home sale Archives - Page 5 of 5 - H is for Home Harbinger

Selling your home isn’t easy, and it can be an expensive and time-consuming process. There are all the expected stresses, and you may be tempted to give up and stay rooted where you are. However, you can make your life easier, and sell your home faster, by avoiding the mistakes we mention in this post. So, if you’re planning on selling your home any-time soon, take the following into consideration to achieve a fast house sale.

Mistake #1: Not shopping around

In all aspects of your home sale, compare the prices and online reviews of the people who will be helping you. Talk to different estate agents in Lewisham, and find out how much they charge in fees. While you may be tempted to go for the cheapest, you should also research their reputation and how effective they are at selling. You can also tell a lot from their website, and how well-advertised their other properties are. You should also compare conveyancing solicitor quotes here, as while you can sell your house without an estate agent, you can’t forego the legal side of things. And again, do your research, asking solicitor firms for testimonials, and seeking the wisdom of family and friends who may have advice on who to work with.

Mistake #2: Not adding value to your home

To ensure your home sells faster, there are a variety of ways you can add value to your home. There are lots of things you can do, such as renovating certain rooms in your property or installing smart technology, but if money is an issue, the least you can do is add a lick of paint to the interior and exterior of your home, get on top of any repairs, and tidy up any area that looks worn and not terribly presentable.

Mistake #3: Putting off the home buyer

When it comes to those all-important home showings, your home needs to be presentable. If your house is in a mess, with dishes piled high in the sink and with clutter on the floor, and if you have pets and children running around leaving disaster in their wake, then you aren’t going to give a good first impression to buyers. Similarly, if you don’t give potential buyers room to use their imagination when looking around, perhaps because you’ve gone overboard with renovations when adding value, and designed the home as you’d like it to be, or if you insist on following the buyer around the house giving them your suggestions, you’re going alienate their sensibilities. Ensure your home is presentable, consider what else might put the buyer off your home and, if need be, go out for the day and let the estate agent do their job and show the buyer around without your intervention.

Mistake #4: Setting the property price too high (or too low)

When selling your home, you want to get as much money as you can, while beating off the competition. But by selling your home at too high a price, you may not be in line with the current housing market. If the buyer can buy a similar house for cheaper elsewhere, then they probably will do. If you decide to set your home at lower than the expected price, the buyer might ask why this is the case. Rather than have the incentive to buy your property, they may determine something may be wrong with it. And even if they do buy, you may run at a loss! To make a wise decision, speak to your estate agent. They have more idea about property prices than you do, and they should give you the right figure to both profit you and attract the attention of home buyers.

Mistake #5: Not making the effort to market or sell your property effectively

The estate agent will do much of the marketing for you, by advertising on their website, and any that are affiliated to them. However, you can put the effort in yourself. Advertise your home on social media, and provide links to the estate agent’s website. Consider setting up your own website or blog to market your property, and again, link your social media followers (and their friends) to the site. Place ads in the classifieds too, or directly approach people you know who are currently house hunting. The more you can do to sell your property, including the unusual ideas here, the higher the chance of a speedier home sale.

Finally

We hope this advice was useful, and that it alleviates the stress you’re probably feeling if your house is up for sale. And if you have any further advice, perhaps from your experiences now or in the past, then be sure to let us know. Good luck with the sale, and thanks for reading!

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Have a realistic valuation

One mistake that vendors often make is setting the asking price too high and then lowering it later when they’ve failed to attract prospective buyers. What people often don’t understand when selling their house is the fact that this can ultimately lead to a slower sale and sometimes at a much lower price than first expected. The first 30 days after you put your house on the market is the optimum time that you’ll see most interest and activity. If you’ve initially set the price too high, buyers would choose to stay away assuming that your property is out of their price range or not good value for money.

Improve your house’s curb appeal

You can improve your property’s curb appeal by adding a few touches here and there to make the exterior of your house more appealing to buyers. Mow the lawn and trim the hedge, put some potted plants on the doorstep, give the front door a wash or a lick of paint and make sure there’s no litter near your front gate. First impressions count and it’s especially important to bear this in mind when trying to sell your property. Prospective buyers are already beginning to form an opinion before they even enter a house. However, curb appeal is just the start.

Clean and de-clutter

This one should be quite obvious but you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked. The fewer things there are in an interior, the larger it will appear. Therefore, remove unnecessary things and any excess furniture. Store away things that you’ve added for that personal touch such as family snaps on the mantelpiece, knick-knacks on shelves and children’s artworks on the fridge door. Fold up the laundry and tidy away clothes & shoes into drawers and wardrobes. Make sure the bath and shower are spotless. Creating as blank a canvas as possible is important so that the buyers can envision themselves, their family and their possessions in the house.

If your property really needs help, hire a professional to do a deep clean of the house. If you have an appointment with a viewer, make sure any pets are kept out of the way – take the dog for a walk and make sure the hamster, guinea pig or rabbit is secure in its cage. And, if you do have pets, be aware of any odours that may be present to which you have become immune. The same goes for cooking smells; baking bread and freshly brewed coffee are said to be good for helping to sell your house – not so fry ups or kippers… ditto tobacco smoke. Counteract these by opening some windows, spraying air freshener or lighting a few scented candles or incense.

Ensure your listing is on all the property portals

Finally, when you’ve decided to sell your house, make sure that it is listed on all the major online property sale portals. Also ask your estate agent to showcase your house on their social media channels. This would increase the chances of your house being noticed and thereby getting sold. Most estate agents have Twitter accounts and Facebook business pages where they publicise their listings.

In addition to all of the above, get all the necessary repairs done before the house goes on to the market. Make sure that your house is as presentable as possible and doesn’t appear to buyers that too much work would be needed after the purchase. This will attract more buyers and your house should sell more quickly and for a better price.

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: home sale

Avoid these rookie mistakes when selling your home