House sale preparation
Preparation is the key to selling your house privately. Look at your home with fresh critical eyes, remove your personal quirks and present a show home.
No doubt you’ve been living in your property for some time now and have adapted it to the way you live while accumulating clutter. Maybe you leave your shoes by the front door or chuck your coat over the banister rail. It’s likely that the purpose of some rooms have changed such as using bedrooms as storage space, like an extension of your attic or an indoor shed. We all do it as we accumulate clutter.
You need to take a few steps back and return the property to its former glory, by ensuring that each room reflects its intended purpose.
Think like a home buyer...
Make a list of the features that attracted you to the property originally such as the location, the garden, the size of the living space, the kitchen etc. You need to bring out all of these key points when you write your property advert. See how to write a property description for help and advice.
Act like a home seller...
Thinking like a sales person you need to ensure that all of the points you raised in thinking like a home buyer are presented as best as you can. You need to present each prospective home buyer with an opportunity to imagine living in your house. To help them to do this you need to de-personalize your property. Think like a seller – prepare you house for home buyers.
De-personalize
Remove clutter, remove family photographs – go for neutral.
Where possible – remove any thing that strongly defines your taste. Remember you’re not selling you, you’re not for sale, but your house is, and you’ll appeal to a far larger audience if you think about your buyers.
Clean, clean, clean
Whatever you do: Make sure your property is clean, and smells clean. There is no bigger turn off than dirt and filth.
Nasty niffs…
Have a good sniff around, especially if you keep animals. Use fabreeze, shake and vac carpets and rugs and buy plug-in air fresheners.
Fix up and paint
Mend everything that is plainly broken. Don’t give your house buyers a reason to make a lower offer because of something you could have fixed. Clean scuff marks of walls and paint if appropriate. Everybody likes the smell of fresh paint, it will make your property look cared for, clean and well maintained.
Dress for success
Dress your property up with a few well chosen accessories. You don’t need to spend a fortune, and anything you buy you can re-use. Think show home here. Buy a new kettle and toaster for the kitchen. Buy new cushions for the living room and bedrooms, and towels for the bathroom. Don’t go overboard but do think show home. Think sales.
Go for curb appeal
Make your house look great from the pavement: Cut back bushes, cut the grass, weed and feed if appropriate and paint windows, doors and sills. Make a clear entrance so that home buyers can see the way to your front door, and polish your door knob.
First impressions
It’s true and you know its true – you only get one chance to make a first impression – so make it a good one. Remember – it’s not about you it’s about your propsective home buyers and when you focus on them you will sell your home.
