Preparing Your Home ‘For Sale’

Improve your lighting

The feeling that a room is well lit, especially with natural light is a real plus that cannot be overstated. Make sure your curtains are open and that any unnecessary blinds are lifted making the room as light and airy as possible.

For those selling during the winter months or who have evening viewers, make sure you have plenty of floor and table lamps to create a mood or illuminate any area that needs a little extra brightness.

Bright rooms always appear more spacious than dim and dark ones.

Declutter

Try as much as possible to tuck away any unnecessary clutter, especially around entrances and hallways. You don’t want the first impression to be that your house is cramped, simply because they couldn’t get around the kids coat collection behind the front door.

The less clutter in the home, the less distraction to your viewers.

The scent to sell

We all know that smells can be good or bad, but even some of the best ones may not necessarily help sell your home.

You need to eliminate bad smells as a priority – pet beds, rubbish bins, mustiness, etc. – but equally, make sure you don’t go mad when masking them or promoting good ones as they will serve as a distraction. Keep things subtle. If the weather is warm and pleasant, open a window slightly and make use of the fresh air.

Do those little jobs

Tackle that ‘to be done’ list with vim and vigour.

Small jobs can make a huge difference. If a doorknob is wobbly, a lightbulb is on the blink, the front room is in need of a lick of paint, or you have a dripping tap? Get them fixed, pronto.

Make sure that if your windows have been closed during the winter months, that any build-up of mould in the corners of cold sills are wiped down.

Viewers, and even surveyors, will see such stains as red flags, when in reality there’s absolutely nothing wrong. Be certain to make good on any previous damage if it hasn’t already been taken care of.

Create focal points

Just because you’ve toned things down with neutral paintwork doesn’t mean everything has to be straightlaced. Creating focal points in your home can really make your property impress. Just a couple of new cushion covers, or a bunch of flowers can really make a difference.

Play down your pets

We have lots of pet owners out there and we aren’t suggesting that your pets are not clean and looked after. What we are reminding you is that not everyone loves pets, so you might want to make your fluffy family member’s favourite possessions a little less conspicuous.

Pet beds and litter trays are the sort of things that could turn off a prospective purchaser, but so can falling over a discarded toy or bone! Tidy up as much pet stuff as you possibly can before viewings. If your fur-baby is excitable when guests arrive, it may be wise to have them taken out for a walk whilst the viewing goes ahead to avoid the visitor being distracted.

Ensure that your storage areas look their best.

Storage is extremely important especially as we all collect heaps of ‘stuff’ these days. Viewers will want to know that there is ample room for their ‘stuff’.

Take a little time to actually organise your storage before you show people around. Simple changes that make the most of what you’ve got can make a big difference, so consider racks, drawers, hangers and such before you go to market. Then you can show it off and abate any concerns they may have about available space.

Enhance kerb appeal

Improving how your property looks from the outside is as important as how it feels once you’re inside. Make sure that the front garden, if you have one, is tidy, all of your windows are sparkling, and the front door looks inviting.

Doing these small jobs will, again, make a big impact on your buyers.

Clean up and clean again.

Clean homes are easier to sell, so a quick spring clean is an easy task to complete. This is essential particularly prior to viewings.