House Doctor
It is a proven fact that home-buyers decide within the first 30 seconds whether or not they want to buy your house. It is crucial that you present and market your home in the correct way to attract a purchaser. Prepare to sell your home & detach any sentimental memories..
If you speak to an estate agent, note how he or she relates to the property in question, when purchasing a home, (straight away you are speaking about the property as if it were yours) or if your are selling your property then they will use the term house, (house is just a depiction and does not belong to you) Reason being, when buying a home it may become an emotional decision, but when selling a property you have to eradicate any emotions from the formula to ensue a successful sale. Now you have decided to sell your house, you need to look at the property as a marketable commodity, and not your home. The aim of this is to make others see it as their prospective home and no longer yours. You have to wilfully make this decision to proceed with the smooth and speedy sale of the property. Making the first step in getting your home ready to sell is to de-personalize it. As much as you can, turn your home into a blank canvass for the prospective purchaser to add their own tastes and ideas. Remember every person who views your property could be the next owner!
First Impressions
Make the entrance to the property inviting, the house has to look approachable and welcoming, make sure all pathways are clear of rubbish, place the rubbish bin away from the front of the house, and clear the entrance hall of any newspapers and junk mail. Buyers can be put off before they're through the front door: make sure the outside of your property looks its best, with the rubbish in a bin, and communal hallways clear of junk mail etc.
Potential buyers do not want to enter your home and find a cracked tile in the entrance hall, or an electric socket hanging off the wall, or dirty scuff marks on the paint work, these are just little faults that can easily be repaired in no time.
Think Spring Clean, whilst the property is on the market, make sure windows are clean both inside and out and if you are selling the curtains and carpets with the house make sure they are looking clean and tidy and the curtains (if tie backs) are hanging equally on either side of the window and with the curtains drawn back crisply and neatly folded, similar to a concertina.
Any bulky furniture you may consider being a hinder rather than a help to the selling process, contact a local storage company to store the items during the time the property is on the market. Buyers are interested in space not your belongings – keep rooms tidy and uncluttered.
Keep the rooms open and bright and without clutter, this also makes the rooms appear bigger. Be ruthless when de-cluttering you home. What you consider as keep sakes and sentimental items, to others it’s junk. Use a local firm to remove any rubbish or take it to the nearest recycling point.
Consider a few home improvements throughout your home. You may love the strong rich ruby colors adorning your dining room but to some people is too over powering and may not be in keeping with their dining room furniture, so straight away they think, “oh, no we have to decorate on top of moving into the property” too stressful, resulting in immediate loss of interest, instead, opt for a more neutral tone where the potential buyer sees it as a blank canvass for them personalize the room themselves. If the house is on the market during the winter months, make sure the rooms are warm, during the summer months, open the windows and keep the rooms at a comfortable temperature.
Keep the house fresh smelling, place fresh flowers around the home and avoid cooking before a viewing. Potential buyers are immediately put off the property through bad smells.
Just a few little ones thrown in: During a viewing, make sure all beds are neatly made and all curtains are open and leave the bedroom window open a little, in the bathroom fold the towels into bales and pop the toilet seat down. Try where you can to remove all clutter from the kitchen work tops, such as storage jars and the odd electrical appliance and place them inside the kitchen cupboards. It’s amazing how much roomier and cleaner the room becomes. Make sure all house plants look healthy, remove any dead leaves. If you do own a pet, make sure dog/cat bowls are not on show, clean them and store away and that goes for their beds too. Keep the lawn and garden areas immaculate at all times. Clear out any weeds from the flower beds, re-paint and repair any exterior surfaces that may look a little worn.
Wise precautions
- Part of a successful sale is first impressions, there is nothing worse than screaming kids running around the house causing a stressful situation, therefore, consider someone to look after the children during a viewing, this goes for noisy pets too!
- Viewings to be made by appointment only, do not allow strangers to enter your property if they just turn up on your door step, willingly take their contact details and arrange for another appointment to view for a later date.
- Remember, you are inviting strangers into your home, so make sure you have someone else with you when a viewing has been arranged. Also, don’t give away security codes or arrangements and keep all valuables out of sight and locked up.
To make certain your home sells as quickly as possible at the maximum price we would recommend using our in house doctor Helen Wood who has successful experience in buying, selling and renting properties throughout Europe for many years
For instance
- Are you struggling to sell your home?
- Have you had many viewings?
- Have you had several viewings but no offers?
A personalised HOUSE DOCTOR may be the answer to your problem. Using our House Doctor will increase the chances of a quick sale by attracting more potential buyers or interested and willing Tenants.
This service is highly recommended for:
- Owners preparing to sell or rent their property
- Owners making home improvements and wanting to maximise their sale price or rental income
- Vendors struggling to sell their house or attract potential purchasers
- We provide our clients with classic house doctoring advice ranging from basic de-cluttering, make-overs (working within a budget), home staging and also providing advice to clients planning extensions or improvements on their property.
We can also assist you in sourcing reputable contractors within the area to carry out the work for you. To use our House Doctor facility you will be asked to pay a one off fee of £89 to take advantage of this valuable service. Alternatively, if you decide to sell your property with David A Wood & Associates then this service and our advice will be totally free of any charge. Are you ready to sell your home for a fixed fee of £995 regardless of selling price? If so, please click here to arrange a No Obligation Market Appraisal of your home without delay.
