How To Get Your Home Sale-Ready

New year, new home? Getting your house ready to sell can be a daunting task, but there's no need to feel overwhelmed; just a few little changes can make all the difference.

First impressions count and to your potential buyer, this starts from the photographs, so make sure your house is looking in tip top condition before the estate agent’s photographer comes over. Move clutter, tidy up wires and plug sockets and remove family photographs if you don’t want them to appear online.

Next, consider your property’s ‘Kerb Appeal’. The outside is just as important as the inside and many a potential buyer can be put off by an overgrown garden, so spend an afternoon in the garden giving it some TLC. Mow the lawn, remove weeds, refresh your hanging baskets and plant some flowers in areas that look bare or unloved. And don’t forget the front gate and door, too - a few touch ups to any scratches or chipped paint will give an instant refresh. 

As pictured above: Petworth in West Sussex was voted one of the Best Places to Live in the UK in 2019 owing to its picturesque Kerb Appeal

Take some time to declutter using the Marie Kondo technique. Pack up anything that you don’t use on a daily basis and move it into the loft or garage. Have a good rummage through any children’s toys too and take anything they’ve outgrown to the local charity shop. You’ll be saving yourself time when you have to pack up the entire house anyway and it will make each space feel larger and less cramped. It can also help to move small kitchen appliances into cupboards too - the worktops will appear more spacious.

Spend a few hours getting round to those little jobs that have been on your to-do list for a while now. From replacing spotlights to refreshing the grout in the bathroom, this will make your home much more buyer friendly and easy to sell - potential buyers don’t want to think about purchasing new lightbulbs and touching up paint on top of everything else. If you don’t have the time, contact a local handy-person instead. Checkatrade will help you find reputable tradespeople in your local area.

Finally - give your house a thorough clean. If cleaning isn’t one of your favourite things, contact a reputable cleaning company and request a deep one-off clean to save you doing the hard work. They’ll tackle things such as ovens, shower doors and underneath the sofas too, which can make a huge difference. And if you have a dog, it can be a good idea for them to be out of the house during viewings.

If all else fails, don’t forget the old tricks - from the smell of freshly-brewed coffee or baking bread, to bright flowers placed strategically near the entrance - the first thing they see or smell when they walk through the door can really make an impact.