De-mystifying the buying and selling process #4 - Preparing your home for sale

You know your home and your area better than your agent, you’ll probably have a fairly good idea what type of person will buy it as well. One very important starting point when preparing your home for sale is to consider your target market, try to coax their interest without alienating others. Got a 3 bed  house with the box room used as a junk room/office? Then for example set it up as a proper small bedroom and move the workstation elsewhere to ensure you appeal to young professional and also those with children.

It is very important that you emotionally disconnect from your house when you decide to sell it, potential purchasers need to be able to picture themselves living in the house as soon as they come in through the door. De clutter as much as possible, take down elaborate ornaments and personal photos. Anything that you don’t use daily put away in the loft. Overly large pieces of furniture should also be stored and replaced with smaller ones and make sure you arrange items around the room to maximise the space and make it functional. It is vital that the house appears as large and inviting as possible.

Cleaning and de-cluttering is key. Put away all coats and odds and ends so you immediately get a feeling of space when you walk in through the door. A deep clean throughout will do wonders, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms which will need to shine. In the bathrooms put all bottles and products away, hang fresh white towels neatly up and maybe fit a new loo seat. In the kitchen and dining room clear all surfaces, lay the table for a meal and possibly put some flowers out to give it that spring feeling. 

Fresh coats of paint all round are always a good idea if you have the time. Avoid pure white as it makes the house look a little clinical but anything neutral and warm will do just fine. While you’ve got the brush out why not treat your old front door to a few coats too! Don’t forget the grimy old carpet, wood floors are always a good option if you’ve got some nice floorboards tucked away or if not then again stay neutral when fitting anything new. Kitchens can be brought up to date with new worktops, Corian looks especially good on a budget. Painting the units and fitting new handles also does a sterling job of smartening an old kitchen up and in the bathrooms re-grouting and installing new matching fittings will save you a packet.