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Tips for Selling Your Home in 2023

This article on tips for selling your home will help you get prepared to sell your property in 2022. Read along for tips on how to get ready before you sell your home.

Preparing your property to be sold

Once you have taken the decision to put your home on the market and have met with your agent, you need to make sure you are ready for the marketing process. It is easy to think of the marketing process as just people visiting once or twice a week to have a look around and doing a quick tidy up before they arrive. To give you the best possible chance of success though, you need to take a more proactive approach. From the outset ensure that you are showing your home in the best possible light before any images or videos are taken. Preparing your home to sell requires some genuine thought. We would always recommend a pre-marketing discussion before you launch your home onto the market. If you haven’t found an agent yet please read more on Choosing The Right Agent.

First impressions when selling your home

You often get two opportunities to make a first impression. Firstly online and secondly in real life:

Online

This in part is about your choice of agent and how they market their properties online, both on their own websites and portals like Rightmove in addition to their social media approach. It is also about being prepared for taking photographs and marketing details before the property goes live. Having images that show your property at its best will generate vast interest. It is important that you are telling a consistent story about your home. The photos should also match how the property presents itself in real life, so your potential buyers are not disappointed. Images should also be truthful and careful. Photography that conceals less desirable features won’t help you when selling your home, as the potential buyer will see what’s there when they view.

In real life

The way you present your property from the outside is important. Let’s call it curb-appeal. It will set up the way a potential buyer feels about the property before they come in when they first view it. Many buyers will do a ‘drive by’ in advance to get a first look at the outside of the property beforehand. So maintaining a proactive approach to keeping things neat and tidy will make all the difference, even before the viewing.

Some of the things that you should consider are:

  • Keeping the garden tidy – more prevalent than ever in this post lockdown world
  • Washing down and painting front doors if they are looking tired
  • Cleaning the windows
  • Removing any dead plants and replacing them with something fresh
  • If the bins live outside, tuck them away in a tidy corner, so they’re not the first thing you see
  • Clear out the weeds from the paths
  • Replace the front door mat if it is fraying and messy, replace it
  • If you have outside light, make sure that they are working and switched on for evening viewings
  • If you usually squeeze several cars on to your driveway, try parking around the corner. This will give your potential buyer space to pull in as if they already lived there
  • Plants and pots that frame the front door will make a welcoming entrance
  • If there is a communal hallway to your property, even though it may not be part of your home, tidy up abandoned flyers, post and newspapers etc
selling your house

Talk to your agent – a tip

Talk to your agent about the type of buyer that might be interested in your home. They may be like you when you bought the property, so think about what they will be looking for in a property. Focus on presenting the traits you think are most desirable when selling your home.

Look at what other properties are available for your target buyer. Then consider what first impression those properties create. If yours is better, it will be at the top of a buyer’s viewing list. This is one of the most important tips for selling your home, and will help a lot.

Presentation is important

Presentation is massively important when selling your home. The most successful viewing is when the potential buyer can see themselves living in the property and can also relate to the property as it is now. Some simple ways to improve the presentation of your property are:

Give rooms the right purpose

We don’t always use rooms for the purpose intended. We may use a dining room as a bedroom or a bedroom as a study. Some buyers find it hard to see beyond the current use of a room. So, if you are marketing a room as a bedroom, it is best to set it up as a bedroom. That way you are showing them the purpose of the room, not just telling them what it could be.

Keep it tidy

Keeping your house clean and tidy for viewings will not only create the right impression but help buyers see beyond your contents. It’s always challenging with a busy working life or children. Creating a viewing strategy that works in line with your lifestyle is important from the outset.

Declutter your home

This is one of the most impactful things to do. Even if it means you rent some local storage during the marketing period, keeping the property free of unnecessary clutter will create a sense of space and a blank canvas for your buyer to more easily see themselves living there. If you’re a parent struggling to get your home ready to sell, take a look at Tips to Help Parents Sell Their Home.

Let in light

Keeping curtains and blinds open and windows clean, will let in light and create a better sense of space. Switch on the lights in the rooms before your agent/buyer arrives.

Set the temperature

Are there rooms in your home that you rarely use and rarely heat? Switch on the radiators ahead of your viewing so the whole property is warm and welcoming.

Bathrooms and kitchens

Should always be clean, tidy and mould free. Try keeping your essential toiletries and products in the bathroom and storing the rest to keep clutter at bay. In the kitchen keep the worktops as clear as possible, which will improve the sense of space.

Pets

Not everyone will love your pet as much as you do, so they are best kept out of sight. This is especially the case with enthusiastic dogs who may scare your buyer off.

Keep it simple

If you feel the need to re-decorate before marketing your property choose neutral colours that have a universal appeal.

Minor repairs before selling your home

The little things add up. If there are simple repairs that you have been planning to do, get them done before putting your property on the market. It will give potential buyers few things to find wrong.

If you would like to learn more about selling your home with Lennon James Property, take a look at Sell Your Home.

If you are on the fence about selling your home, please read “Why NOW might represent the best time to make YOUR big move…”.

selling your property