Getting your property ready for market

So, you’ve decided to put your property up for sale – but how can you sell it faster and for the best possible price? Here are a few expert tips to help you once you’ve decided to sell.

How not to show your house!

Keep it personal – but not cluttered

It’s easy to say that in order to sell you should just declutter to the point where your house looks like a show home, but potential buyers might find it harder to connect with a property that doesn’t look lived in.

Get rid of the mess and clutter, but leave personal items like nice pictures, rugs, attractive ornaments and cushions around so that people can imagine how their own items would look in your home.

Give buyers a glimpse into the lifestyle they could have if they lived in your home – fling open the patio doors on a sunny day, show them your nicest furnishings and hide the kids’ toys and the dog bed when you’re having the photos taken – and when you have people viewing.

Spruce it up

It’s a cliché but only because it’s true, if you give the walls a fresh paint, in a nice neutral shade, you make the rooms look bigger as well as giving potential buyers the opportunity to put their own stamp on the décor once you’ve moved out.

It’s also good for first time buyers or busy people who just want to be able to move straight in; if the walls are painted a colour that they hate or the whole place looks grubby, it will put people off who just want to move their stuff in and live with it for a while. You could consider giving the front door a coat of brightly coloured paint though, as this gives a first impression that the house has been well looked-after.

Fix and clean

Sort out all the minor things that you’ve been living with for ages; other people might not want to! If your home has any threadbare patches in the carpets, holes in walls, broken light fittings or nagging little repairs that need doing, get them done before the first viewing.

Make sure you clean the place within an inch of its life too, roll up your sleeves and scrub away any lime scale, repair old grouting in tiles and redo it where necessary and before anyone visits, hang out new towels and freshen the place up – bathrooms and kitchens especially.

Clean all of your windows inside and out, and replace any broken light bulbs.

Make sure that of you have a garden it’s tidy too – hire a gardener if necessary but make sure it looks perfect.

Update the kitchen

If the kitchen is looking a little tired you might want to consider having a make-over as this can be a decider for a lot of families. You don’t have to go all out – if you’re strapped for cash you could paint cupboard doors and add new handles to give it a new look. Declutter all the kitchen surfaces when people view - apart from maybe a strategically placed coffee machine and a fruit bowl for show.

Once you have everything ready to go – arrange your viewings!