These are some of the tips that feature regularly in
newspaper and TV advice, and which either add to the perceived
value of your property, or improve its saleability by
appealing to more people.
HINT
No.
1 |
Clear the
Clutter
Go and look at a showhome 'staged'
by a major house building company like Persimmon or
Barratt. You will notice that the bookshelves
contain only a few books, and shelves, mantelpieces, and
windowsills only contain one or two carefully placed
ornaments, or perhaps a vase of flowers. Now look at your own rooms!!
If your house is typical, then it is arranged for
comfort and convenience in living there. It is not
arranged for others to get an impression of how they can
place their own furniture and belongings, yet it
is essential to have the buyer imagine themselves living
there, or they will just walk away.
The answer for you, if you really want to sell, and
for a reasonable price, is to clear away lots of clutter
and create space. So, go through each room in turn, and
choose a small number of objects to retain, then pack
the rest in boxes ready for your move. If you don't have
storage space for the boxes, then use a rented lockup
storage facility.
Incidentally, if you get a book on Feng Shui, it
is not a bad way to get ideas on presenting your house
well. Interestingly, pretty well the number one rule in
Feng Shui, is to remove
clutter!
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HINT
No.
2 |
Depersonalise
When people
come and look at the house, they are thinking about how
they would feel about living in it.
You make it impossible for them to do this if you
leave items around that are personal to you, which are
basically there for reminding you of family, places
visited, and so on.
So, if they aren't already consigned to the storage
boxes, remove all photographs of you and your family
from view. Also remove anything connected with a
personal hobby or interest (and that includes any
trophies or awards). Don't let your pride or enthusiasm
for your hobby get in the way of selling your
house.
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HINT
No.
3 |
Create a good
first impression
It has been said that
many sales are lost because the potential buyers just
drive by when they see the front of the house. In the
estate agent's blurb, if the front is poor, they will
advise clients 'must be seen inside to appreciate it' or
something similar. The next place you can lose the
sale is in entering the property. It is said that many
sales are won or lost within the first few minutes, ie.
first impressions are vital. What is the answer?
Firstly, clean up
the front garden. Remove any dead or sickly plants, and
any weeds; clean up the driveway; mow the lawn; and if
it all looks bare, especially in the winter, put a
couple of new plants in, or use plant containers
(terracotta or painted) with some attractive plants from
the garden centre.
Secondly, make sure the front of
the house is as good as you can make it. If necessary,
paint the door white or some welcoming colour, and
repair anything crumbling near the front door. Fix the
doorbell if it doesn't work, or replace with a bright
brass door-knocker!
Finally, walk in through the
front door, and consider the first impression it makes.
Hopefully you have removed the pile of coats and shoes
from view, but do consider improving the appearance with
a large mirror, and with an attractive ornament (perhaps
one you cleared from another room), or with a potted
plant. If the paintwork is shabby, this is one area
worth the trouble of repainting, so long as you use a
neutral colour that will offend no-one. If you live on
your own, experience has shown that men are generally
not the best at choosing colours or placing ornaments,
so ask a woman friend to give you some honest advice on
this. (It is said that most decisions on buying a house
are made by a woman, so be warned!)
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HINT
No.
4 |
Clean
everything
You may have got used to the
dirty mark on the wall, the smell of the dog (I know
your dog doesn't smell!), the cobwebs in the porch, and
the dust gathering on the old shampoo bottles in the
bathroom. However, for your prospective buyer, these
will be noticed, and will be unwelcome. You may say with
this, as with all the advice above 'surely they can see
through this, and assess the true value of the house'.
Unfortunately, such common sense doesn't apply, and
experience has shown that buyers are put off, reacting
with 'I couldn't live here', rather than being logical.
So, go through every room, and make everything as
clean as possible, and then visit the bathroom and
kitchen a second time, or get someone else to do a
checklist for you. the latter is actually the best idea
as it is a scientific fact that dirt and dust actually
becomes invisible if you live with it long
enough.
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MORE
HINTS
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These are some bits of advice found in various information
sources:
- Have your house smell nice (fresh coffee, pot
pourri, cut flowers)
- Make sure lights are bright enough - use larger
wattage bulbs if necessary, and switch them on if the
atmosphere is at all dull without them, especially in
your entrance hall
- Keep the house warm in the winter - leave the
heating on
- Turn off the TV and radio!!
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Visit a Property For Sale ~ Visit a Elgo in France
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