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You have decided to sell your home and you want to make sure
that your house is what every potential purchaser who walks
through the door wants. There are a number of ways in which you
can help with making sure that your house is the right one for
the potential buyer who comes to view and below are a number of
items that should be considered to help you with getting that
all important sale. The points shown below should help you in
obtaining that all important sale and without too much effort or
cost to yourself.
Firstly, I would look at decluttering your home as much as
possible. This may seem a waste of time as you are still living
in the property, but if you are able to depersonalize the
property of you it will provide the potential buyer with an
opportunity to see the property with their belongings in it.
Also by only have a select number of items on view you are also
giving the property a sense of space, into which the potential
buyer can see their furniture and belongings being put into.
Next if possible make sure that you property smells nice, a tip
I have often been told of when you have potential buyers viewing
your property is to have the smell of either freshly baked bread
or coffee that has just been made in the house. This gives the
potential buyer that this a homely and well loved for house.
However, if you don't have time to do this then just ensure that
you make the rooms smell as nice as possible, there are number
of good quality plug in air fresheners on the market that will
provide a pleasant smell to the potential purchaser when
entering your home.
The next thing to consider when selling your home is do you have
pets (dogs, cats etc.,). If so then it may be an idea to remove
them from the house whilst potential buyers are viewing the
property, not all people like animals. Also ensure that you have
removed the smell of your pets as much as possible, it may mean
that you have to have the carpets cleaned prior to any viewings,
but the smell of dog or cat odour can be quite off putting to
some potential buyers, as they will see it as a cost they will
have to incur for cleaning the carpets prior to taking
possession of the property. Also remove any bedding that is used
by your pets whilst viewings are taking place. As mentioned
previously there are plenty of good quality air fresheners on
the market that will help in eliminating such odours.
As mentioned above it may be an idea to arrange to have the
carpets in the house cleaned, either professionally or you can
hire a carpet cleaner yourself (these can be rented from most
supermarkets and dry cleaners now days at a very reasonable
cost).
We now need to look at the decoration of your property one of
the first things potential buyers will be thinking about when
purchasing a home is how much they may have to spend on the
property getting it to a standard that they would be happy to
live with.
Preferably where possible keep the colours of walls and all
internal features as neutral as possible. By keeping the colours
of the house as neutral as possible, it will help in making the
rooms look both larger and brighter. Unfortunately bright
colours and dark colours although may be too your taste may not
be the preferred option of your potential buyer. By having a
neutral colour scheme throughout your house you are able to give
the potential buyer a blank canvas onto which they can stamp
their own preferred styles.
When you have potential buyers coming to view your property
always ensure that your house is as clean as possible. Some
people when viewing a property have a habit of sometimes looking
everywhere in the property (this includes cupboards, drawers,
toilets and baths). Ensure that you toilet is clean and that if
possible a toilet block has been placed in it, which will help
in making sure that the toilet stays clean and the room smells
fresh. If you find you have limescale around the taps, the bath
and the toilet, make sure that this has been removed (there are
a large number of products on the market which would be able to
assist you with this matter). It also helps the potential buyer
to see that you have maintained the property well.
Wherever possible ensure that any wood surfaces have either been
wiped down with a damp cloth or polished to remove any dust from
the surface. The same should also be done for any items such as
TV's and Entertainment centers including the stands that they
are sat on.
Windows should be cleaned and a good method for getting your
windows clean if you can not find a window cleaner or do not
want to pay for one is to fill a bucket with warm water and
vinegar. Use a cloth to wash the windows in the water and
vinegar and then use newspaper to wipe the water off. You will
find that this leaves your windows streak free.
It should be remembered that first impressions are always the
most important, therefore do not forget about the enterance to
your home as one of the first things that a potential buyer will
see is the approach to your property. Therefore ensure that you
keep the front of the property clean and well maintained. The
more kerb appeal your property has the more likely a potential
buyer will be keen to enter the property to view it.
Here are a numer of points to consider:-
1. If you have any plants at the front, ensure that any dead
ones have been removed, the lawn is kept neat and tidy and if
you should have a driveway make sure it is in good repair,
potential buyers will not be interested in a more if they have
to consider further expense. This is also gives the potential
buyer a chance of lowering the price they offer to you for your
home.
2. You should also look at the garden at the rear of your
property, make sure that the lawn is neat and well kept, and if
you have a patio area keep it clean and tidy. Make sure that any
pots that are broken have been removed and the same should be
done with any dead plants. Also make sure that any fencing
around your property is well maintained and if it is broken then
replace it, a few pounds spent on keeping this in order could
mean that extra money on the sale of the property.
I hope that you find the above to be of use to you when deciding
to sell your property. For further information go to Inland
Property Services.
About the author:
Allison Thompson, now lives in Spain and has 15 years
experience in the property field.
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