| How to improve your chances when selling through an estate agent
If you have the time to sell your property through the conventional route then here are some tips to help you.
First Impressions
Make Repairs
Keep it neutral
De-Personalise and De-Clutter
Clean Meticulously
What's that room?
Keep Pets Backstage
Don't market an empty property
Instructing an Estate Agent & Solicitor
Valuation & Selling Prices
Viewings
Choosing the Best Buyer
Accepting Offers
Holding the Deal Together
A Quicker Sale
First Impressions
First impressions count, buyers will have already formed an impression before they step into your property. A well-kept garden, pathway and fence and a freshly painted front door are immediately appealing, whereas a scruffy outdoor space with a rubbish bin outside the front door may turn off many potential buyers back to top
Make Repairs
Fix dripping taps, replace broken tiles, recoat dirty or scratched paintwork and make sure all sockets and light switches are working. Some repairs such as replacing marked and burnt work surfaces may be costly but you can either do the repairs now or price the house accordingly as a buyer will base an offer on all the things that need fixing. back to top
Keep it neutral
You may love the way your home looks, but it may not be to everyone's taste. Selling your house is about marketing a lifestyle. Potential buyers walking through your home want to imagine themselves as the owners, so always keep your buyer in mind. If you use styles or colours your buyers would never select, you've just turned them off. Repaint bright walls in neutral, light colours. Creams and beiges are good. You are aiming to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Neutral colours sell. It's a fact. back to top
De-Personalise and De-Clutter
Buyer's typically decide if they like a house in the first 10 seconds of walking in the front door. Buying a home is an emotional decision. You want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home by being able to see themselves in it.
Remove objects that your potential buyers won't be able to identify with. Remove personal items, such as ornaments, knick-knacks, family photographs and children's drawings / posters, which may distract potential buyers. It may sound harsh but it is reality and really does help sell property.
Buyers are interested in spaces, not your stuff - keep rooms tidy and uncluttered. Tidying away the day-to-day debris that inevitably accumulates will help to show off a room's potential and will make things feel a lot more spacious. Put things you don't really use on a daily basis in the attic or storage. Large pieces of furniture should also go into storage; this will make rooms feel much bigger.
You're aiming to create a space that buyers can ultimately imagine as their own. back to top
Clean Meticulously
Your home must sparkle! Dirt is a turnoff. Spring Clean your house from top to bottom before putting on the market. A dirty house spells neglect and makes the buyer wonder what else is wrong. Remember to clean the curtains and carpets, wash down paintwork and clean windows. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, which need to be inviting and hygienic.
Pay attention to the smells. Homebuyers use all their senses when getting the feel of your home. Buyers will probably be wise to the smell of freshly ground coffee or baked bread, but smell is incredibly important. Bear in mind that cooking odours can linger, so avoid cooking with strong flavours before a viewing and don't forget to empty the rubbish bin. back to top
Is that an office or a bedroom?
Think about how you are marketing the property and how it appears. If you use a bedroom as a storage room or study think how you can give it the impression of being a bedroom. Buyers need to know what each room is for. back to top
Keep Pets Backstage
Not every buyer is pet friendly. Do try to keep any pets out of the way or under control, especially if they are nervous. Many people are uncomfortable around animals and the pets may also be upset by strangers in their home. Although you may love your pets, they can be off-putting to other people, and smells can be offensive, so make sure there are no lingering odours in furniture or flooring. Consider getting someone else to look after them during a viewing. Keep food bowls and litter boxes out of sight back to top
Furnish!
If you are moving out before the property is sold, leave as much furniture as you can, so a potential buyers do not need to work too hard in imagining what each room is for. It makes the property look more inviting and homely. Also use attractive accessories to add style and lifestyle appeal. back to top
Instructing an Estate Agent & Solicitor
Always try to get at least 3 agents round to value your property.
Don't necessarily go for the agent with the highest valuation, or the one that you may also buy through. Agents often quote high values to attract your business over another agent, but a sale may take 6 months or more to achieve. In some cases people have to lower the price and put it back on the market to try again after an unrealistic price hasn't attracted a sale.
