FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Potential buyers get their first view of your house from the outside. Look at your house as a stranger. Do window frames need a lick of paint or is the grass getting a bit long? Clear kid’s toys and bikes up. You might not be green fingered and kill off every plant in sight, but you can get some pots made up to add a bit of colour and life to the garden. If your house is neat and tidy and stands out from the rest on the street it will entice people to look inside.
DIY:
Every home has small jobs that keep getting put off, now’s the time to get them done! Maybe little Johnny created a master piece on a wall with his crayons, it has to go. Make sure the front doorbell is working. If wall paper is peeling or paint is chipped, it will draw the eye. You want people to see the house, not the flaws.
Scrub Up:
A clean house will sell. Make sure all rooms are scrubbed clean. Do extras like tidying bins out of site and make sure windows are sparkling inside and out. Give a quick run around with a cloth or duster on all surfaces just before a viewing. If anyone in the house is a smoker get rid of the smell. Also ensure all beds have been made and the usual bedroom clutter is tidied up.
Tidy Your Clutter:
We all collect ornaments and knick-knacks over the years and while they are familiar and sentimental items to us, to a potential buyer they might be seen as clutter. Be ruthless and clear them out! Store them at a friend’s house because clutter makes a room look smaller and darker. Remember you’re trying to present a blank canvas for potential buyers, help them imagine it as they would like.
Animals:
You love your dog or cat, they’re a special member of your family, but they wonít help you sell your house. Find a willing friend to look after Yates or Duke. Before every viewing dose every room with Fabreze, just to be sure of no smells. Brush, vacuum, use sellotape, whatever it takes to get rid of every last pet hair, especially if it’s woven itself into the fabric of your sofa. Remember to check the garden’s clean from any droppings. You can promise them endless biscuits or tins of salmon when the house is sold.
Atmosphere:
If it is wintry outside, turn on the heating. A cold house isn’t very welcoming and can suggest a house that is hard to heat or expensive. If it is sunny, open a few windows and let some fresh air in. Look at the lighting in all your rooms. If you have dark spots borrow or buy some inexpensive lamps or consider painting the room in question a light cream colour. A dark room can look smaller as if the walls are closing in.
Bedrooms:
To you it’s a storage room, sometimes spare room or office, but to a buyer it could be the third bedroom that clinches the deal. Clear out the junk and invest in new bed linen. This doesn’t have to be expensive, but plain and in light cream to add light and the impression of space to your room. If you have turned a bedroom into an office, you don’t have to vacate it, just keep your computer area tidy and put in a bed. Whether it’s single or double it show’s that there is room enough to use it as a bedroom. Be aware that potential buyers look everywhere and might open wardrobe doors, you don’t want last years holiday case or your laundry falling out on them!
Clear Off:
Buyers will be much more comfortable if you are not in the house when they are looking around. Take it as an opportunity to go shopping or bring the dog for a walk.
Legal Matters:
Finally before placing your property on the market, please advise your solicitor to prepare Conditions of Sale and confirm that Title to the property is in order. Double check planning permission is in place for any extensions, conversions or structural changes that have been made to the house. This needs to be sorted before your house can be sold.
Call us Today to talk about any of the issues above - 057 8623643
