Published: 01/12/2021
It’s time to move! Maybe you just landed that new job, maybe you are wanting to move because the family has grown, or maybe the kids have left home and you are wanting to downsize. In this article, we will help guide you through the murky world of finding an offer and getting the price your home deserves.In this article we will look at the following:
- Getting your house ready to sell
- How to dress your house for sale?
- How to do a house viewing?
- What should you not show when showing a house?
- How do I make my house viewing go well?
- What to do when your house is being shown?
- Does an empty house sell faster?
- How important is staging when selling a home?
Getting your house ready to sell
Get your house ship-shape before it goes on the market. Before you have instructed an letting agency in Leeds to sell your property, you should get your property up to the standard that buyers will be happy to accept.
Within days of choosing your estate agent, they will be taking professional photographs of your property, 360 photographs and sometimes even virtual reality videos for those buyers who simply don’t want to travel to see your property.
This is why it’s crucial to make sure your property is looking its best for the. It’s amazing how many photographs we see that show untidy bedrooms, lawns and cluttered front drives. Many sellers think as long as the house looks great when the viewer enters, this is all that matters. Having professional photographs with untidy rooms will lose you potential buyers, as there is only so much a photographer can do.
How should one dress their house up for sale?
In exactly the same way, you would impress on a first date; by looking your best.
You have to imagine buyers to think on a more basic level, where they need to be shown how good your home can possibly look. Is it worth doing up your house before selling? Yes if you want to maximise the potential return from your property. Decide on what strengths your property has - then proceed to show those strengths off.
First impressions before entering the property
Within the first few seconds of driving or walking up to your property, a prospective buyer will be judging the outside of your home.
- What does the Driveway look like?
- Is there enough space for parking their car or cars?
- Is your home painted and looking able to weather many more winters? I
- If you have a front garden, is it well kept?
- Do the bins look ghastly or is everything looking prim and proper?
- Do the windows need a lick of paint?
- Maybe your front door needs a new door knocker?
All these things might seem minor, but they could be the difference between getting the best offer possible or reducing your price.
How to do a house viewing
Many sellers will want to be out of the house entirely and will allow their estate agent to show the viewers around, however you could show the viewers around yourself if you are feeling up to it. If this is the case and your house is fully ready with everything we have mentioned above in place. The next stage is to set the scene.
Turn all the lights on or at least the lights that compliment the rooms that need extra light. Make sure you’ve aired your house, so it feels fresh, rather than stale or musty. Welcome the viewers with smiles and stand back as they take in your home. Answer all questions honestly and obviously state how much you have loved living here.
What should you not show when showing a house?
Firstly, we should say that full disclosure is key - if you do not disclose everything then the sale could fall through.
Tidy all cooking away and random drinks you may have left out. If you have a pet; keep it out of sight. Some people strangely do have a fear of animals no matter how loving yours is. If an agent is conducting the viewing I would advise you to leave the property - people like space when looking around a property and don’t like being crowded. Homeowners rarely can talk up a property as well as an estate agent can - so best leave them to do their job.
How do I make my house viewing go well?
As beautiful and well turned out as your house may be, you can’t force a prospective buyer to make an offer. They will either like it or they will not. As long as you follow all the points already mentioned then you are ticking all the boxes in helping the viewing go well. If the viewer can enter the property on time and isn’t held up there is nothing more you can really do that isn’t already noted.
What to do when your house is being shown?
If an agent is showing your property - the best thing you can do is leave the property. Crowding the viewers will help no one. Of course, if you are showing the property give the viewers space and be there to address any queries they may have.
Does an empty house sell faster?
.An empty house will actually take longer to sell. This is officially true with decades of research gone into this exact topic. Homes that are fully furnished and occupied or even staged will sell faster. Not only that, they also increase the value of your property.
Some buyers lack imagination and need their hands held when it comes to the buying process of visualising what a house will look like. Empty rooms often look smaller than they really are. An empty property will show up all the wear and tear. An empty property also reeks of urgency when selling a property, and the belief that there is an urgency to sell will actually slow down most prospective buyers. Psychology can be a crazy thing but it is fundamental in the buying process of properties.
How important is staging when selling a home?
Does staging help sell a house? We have already learnt that empty homes take longer to sell. Thankfully due to decades of research, the staging of a home; where you lay it out like a show home, will quicken the sale and likely ratchet up the asking price.
Good luck with selling your apartment, house and your old home - in a seller’s market the process is obviously easier, but I hope with these tips you may maximise the offer on your property and speed up that sale process, enabling you to move on to the next stage in your property life. If you live in the Leeds area, then feel free to get in touch with us at Dwell, as we excel at getting our clients the best possible result when it comes to selling property in Leeds.