With the festivities over and the Christmas decorations all packed away for another year, you may be looking forward to moving in 2017. This mini guide outlines three considerations – the 3 P’s – vital to a successful house sale.
Presentation
Being able to see your property through the eyes of a potential buyer is key and presenting your property to reflect an aspirational lifestyle is exactly why show home properties are so appealing.
Deal with any maintenance issues (dripping taps, broken tiles, cracks in plaster etc.) prior to going on the market. Bear in mind that some house sales often fall through at the point of survey so be proactive and deal with any problems that may show up on a survey and remember to keep any invoices for maintenance works.
Cleanliness is a major factor for any buyer. Make sure everywhere sparkles particularly kitchens, bathrooms and windows. Be ruthless when it comes to clutter. Present a buyer with a cluttered room and that’s what they think they are buying. Dealing with clutter is therefore essential and also saves time in the long run as there’s no point wasting both time and energy packing and moving unnecessary items.
A great looking property will photograph well but always ensure your chosen Agent uses either a professional photographer for those all important shots or, at the very least, a good camera.
Price
When it comes to deciding on an asking price the key here is to be REALISTIC. Speak to three different Agents but don’t make the mistake of opting for the highest valuation. The savvy buyers out there (and most of them nowadays are) will know more or less what your property is worth and an over ambitious asking price will mean your home will attract either little or no interest or what you will perceive as unrealistically low offers. Not only will you miss out on that initial wave of interest generated when a property first appears on the market but ultimately you will be looking at reducing the asking price when it doesn’t sell.
Promotion
As a vendor this is probably the most difficult to get right as it is largely out
of your control and ultimately down to your choice of Agent. There are, however, certain questions you need to ask to ensure your property is given maximum exposure:
• Do they advertise on the major property portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location?
• Do they use the local paper/s to advertise?
• Do they use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter?
The more avenues of advertising they use for selling your property, the bigger the visibility of your home to potential purchasers.
Just as it is tempting to market your property with the Agent who gives you the highest valuation, it is easy to be seduced by those Agents who have a huge number of properties on their books. Make sure your Agent of choice has a proven track record of successfully selling property in your area and can offer an enthusiastic and pro-active approach to marketing your home which will mean a quick sale at the best possible price.
If you’re thinking about moving in 2017 and want to ensure you maximise the potential of your most valuable asset, contact Gill at GMW Interiors for further advice.
Guest blog kindly provided by Gill Wilkinson at GMW Interiors, Richmond, North Yorkshire
