If you want to sell your home as quickly as possible for the highest value possible, you’ll want your property to look its best when the doors open for viewings. Here are our top five tips to make the best possible impression:
How to prepare your home for viewing
Removing the clutter in your home will make it appear much more spacious and airy. Don’t forget to declutter your wardrobes, cupboards, garage, utility rooms, out-houses and the attic to create the impression of abundant storage space. Items that personalise a home, like family photographs, can create a barrier for viewers who want to imagine themselves living there. Clear them away and give viewers plenty of blank canvas to paint their own aspirations on your property.
Consider bringing in a specialist to deep clean your home from top to bottom, inside and out. Walls, floors, doors, electrical appliances, carpets and windows should all be spotless. Use a pressure washer to spruce up paths, driveways, patios and yards. Cut the grass and get rid of any weeds.
Avoid lighting scented candles or using other artificial air fresheners. Viewers may become suspicious that the scent is masking issues such as dampness or flooding damage. Open the windows and let the air circulate. If you insist on creating an inviting smell, bake some bread or brew some coffee. Even pet-owners may be turned off by evidence of animals inhabiting your home. Remove pet beds, bowls and toys and make sure that there isn’t a single hair of evidence of their presence.
The bathroom must be sparklingly clean. Ask yourself what you expect to see when you enter the bathroom of a luxury hotel room, then try to get as close to that experience as is possible. Buy a neutral-coloured toilet seat, floor mat and shower curtain. Add some plush white towels and strategically place a few untouched luxury soaps and shampoos in the room.
Have you converted a bedroom into an office, home gym or your own personal bar? You’re living the dream, but you should consider converting it back into a bedroom. The number of bedrooms is a major selling point for most homes. Re-purposed bedrooms make it harder for many buyers to imagine their entire family living there comfortably. Pack up your laptops, your dumbbells or your beer mats and put a bed in the room. Put clean, neutral bed linen on all beds. Naked divans are a major turn-off.
Do you want to sell your property for the highest possible price and keep more of the proceeds? Talk to our experienced, tightly-focussed, independent team for a free market valuation. We work harder and smarter to sell your property for the highest possible price in the shortest amount of time with the most favourable terms.