If you’re preparing a house for sale, there are lots of ways to attract interest from buyers and ultimately, command a higher asking price.
At Chancellors, we’re experts in making a home shine when preparing it for sale, from making sure the property is clean to tackling bad smells, outdated decor, and more.
So, in this article, we’ll offer our top tips to help you prepare a house for sale, to help you boost the appeal of your home and achieve the best price possible.
1. Declutter, Clean, and Tidy Your House
It should go without saying that a well-presented home is more likely to sell than a neglected one. That’s why when preparing a house for sale, your first job should be to declutter and tidy the property. This means making sure nothing is out of place, no random objects are lying around, and that everything is at an acceptable level of tidiness, objectively speaking.
Then comes the clean, which should be an absolute priority when preparing a house for sale.
We’d recommend that you choose a professional cleaning service for this task, as opposed to doing it yourself. The main reason being that a professional cleaner will know how to target areas you might not, and will have experience cleaning houses in a way that boosts saleability.
2. Keep Things Neutral
When it comes to preparing a house for sale, it’s important to keep things neutral with your decor and interior design.
Essentially, you want to keep things minimal and tasteful, avoiding anything too expressive or colourful, even if you personally love those kinds of styles. You can add sparks of flair to your décor with your furnishings, but don’t go over the top with dramatic designs or anything overly niche, as you’ll narrow your pool of buyers to those who share the same design preferences as you.
Another benefit of keeping your interior neutral is that it allows potential buyers to focus on the space itself, rather than your possessions or style decisions. This can often encourage them to put forward a more favourable offer, as they can envisage more possibilities for the interior.
3. Let There Be Light
Most estate agents and professional photographers have a simple trick up their sleeves to bring a property to life: brightness.
By prioritising illumination, you’ll literally put your house in the best light possible, and bright and airy spaces help emphasise the spaciousness of your property to buyers.
To achieve more light, whether it’s for photographs or for viewings, make sure blinds or curtains are open so natural sunlight can stream in. For properties that are darker during the day, boost brightness by adding table and floor lamps into the rooms of your home.
As a rule, lighting should always be a priority when preparing a house for sale, and making sure everything looks fresh and bright will give a great first impression to buyers.
Which neatly brings us onto our next top tip for how to prepare your home for sale.
4. Make a Great First Impression and Consider Kerb Appeal
You know how the old saying goes – you only get one chance at a first impression. And while it’s a bit of a cliché, it’s incredibly important when it comes to preparing a house for sale, as buyers often decide whether or not they’ll make an offer based on that first impression.
But how do you make a good first impression when preparing a house for sale?
Firstly, you want to think about the kerb appeal of your property, which is essentially the view of the home from the outside. This includes everything from the colour of the walls to the front door, windows, and front garden.
To boost your kerb appeal, you’ll likely need to dig out the gardening gear and get tidying the outside space of your property. You’ll also want to clean the windows and front door for the ultimate warm welcome, and a paint job could be on the cards if the colour of your front door or external walls have faded.
Making sure all of these are in tip top shape, with no signs of decay or aging, is crucial when you’re working out how to prepare your home for sale, and doing so can increase confidence in your property and ultimately, get a sale over the line.
Take a look at our article on boosting kerb appeal for some inspiration.
5. Eliminate Unpleasant Odours
Nobody wants a smelly house, and someone looking to fork out lots of money for a property will definitely be less interested if there’s a funky odour inside. So, a key task for preparing a house for sale is getting rid of any noticeable bed smells before organising viewings.
Dogs, cats, hamsters, and to be honest, any pets (except maybe goldfish) will likely leave some sort of smell in your home, so it’s best to have a thorough clean to eliminate these odours when preparing a house for sale.
Whether it’s having your pets cleaned by a professional groomer, or swapping out their bedding for something clean, it’s important to make sure that the only smells emanating from your home are fresh and inviting, not stale and stinky.
6. Carry Out Simple Repairs
When preparing a house for sale, there are certain repairs you can, and should, take care of yourself.
Bulbs that need replacing, loose door handles, broken tiles, wonky shelves, anything you can sort yourself, give it a go, and you’ll likely feel the benefit when it comes to selling your house.
Of course, there are certain fixes you won’t be able to do yourself, and if your budget permits, you should hire a tradesman to handle them for you. Things like gas appliances, for example, are illegal to work on unless you’re qualified, and should only be tended to by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
Not sure about what kinds of things qualify as simple repairs? Maybe you’re overwhelmed and want to speak to an expert about preparing your home for sale. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
At Chancellors, we’re experts in preparing houses for sale and have years of experience navigating the property market, and we have lots of guidance to help you achieve the best price possible for your property.
For more information about how we can help, contact our team today.
7. Be Honest
When it comes to preparing a house for sale, it can be tempting to leave out information regarding issues with the property.
Maybe you had an extension carried out without planning permission, or you’re in the middle of a dispute with a neighbour about your property boundaries. Maybe there’s something else completely, and you aren’t sure whether or not it’s important to tell potential buyers.
There are legal ramifications for not disclosing certain information about your property when selling it, so it’s crucial that you’re honest about the state of your home when listing it for sale.
Find out all about what you legally have to disclose when preparing a house for sale here.
8. Adding Value to a Property
Large repairs and maintenance issues might be worth considering when thinking about how to prepare your home for sale, and structural fixes in particular can add value to your property.
Of course, these come with additional expense, but could help you achieve a higher asking price for your home. We’ve listed some of the ways you can add value to your home here, which might help you decide on what needs addressing and what doesn’t.
And if you’re struggling with how to prepare your home for sale when it comes to the kinds of simple repairs to consider, we’re here to help with that, too. Take a look at our top tips for what not to fix when selling a house in the UK here.
9. Show off Your Storage
Storage is a huge bonus for homeowners, so if you have lot of storage space inside your home, don’t be afraid to show it off. And showing it off doesn’t mean literally showing that it exists, it means organising it, too.
Organising storage can mean anything from thinking about where your coat hangers hang to how your drawers are displayed for viewings, and more. The overall goal is to make sure everything is as empty as possible to show off your property’s storage capabilities.
It could even be worth hiring a storage unit while you’re preparing your house for sale, so potential buyers don’t have to use their imagination when it comes to the storage options in your property.
If this is a bit much to ask from a financial perspective, you could ask a family member or friend to hold on to some of your possessions while you’re in the selling process. You could always return the favour when they come to selling their home, so it’s a win/win for both of you.
How Chancellors Can Help You Prepare Your Home for Sale
When it comes to considering how to prepare your home for sale, it’s always best to consult an expert in the industry with experience of getting the job done. At Chancellors, that’s exactly what we are, and we offer valuable guidance about preparing a house for sale in the UK.
Our services for preparing a house for sale include everything from instant valuations on your property to thorough marketing methods, and much, much more, and we can help make the process of preparing a house for sale as simple as possible.
Find out more about selling a house with Chancellors here, and to speak to a specialist about preparing a house for sale, get in touch today.
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