discounts that may be available.
Market in the Spring
Ensure that your property is on the market in the Spring in time for the Easter and May Bank Holidays. You will have the best chance of selling at this time. The weather is better, people have additional free time to view and it is before the traditional summer holiday season. People do not generally want to view homes during the dark cold winter months.
Instructing Estate Agents
Whilst you can sell your home yourself marketing it online, it is quicker and easier to use a local estate agent. You need to be mindful that you negotiate the commission rate in advance and get at least three independent valuations before deciding the asking price. Commission rates vary geographically with a national average of 1.5% according to the National Association of Estate Agents. All agents will claim they do not negotiate on fees, but most will! The Office of Fair Trading has published a useful a guide for selling your home.
Ideally, they will be after a 2%-2.5%, Sole Agency agreement for six months. However, there is no reason why this could not be for six weeks or less. If you then discover the agent is not performing you are free to switch without cost. It is probably best not to tie yourself to one "Sole Agent". It is worth paying a bit more commission so you can change agents if necessary. A good way of ensuring your agent works for you is to agree say a 1.5% commission up to the guide price and 2% for anything above that.
New home owner’s forum
This is a link to a popular forum that not only enables you to share your experiences with others, but we also have a place where you can advertise your home for sale FREE for 6 months.
Decide what fixtures and fittings you are going to sell with the house. Include some at an additional cost; these can then be given as part of the deal during negotiations. Most people do not want to take carpets with them so always include these with the sale. You will not want to be taking up and dumping old carpets on moving day.
Maintain gardens tidy and green up the lawn
Ensure the gardens are tidy and attractive. You can apply a lawn fertiliser to ensure your lawn is green and healthy. Cut the lawns (especially at the front) before each viewing if possible. Clear any tools, toys, swings, slides or bikes away. Make your garden look bigger by pruning shrubs and trees and cutting back hedges. Ensure paths are clean and free of algae and weeds. Remove washing from the washing line prior to a viewing.
Kerb appeal
A lot of people will ‘drive-by’ view from the outside before making an appointment to view. You do not get a second chance to make a first impression. Pay particular attention to your front door. Clean or re paint it if necessary and polish any brass fittings. If your front door looks in pristine condition, your buyer will think the whole house is. Consider adding some planted tubs. Make sure your door bell works!
De personalise
People need to imagine themselves living in your property. It is a good idea to pack away photos, personal items and any collections or hobbies
You will have to do this before moving anyway. Clear your home of clutter. Remove papers, magazines and dirty or drying laundry. Empty any bins and put them out of site. De cluttering can make a room look bigger.
Keep your home clean
Make sure your house is clean and tidy at all times. Pay particular attention to bathrooms, toilets and the kitchen. It is usually women who make the decision to buy in most cases! Do not leave washing up in the sink or on the draining board. Ensure the windows are spotless for each viewing, especially patio doors or picture windows.
Unfinished DIY will put off buyers, encourage them to make lower offers and a survey or Home-buyers report will highlight all work that needs doing.
Avoid trying to market an empty property
House builder’s always furnish their show homes! People will find it more difficult to imagine how a room will look furnished.
Viewing advice:
- Make sure your home is warm but not too hot.
- Keep any pets you have out of sight. Remove their bedding and feeding bowls. Non pet owners may be put off with concerns about fleas and possible pet smells - even if there aren’t any.
- Open the windows to air your house regularly and for at least half an hour before a viewing. Do not use air fresheners. It is advisable to close the windows before the viewing to reduce any outside noise.
- Keep furniture to a minimum and position it at the edges of the room to give the impression of space.
- Put fresh flowers in the principal rooms and in the main bedroom.
- Leave the internal doors open as this will give a greater impression of space and let extra light into hall and landing areas. You can close doors after the room has been viewed to avoid the buyer becoming distracted.
- Keep children under control!
- Offer your prospective purchasers a cup of tea or coffee. If you can, find out if they have sold their property and whether they have a mortgage arranged. This will show you how serious they are. The professionals call this 'Qualifying'.
- Put together a folder giving information about the local area. Include details of clubs, restaurants, schools, shops, leisure centres, and local services.
- Give information on the running costs of your home. Council tax, utility bills, insurance and any service charges.
- Start the viewing upstairs, in the least attractive room. Invite the buyer into each room but do not enter the rooms unless asked to. This will help make the room appear much bigger and you will not crowd the prospective purchaser.
- It is advisable the end a viewing in the kitchen or lounge, these are normally the most attractive rooms and will be the lasting impression taken away.
- Do not offer information on the property. Let people look for themselves, but do answer any questions truthfully and feel free to mention any unique selling points such as views, or clever storage space for example.