Many agents will also often try to tie you into a 12 week exclusive contract. Negotiate the minimum time possible, so that if you are not happy with the service, you can change or go multi-agency. With a sole agency you with pay less commission but the agent has no competition and may drag their heels. A multiple agency will cost significantly more but the agents generally work harder because of the increased competition. Always try to negotiate on agents' fees, and ensure you have the final fee and any commitment with them agreed in writing.
It is a good idea to instruct a solicitor to do your conveyancing early. You can ask them to prepare a draft contract and apply for the title deeds, while you pull together all your own paperwork on the property such as building certificates for any work carried out, and any valid work guarantees for central heating, double glazing, word worm, damp, etc. Also, ask your solicitor to fully explain all costs associated with selling.
Also find out from your mortgage lender whether you will have any redemption penalties to pay. Then you will know at what price you can afford to sell. back to top
Valuation & Selling Prices
Valuing a property is not an exact science and many factors need to be taken into consideration. At the end of the day there is inevitably a trade off between your circumstances, price and time.
Ask for a realistic valuation for your property based on your time scales and circumstances. Ask your agent for actual comparables. That is similar properties that have actually sold recently and the prices they achieved rather than prices of properties that are just on the market (they may well have been on for several months because they are over priced). back to top
Viewings
Everyone knows that first impressions count. So make the effort to clean up, and make sure your house is tidy and inviting.
You will probably be letting the agent do the viewings so let them do their job as they should know what they are doing. Consider going out during viewings.
If you must show your property yourself, then decide beforehand what order you will show the rooms, and guide viewers around the property. Do point out the positive points like a south facing garden etc but do not overload them with detail. Be business like.
Only let someone in if they've made an appointment; if someone turns up on your doorstep, take their details and arrange a later viewing.
Make sure you're never on your own when showing people round. You're letting strangers into your home, so don't give away security arrangements or leave valuables lying around. back to top
Choosing the Best Buyer
The person who offers the highest price is not always the best choice. Ask your agent to find out as much about a potential buyers circumstances as possible. How are they financing the purchase? Cash buyers are best. If they are getting a mortgage, is their mortgage offer in place? Are they first-time buyers (they could take a little longer as they may need a bit of handholding along the way)
Are they in a chain ? How many people are in the chain? The larger the chain the more complications there are in arranging completion dates further down the line. Also the larger the chain the higher the chances are of the sale falling through.
If your potential buyer has something to sell, then it should be under offer before you take your property off the market. back to top
Accepting Offers
Your agent should present every offer that is made. Make sure that the agent has all the information on the buyer's position, and their ability to move quickly. Ask that offers be made in writing.
Market conditions, the competition and how much the buyer likes the property will determine what the buyer is prepared to offer. Similarly, the price you will be prepared to accept will depend on market conditions, how quickly you need to sell, and the size of your budget for moving.
Compromise on both sides is often the key to securing a deal. Also, know whether you want to keep all your furniture, curtains and white goods, as many of these items may not suit your next home, and can be used as effective bargaining tools. back to top
Holding the Deal Together
This is where the hard work starts, and the longer it takes to reach exchange, the higher the chances are of the deal falling through. So keep in regular contact with your agent and solicitor.
Is your buyer 'very keen' or are they delaying the process, off looking at other properties, whilst keeping their options open. If you are involved with a chain familiarise yourself with the parties involved and keep up to date with progress at least once a week. Ensure that channels of communication stay open. back to top
A Quicker Property Sale
At A Quicker Property Sale we are not concerned with the DIY jobs that havenft been finished, how clean it is, your colour schemes, the personal clutter etc etc etc. We will consider buying your property in any condition
We can make an offer the same day and offer speedy completions to suit your time scales. But at A Quicker Property Sale, it is not just about a quicker sale as we offer a wide range of solutions to your circumstances and will ease the process of you selling your home.
To find out more, look through our web site or just give us a call on 0800 197 4320 to find out how we can help back to top
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