Selling your home can be a daunting prospect. You will no doubt be aware of the various steps you need to take to ensure your transaction runs smoothly and without disruptive delays. That’s not to mention having to balance selling your current home with the search for your next one.
However, selling your home doesn’t have to be a painful process. In fact, there are plenty of ways in which you can increase your chances of selling your home quickly, cost-effectively and with minimal fuss.
Here are seven top tips for selling your home.
Spruce up your home
First impressions make a big difference, so you want to make sure that your home looks presentable for any potential buyers. A good tip is to consider how you would expect the property to look if you were the buyer.
Tidy away any clutter, vacuum and mop the floors and wipe all of your surfaces clean so that your home is looking spick and span. You should also ‘stage’ your home to make sure that it looks as appealing as possible and feels more homely. You could do this by simply lighting some candles or buying some flowers to provide a few extra touches that are bound to have a positive effect.
It’s also important to improve the curb appeal of your home. Cleaning your front door, mowing your lawn and freshening up the exterior of your home are small steps that will go a long way.
Keep it neutral
While you may like to disagree, your design preferences won’t be to everyone’s taste! Potential buyers will want to plan out how they would like the property to look and the best way of encouraging this is to present them with a blank canvas to work with.
This can be easily achieved by painting all of the walls a neutral colour, such as white or grey. The buyer can then get a better idea of what changes they would make if they purchased the property.
Neutral colours also make a room appear less oppressive and more spacious. Heavily pattered wallpaper and bold colours tend to make a room feel much smaller than it actually is.
Share your property listing in the appropriate channels
If you want to attract buyers for your home, then you will need to make sure that your listing is widely accessible online. Your estate agent will publish the listing on popular online portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, but it is also worth doing your own marketing on social media channels such as Facebook to increase your potential buyer reach.
If you go down the do-it-yourself route, you will still need to make sure that you market your home in a professional manner. Take high quality photos of your whole property from various angles and, if your listing has been online for a while, make sure to update the photos regularly.
If you are finding that you are struggling to attract potential buyers to view your home, then you could always hold an open viewing day. This can create a sense of urgency amongst interested parties, as they will be aware that they could face competition to purchase the home.
Decide whether you want to rent or buy
You will need to have a clear plan in place for what will happen when your home is sold. If you are buying a new home, you will become involved in a property chain. Being aware of this from the outset is crucial, as there are plenty of potential issues that could arise if any part of the chain collapses.
With this in mind, it may be worth having contingency plans in place so that you will be able to move into temporary accommodation while you organise the purchase of your new home. You could consider renting a new property or, if possible, you could temporarily move in with a family member or friend who is able to accommodate you.
While renting may not seem like an ideal situation, you will have extra time to consider your future options, taking away the pressure of having to find your dream home under a strict time limit. Being out of the housing chain will also make you a much more attractive buyer.
Get expert conveyancing advice
It’s vital that you get advice from an expert conveyancer as early as possible so that you can sort through the essential legal work that is involved in property transactions. By conducting effective research, you will avoid having to deal with unreliable conveyancers who are likely to cause you further headaches at an already stressful time.
It is sensible to concentrate your research into finding a conveyancer who is communicative, supportive and honest about your current situation and is always on hand to provide the support you need at every stage of your transaction.
Get a good estate agent
A good estate agent can make all the difference when it comes to selling your home quickly and for the right price. The fee you will have to pay for certain estate agents will be a factor, but you should also consider their commission rate, the type of contract they offer, their relative experience and how long they will advertise your property for.
Depending on your budget, you may also want to consider using multiple estate agents. With multiple agents advertising your property, it should reach more potential buyers, helping it to sell quickly. However, this comes with a caveat as multiple agents mean multiple fees.
It’s also important that you work alongside your estate agent to maximise your chances of a quick, successful sale. Listen to their recommendations when it comes to tidying and staging your home as they will have plenty of experience when it comes to knowing what buyers are looking for in the property market.
Decide who you want to sell your home to
If you have multiple parties interested in buying your property, you may have to make a decision about who you would like to sell to. The buyer who is offering the highest price isn’t necessarily the ‘best’ choice.
You will need to consider whether the buyers are chain-free, if they have the money already in place and whether they are in a position to secure a mortgage. These can all help a transaction to be completed quickly and without fuss, which is particularly important if you are involved in a property chain yourself.
Get advice on Selling your property
If you have any questions or if you need further advice about selling your home, our expert conveyancing solicitors can provide you with tailored advice that will help to make sure your transaction is carried out as smoothly as possible.
To get in touch, please give us a call, fill in our online enquiry form or visit one of our offices in Grantham, Newark or Lincoln, and we will get in touch shortly.