How to prepare your home for sale

during viewingsWhen it comes to selling your home, it’s really important to present it in its best light. There are several things you can do to help increase the attractiveness of the property and some of these may even increase the value too! Below is a list of some of the things that can help when preparing your home for sale:

1. Maintenance – It’s really important to finish any DIY and catch-up on routine maintenance. A well maintained house screams out that it’s ‘well cared for’ (a desirable attribute that buyers will pick-up on).
2. Declutter – Buyers can often struggle to see past heaps of furniture and personal items, which can make rooms feel small. Consider renting some external storage space to house items until you move. But try to strike a balance – remember people often buy into a lifestyle. Try and show them your home life at its best.
3. Enhance kerb appeal – Buyers will often drive past a property to rate its kerb appeal before they express any interest. Tidy up the garden or driveway, clean the windows, and give the front door a spruce up with fresh paint.
4. Tidying inside and out – Tidying your property can be an easy win and will help with the first impression when preparing your home for sale. Tidy both internally and externally, putting away anything that creates clutter. You are trying to create a clean neutral environment for the viewers. Having an untidy home may give the impression of it being too small or lacking storage.
5. Pets – This can be a touchy subject but it is worth remembering not everyone feels the same way about pets. Pets can be a wonderful addition to any home but they do present some issues when selling a property. It is worth washing all beds, blankets etc. and ventilating any room used by your pets. This will help reduce the risk of bad odours lingering during the viewings. Things like pet beds and litter trays could turn off a prospective purchaser, so tidy up and clear out as much pet stuff as you possibly can before viewings.
6. Depersonalise – Buyers will fall in love with your house when they can imagine themselves living there. Your aim should be to enable your viewers to see themselves living in the home, rather than see you living there. Tidying away and removing personal photos, holiday souvenirs and memorabilia will help create a neutral look in the property. Remember, you can also put these items back on display once the viewings have stopped.
7. Ventilation – Make sure that the property is well ventilated during viewings. Introducing ventilation by opening the windows will help remove any unwanted odours and create a fresh environment.

Above are just a few tips to help prepare your house for sale and viewings. It is also worth asking your estate agent if they have any recommendations, their expert knowledge may make the difference.