Preparation

Preparing your property

Getting your house or flat in peak condition for its eventual sale may seem like plain common sense, but some still overlook this crucial part of the process and risk losing some of the potential value of their home, or worse, failing to sell it at all, by simply not covering the basics.

First impressions count for everything when it comes to property, so it’s vital your home looks its best for potential buyers. Maintaining this condition from the moment you get valuations until an offer has been accepted will give you the best chance of selling your home and of achieving the best possible price, whether you’re selling a house, flat, cottage, bungalow or studio apartment.  So what preparations should you make?

The external view

Make sure that the outside of your house is looking as good as possible.  If any work needs doing attend to it before you put your house on the market - you could have a viewing request within a few hours of marketing your property with online estate agents turtlehomes.co.uk.  Try and view your property as a stranger would, people often forget that the first impression of a property is from the outside, and don’t pay enough attention while focusing instead on the inside of the home.

• Tidy up the front and back garden,
• Repair cracks, holes or blemishes in the driveway or walls,
• Give the window frames and door a lick of paint if they need it,
• Make sure the house is clearly visible,
• Keep rubbish and rubbish bins out of sight.
• Invest in a few flowers, place them in apot or hanging baskets,
• Make sure that the doorbell works.

The Interior

Focus on making the house look as spacious as possible.  In many cases even a slight rearrangement of furniture can create the impression of a much bigger space.  The utmost priority should be to create an environment that the potential buyer can picture him or herself living in.  When preparing your property for sale, try and picture it as already no longer belonging to you.  You want to put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer who has no emotional attachement to the property.

• De-clutter - create more space by moving some furniture into storage, tidy away or remove unnecessary objects, books and knick-knacks, clear out cupboards and wardrobes of non-essential items,
• Remove any excessive personal effects from open display,
• Make minor repairs - fix leaky taps and cracks in the walls, replace broken or crooked tiles, replace burned-out light bulbs - make sure everything works,
• Clean thoroughly from top to bottom - carpets, floors, windows, fixtures and fittings, etc,
• Eradicate unpleasant odours, like pet smells and cigarette smoke,
• Decorate rooms if required - a lick of paint can re-energise the appearance of a room.