If you are considering putting your house on the market, you will be keen to get as much for it as possible and to sell it quickly. Preparing your house to go on the market does take a little time and some good research to ensure you get the best price for it.
If you’re looking to sell your house fast, below are 10 tips on how to get your home ready for sale to speed up the process as much as possible.
1. Choose your estate agent carefully
Whether you decide to go with a traditional high street estate agent or a modern online estate agency, you need to be confident that the company will sell your property quickly and for a good price. Take a drive around your locality to see which estate agency boards are the most predominant. Have a look at their window display, is it appealing and up-to-date? Importantly, check out their website. Is it easily navigable? Do they have listings with plenty of information, excellent photos and 360º tours? It is a good idea to pop in and have a chat with several without committing, to see the level of service they offer and how well they know your locality. If you’re in the UK, enlisting the services of an Estate Agent like Revilo Homes can ensure your property is sold at the correct price.
If you are choosing an online agency, check for the same criteria and that it is the most dominant property seller in your area – will the website be one that prospective buyers will find easily? Not just local buyers but ones currently living further afield will need to find your chosen agency easily with a Google search.
2. Know the value of your house
If you overprice your house it will not sell quickly and will often just stick on the market. If you put your house on the market at a fair price online mortgage advisor suggests that the average sale will take 101 days – just over three months.
To help ascertain the value of your house, see if similar properties in your locality are up for sale – at what price? Ask a couple of high street estate agents and get their advice on which they should give without commitment. You need to know the fair price for your house because some agents will overprice as they hope to earn more commission. This is a fallacy if it doesn’t sell quickly and you have to drop the price.
3. Fix those outstanding repairs
It is not going to impress potential buyers if they find light switches that don’t work and see loose skirting boards. If you want to get the maximum price for your property, it is a really good idea to do all the outstanding DIY jobs you have promised to do for months!
4. Fix the fundamentals
Your house must look well cared for and all the basics are in good working order. Ensure that all outside areas are in good condition. Clear leaves from the guttering so it is working efficiently and check that your home has no damp problems – if it does, get them sorted as they will only get worse. Check that all paving slabs are in good condition and level – if any are broken, replace them.
5. Consider improving insulation
House buyers are now very energy conscious and as well as being keen to see the energy performance certificate for your house, they will want to know what energy-saving measures you have taken. If your loft does not have good insulation of a minimum thickness of 270 mm with good thermal properties, you may well consider installing some. For most lofts, it is a relatively easy job using rolls of insulating material available from local DIY stores. If your walls have poor insulation, it is quick and easy to have cavity wall insulation installed for a few hundred pounds and this will be appealing to prospective buyers.
6. Get out the paintbrush
Fresh paintwork can make a real difference both inside and out. Inside, check that all your doors and windows look in good condition and that you have no brightly coloured walls interior – you may love them, but a potential buyer may not! Basically, you need your house to look in good condition and like a blank canvas so that the buyer can move in happily without having to start work straight away, but can then stamp your property with his personality as and when he wants.
The outside paintwork can make a huge difference to your home’s kerb appeal so ensure, the gates, front doors, garage doors and window frames are all looking good.
7. Improve your kerb appeal
This is the trending phrase that means that your house looks good to passers-by. As well as painting, it is a good idea to weed the driveway. Spend time in your front garden, cutting the lawns, trimming hedges and digging the flowerbeds. If your front garden lacks colour, pop some colourful annuals in your flowerbeds and a hanging basket by your front door. Try and disguise your dustbins by building a rattan screen and planting a fast-growing climbing plant to help hide them.
8. Clear all the surfaces
A big recommendation is to declutter every room in your house to make it look bigger, brighter and cleaner. In the bedrooms, under-bed boxes are a great investment and gobble up clothes, books etc. In the bathroom, invest in a cabinet that will fit under the pedestal wash basin and fill it with all the shampoos and shower gels that are usually scattered everywhere. In the sitting room, some attractive rattan baskets can hold magazines and newspapers. In the kitchen, clear the decks so the work surfaces look clean and clutter-free – except perhaps for a Nespresso machine and a vase of cut flowers!
9. Sort the back garden
Even if you are not a keen gardener, your back garden must look tidy and well-maintained. If you can create an al fresco dining area, fantastic as these are all the vogue and so are veggie patches of all sizes.
10. Have a tidy up-of your garage and loft
Whilst prospective house buyers expect you to have too many belongings – just like they do – they would like to see a well-organised garage and loft so it is well worth spending some time having a good clear out. This is worth doing as you could soon be on the move!
We hope our 10 tips have provided you with the correct information so you’re able to sell fast and move on to the next chapter in your life!
