Are you thinking about selling your home? Spring is the optimum time to put your property on the market.
Estate agents love this time of the year. The housing market traditionally stirs from its winter slumber and buyers are lured from hibernation.
You can achieve a sale this spring by sticking to some tried and trusted tips and quick fixes.
5 top tips for moving home this spring
Don’t rush!
Give yourself enough time between thinking about selling and actually ringing the estate agent to get a valuation or market appraisal with a view to selling. Make sure it’s something you can afford to do. According to The Telegraph, the move itself costs an average of £12K.
First impressions count
Don’t forget that the first thing prospective buyers will see is the outside of your property. In the excitement of staging your house like a show home, don’t forget that creaking gate or the weeds growing along the path.
If you are not a keen gardener, pay someone to help as the cost involved will be insignificant if you achieve the best price for your home. The garden should be resplendent with spring colour and, if not, make a trip to your garden centre and cheat with pots of flowering displays.
Does the house itself need a lick of paint and what about the front door? Has the doormat seen better days?
Declutter
Few people can see past other people’s stuff and imagine how it will look with theirs in it. Now is a good time to sell anything you don’t need on eBay. If you really can’t bear parting with anything, tidy it all away. It might be worth considering a storage unit, as viewers will often open up cupboards, and these too need to look pristine.
People are buying a lifestyle in most instances, so don’t completely depersonalize the place.
Touch up, repaint, re-plaster and repoint
Although the housing market has improved, competition amongst sellers is still fierce, so it’s essential that your property stands out from the crowd.
Smartening the appearance of your home may not add much value, but, importantly, it could make the difference between selling in a reasonable time or staying on the market.
Keep colours neutral, make any necessary minor repairs such as cracked tiles and replace any threadbare carpets.
Spring clean! Everything should sparkle – get rid of limescale on sinks, grubby finger marks and dirty windows.
Consider the kitchen
The kitchen is probably the most important asset of your house. So if you need to give it a facelift then it’s probably worth the expense. This can be as simple as replacing the fronts of the cabinets or upgrading the counter tops.
Tricks of the trade
If it’s still a little chilly and you have the luxury of a fire or woodburning stove, then make sure it’s in use. Use lamps in dark corners to cast a softer light. Similarly, mirrors can make a room look bigger and increase the light.
Of course, the aroma of fresh bread and coffee are very inviting. However, the smell of cigarettes is really off-putting. Make sure that you think of every sense people will be using to judge your property.
Not everyone is an animal lover, so make sure your beloved pets aren’t obvious. Get someone to take the dog out for a walk if possible and hide bowls of food.
No excuses if you’re selling a flat
And if you are selling a flat, don’t forget the communal areas, even if you don’t think they’re your responsibility. Make sure you have the permission of the resident’s association before embarking on anything too dramatic.
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