9 THINGS THAT CAN HELP SELL YOUR HOME

Selling a house requires a bit of work. Not just from the estate agent, but also from you. Especially if you’re hoping to sell your property relatively quickly and at a premium price. We’ve viewed 3 houses so far (you can read about our plans to move here) and I know from a buyers point of view what puts people off. Dirt and clutter are very high on the list! We are having our house professionally photographed this week which is why I’ve been trying to get rid of all the unnecessary junk. Easier said than done, right? But I have made some good progress in the last few weeks, although I still have a long way to go.

The property photographer (hired by the estate agent) sent us a very useful checklist how we can best show our house to the potential buyers. Obviously keeping it clean and tidy is very important. Dirt and clutter will show in the photos (not to mention when people are viewing the house). Apparently when it comes to property photography less is more. Put all the clutter and unnecessary items away. This includes cereal boxes, cleaning products and tea towels etc. Ultimately you want to show your potential buyer a blank canvas they can see themselves living in. Fresh flowers and uncovered garden furniture should be left on display though. It’s all part of the lifestyle, right?

Obviously you don’t need to do the following things if you don’t want to (your house will probably sell regardless). But if you want to sell your property at the best price, your house should reflect that.

1. D E – C L U T T E R

If you’re a hoarder and/or have kids you’ll know how hard this part is going to be. We’ve lived in our house for almost 9 years and have accumulated piles of junk. I like to do a good de-clutter few times a year, but this time I wanted to achieve a bit more and get rid of almost all unused and/or unwanted items. If you have an attic you can place all the unnecessary junk in there. But it’s much better to actually get rid of it now, so you don’t have to go through the same thing again when you do move. Decluttering is hard but it’s also quite therapeutic. Get rid of the things that you don’t use, need or that don’t have any real sentimental value. This is a good time to get rid of any unwanted gifts and take them to your nearest charity shop.

2. D O  A  D E E P  C L E A N

Dirt does show on photos and on 3D virtual tours (which are becoming more and more popular now). Virtual viewings can either attract or repel potential buyers. Dirty windows and window sills won’t go unnoticed in viewings either. It’s best to tackle the dirt now and your house will be much easier to keep clean when you start viewing your property.

3. G E T  O R G A N I S E D

After you’ve finished decluttering your house, it’s time to get organised. Make sure that everything has its place in the house. Buy baskets and storage boxes for items you don’t want to display (ie. kids toys, old magazines etc). You can find some inexpensive ones in Ikea that look fab. I have been using these for years! Get rid of things that don’t have a purpose or add to the aesthetics (you can also put them in storage if you’re not quite ready to part with them yet).

4. F I X  B R O K E N  T H I N G S

Do you have any leaking taps? Cracked grout? Now is a good time to fix all the things that you haven’t quite got around fixing yet. We had a handyman over to fix few broken bits that have been way down our to-do list. I’m actually pleased this motivated us to sort out all these  things now. Even if we don’t end up moving, we’ll have a much nicer home after all of this.

5.  F R E S H  F L O W E R S  &  P L A N T S

Fresh flowers always stand out in photographs. You could also use faux flowers, although personally I prefer fresh flowers and/or plants (especially if I’m viewing a property). It makes me feel like the owners have gone the extra mile to get the house ready.

6. G I V E  T H E  W A L L S  A  T O U C H  – U P

If your walls are painted it’s very easy and cheap to spruce them up. We have tiny little marks in the most random places (thanks kids!) and I love using Dulux colour testers to hide them quickly. They are great for covering smaller areas and little imperfections!

7. C H E C K  T H E  G R O U T

This is something that will need redoing in most houses (based on what I’ve seen in the recent weeks). You do need to regrout your bathroom tiles every now and then. Overtime, ground becomes dirty and can start cracking (you shouldn’t have to do this every few years though). If the grout is only stained it is very easy to fix. I used diluted bleach (1 part bleach with 10 parts water) to get rid of the hard water stains in the shower room. Use any old spray bottle and spray the walls generously (leaving the diluted bleach on for about 15 minutes). Then rinse and all the stains should be gone! I wouldn’t use diluted bleach on natural stone though (our tiles are ceramic). I was so impressed that I will be doing this regularly now. You can also use a grout reviewer pen if the grout needs just a bit of whitening (always clean it first though).

8. S C E N T  D I F F U S E R S

Not everyone is a fan of home scents, but I personally love it when there’s a scent lingering in the house. Reed diffusers are ideal and they usually last for a couple of months too. I would keep the scent quite subtle though. Go for something fresh, definitely nothing too sweet. I wouldn’t have more than 2 scent diffusers in the house (depending on the size of your house of course). The best place for your reed diffuser is in the hall, so that potential buyers can smell the scent as they walk in. First impressions do matter (a lot more than you think).

9. C U R B  A P P E A L

Not all houses look as good on the outside as they do on the inside, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about it. Make sure that the exterior is clean and tidy. Remove leaves from the driveway and make sure that your wheelie bins don’t show in the photos.

That’s it (I think). If these things don’t make anyone want to buy our house, I don’t know what will. Obviously there is only so much you can do (and chances are you don’t need to do anything) but I think it’s always nice to present your house at its best. Especially if you’re selling a ‘move-in ready house’ at a premium price. If you’ve got a ‘fixer-upper’ you can ignore most things I’ve listed and just wait for the offers. You should also talk to your estate agent and they should be able to tell you what needs fixing first. Plumbing issues and roof problems will obviously need sorting out, but if your house is otherwise in a good condition the list shouldn’t be too long.

If you have anything to add, leave a comment below!