Simple tips to make your home easier to sell

Don’t advertise until your house is ready…

Putting your house up for sale means inviting the general public to come and scrutinise every aspect of your home. Buyers will pick up on simple characteristics that, maybe, you as the owner haven’t noticed so, before you put up that all-important ‘For Sale’ sign, we’d recommend you take steps to ensure your house looks as attractive as possible.

…or this sign might be up longer than you’d like!

The housing market has seen a considerable upturn over the past months but this doesn’t mean sellers can afford to relax their efforts as competition is only going to get stronger. For this reason we’ve collated a selection of tips, gleaned over the years, that are virtually guaranteed to make your home more appealing to prospective buyers:

Keep clutter to a minimum

• Refresh the décor

Buying a house is a psychological process that can be affected by anything from the colour of the walls to the type of furniture you have in your living room.

What buyers want to see is a house that they can potentially turn into their home. So, despite your love of family portraits and all-things-pink, this situation calls for walls of a neutral colour and the family trinkets to be kept out of sight. Buyers want the show-home look, and this means stripping out anything sentimental to you, making room for beautiful cushions and stylish blinds.

Cleanliness; essential, feather duster; optional.

• Make your home sparkle

Cleanliness is crucial when trying to sell your home; if you allow visitors to view the property when it’s messy and cluttered they will automatically take a dislike to it. You never know where house-hunters will look, so ensure all closets, wardrobes and cabinets are clean and tidy, inside and out, even if this means filling the boot of your car with all of the unnecessary things that would normally occupy your drawers.

• Make any necessary repairs

Get round to those forgotten jobs!

It’s important to make sure any damage to your house is repaired before starting to arrange viewings. You may have learned to live with things like dripping taps, chipped paintwork and broken door handles but, rest assured, they will be obvious to anyone closely inspecting your house. Websites like Jewson’s not only provide the tools you’ll need but can also deliver them direct to your door, so what excuse is there not to make a start? Don’t let silly mistakes like these jeopardise the sale of your house!

• Tweak the outside of the house

Remember to make the exterior of your house inviting too.

If the exterior of your house is in disarray, then why would any potential buyer want to look inside? By making simple and subtle improvements, like giving the doors a fresh coat of paint, planting seasonal flowers or polishing the windows, you’re likely to attract more people than you might have expected.

The next addition to your house?

Improving the look of your home doesn’t have to cost a lot; quite often simple, inexpensive tweaks will immediately increase your home’s value by more than your outlay might suggest and, at the same time, broaden your house’s appeal to more potential buyers. Don’t delay; isn’t it time that sign outside your house read ‘Sold’?

So, to recap, check your colour scheme is easy on the eye and look for any chipped, stained or marked paintwork or wallpaper. If it needs filling, touching-up or repainting, do it; it could pay dividends in the long run!

Likewise, make sure timberwork like doors, stair rails, skirting, window frames and ledges are in a good condition and well finished. Think, too, about the exterior of you house; are there fencing panels that need replacing, cracked paving slabs, or gates hanging from their hinges? If it doesn’t look like you care about your home, why would anybody else?

Think of the impression a constantly dripping tap gives – would you want to live with it? Sort out any leaks, drips and plumbing issues before opening your house to viewings and, of course, after cleaning the dust of any work away!

When suppliers like Jewson can provide everything mentioned here, and the fixtures and fittings to boot, what excuse do you have not to make a start? You might end up wanting to stay! But, one thing’s for sure; the pride you’ve taken in your home will speak volumes to any potential buyer.

• Photo attribution

For Sale sign 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/

For Sale sign 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/digallagher/

Cushions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wicker-furniture/

Feather duster: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Entheta

Dripping tap: http://www.flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/

Blue house: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/

Sold sign: http://www.flickr.com/photos/digallagher/