For most of us, our homes are likely to be the most valuable asset we ever own. For this reason, it’s important to put in the planning and preparation that will make your property shine to potential buyers when you’re selling up. According to our secret agent and property expert Phil Spencer, it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to ensure the property is attractive to every potential buyer that steps through the front door.
Phil advises homeowners to focus on marketing their home to potential buyers in order to get the best price.
‘If you can increase its marketability and the speed of the sale, that’s where you’re trying to get to,’ explains Phil. ‘You want more people through the door to come and look at it, you want to sell it quicker. If you make more money as part of the same process, then that’s great.’
Follow Phil’s checklist for the best ideas to give your home a head start when it comes to impressing viewers.
DON’T!
- Advertise your property with sub-par photographs. Any photographs of your property—whether they are displayed on a website or an estate agent’s window—should do your property justice. ‘Somebody can flick through photos online very quickly,’ says Phil. They don’t read about the property—they just look at the first couple of pictures. If those first pictures aren’t good, they will just move on to the next property.’
- Don’t forget to put up a ‘For Sale’ sign outside your house. It may sound like an obvious guideline, but a surprisingly high number of sellers slip up on this important step when selling their property.
- While you want your property to feel homely to potential buyers, don’t go overboard with the finishing touches—particularly when it comes to making sure your property smells nice! While it may smell wonderful to you, too many scented candles or the aroma of a freshly cooked curry may turn some viewers off.
- Don’t neglect the exterior maintenance of your home. Clear plants, leaves and silt from gutters, hopper-heads, flat roofs and drainage channels.
- Dodgy DIY can be a serious turn off for potential buyers. ‘I believe bad DIY puts people off,’ says Phil. ‘Immediately, people viewing a bodged property start to expand their worries, wondering if what looks terrible on the surface is even worse underneath.’
First Impressions Count
On a viewing, a positive first impression means everything. If anything about your home makes a negative first impression, it can be very difficult to regain the viewer’s interest.
‘You walk in as a viewer and you’re excited and hopeful that this is the one—then you open the door and it stinks. It immediately puts you on the back foot, and it’s then very difficult to get somebody in a positive frame of mind,’ says Phil.
DO
- Make a good first impression. ‘Get viewers in a positive frame of mind to start with. Their arrival at the property and entrance into the hallway has got to sing and dance. If it tails off a bit as they go they go through the property, then so be it. The important thing is the first impression,’ advises Phil.
- Before any viewings, make sure your property is spic and span. ‘A good clean goes a long way,’ says the property guru. ‘It’s not easy to be objective in your own environment because it’s yours and things are the way you want them to be. That’s the way it should be—but not when you’re selling. When you’re selling, it needs to appeal to the widest number of people possible.’
- Give your home a spring clean if it’s looking cluttered. According to Phil, most of us sell our houses when we have run out of space and are looking for a roomier home. ‘If you’ve run out of space in your home it’s very obvious that it’s full. That’s the very last thing you want to put in someone else’s mind,’ says Phil.
- According to Phil, a garden is a key selling point of any property and can even be as valuable as a bedroom. Not only this, but front gardens make a huge impact when it comes to setting a good first impression. ‘Make it look nice, make it look inviting,’ advises Phil. ‘That’s not always easy at certain times of the year, but make an effort, because it’s absolutely as valuable as a room,’ he says.
- Think about your target market and what kinds of viewers have been coming to see your house. ‘What type of person is likely to buy it?’ asks Phil. ‘At what stage will he or she be in life? Try to emphasise the features that are most likely to appeal to them. For instance, a great play area for children if you are selling a family home makes sense.’
- Play on the emotion of potential buyers by creating a warm, homely ambience that makes them believe they could build a happy life of their own in your property. Give each room a positive focus to make your property memorable. A clever storage cupboard in the hallway, a built-in iPod dock in the living room and a fantastic barbecue in the garden will all help your property stand out.
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