Fantastic you’re ready to sell! If this is the first time you’ve sold then you’re no doubt excited but you may also be nervous and confused. Obviously you’ve bought a property but you haven’t sold before and that’s a completely different ballgame.
One of the questions you might have is “is there anything I need to do in order to get my property ready to sell?” Good question, yes there is. In this blog I will outline my top tips for first-time sellers but before you do anything give your home a declutter and thoroughly good clean.
Space
One of your buyers’ main priorities will be space so you need to make sure that you’re each area of your home feels a spacious as possible. Remove any superfluous items of furniture as a room that is cramped and overstuffed with furniture will appear to buyers as being too small and they will reject it on that basis. If you’re selling for the first time you may not appreciate that buyers can struggle to visualise how the room will work with their belongings in it so you have to help them.
If you have large pieces of furniture then it can be worth finding somewhere to store them and either borrowing or buying a smaller replacement cheaply through an outlet such as a charity shop or online marketplace. If the item is no longer needed once the property is sold, then you can either sell or donate the item.
The layout of the room i.e. how the furniture is positioned in the space can also affect the feeling of spaciousness or otherwise so having removed any unnecessary items of furniture look at whether moving the remaining furniture around will make a room feel bigger.
Decor
Decor is something that is very personal and individual so one person’s colourful decor could be someone else’s nightmare. With decor you want a blank canvas, your buyers need to be able to picture themselves putting their own stamp on the property. This doesn’t mean that it should be boring but rather it’s a neutral background against which you can add interest through accessories and artwork. Most buyers want to be able to move in and start living immediately and don’t necessarily want to commence an immediate redecoration. So decorate in neutral colours such as a an off-white, soft green or taupe.
Purpose
Often we have a room that is used for random purposes – it might be a spare room/ office, the room where you do the ironing or the room used (in the phrase beloved of estate agents) for “storage” i.e. the dumping ground. It is important to give each room a function even if it is dual purpose such as a spare room/ hobby room. Consider your target market, what will they most likely want to find? Perhaps it’s the number of bedrooms or, particularly now, a home office. This helps buyers see what the room can be used for and gives a better sense of space.
Personality
Your family home reflects you of course it does so you might have lots of family photos and that that is what makes your house so a home. That’s certainly true but the problem is that when you come to sell if you have too many family photos then that sends the message that this is your home and subconsciously your buyers may then find it difficult to picture of the space as their home. As I say, people may not even be aware of this so whilst one or two photos perhaps on a bedside table or on a display shelf are fine and are nice touch, if you have a lot pack them away. This includes any artworks that have been created from a professional photo shoot and substitute those with more neutral Artworks -landscapes, seascapes and botanical images are good because of the association with nature. Alternatively abstract art work which reflects the colours of your decor is good. You could create some using a simple white canvas purchased from a craft shop and tester pots or leftover paint.
First Impressions
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is a well-known saying and it truly applies when selling your home. This applies both when people are looking at your property online and when they arrive to view so when I talk about selling your home what exactly do I mean by the first impression I am referring to things such as the front door -maybe it needs a fresh coat of paint, maybe the door furniture is looking tatty and should be replaced or are there some attractive planters or hanging baskets framing the front door, is the driveway clear, is the lawn mown?Are things such as facias and soffits and windows gleaming? All these things contribute to the first impression that people gain of your property.
If you’re selling your property for the first time and would like some help then give me a call on (07745)876172 or email me at judith@homestyle4u.com. I offer a free no obligation 30 minute consultation when we will have a chat to see whether I can help you and I will further explain the process. Packages start from as little as £250 I cover Wirral Cheshire, the North-West and North Wales. I’d love to help.
P.S The cost of staging is likely to be a lot less than the cost of your first price reduction.