Are you a homeowner who wants to put their home on the market?
are you a landlord who has a vacant property that isn’t attracting tenants? Either way, putting a property on the market is no small thing and when it comes to doing so in a way that minimizes stress, it becomes even more challenging.
So, if this is your first time pitting a property on the market, read on, as here, you will be walked through how to do this successfully in five easy steps.
Table of Contents
Get it Clean and Open
OK, so you may be asking when is the best time to sell your home? Once you have decluttered and cleaned throughout!
Potential buyers will not be too impressed walking into a vacant property to see lots of clutter, photos and dust. If you have the money set aside, it can be worth hiring a professional cleaner to oversee the polishing of the property for you. Or, if you have a few friends or family members who are willing to help, you can clean the place from top to bottom quickly. Be sure to remove personal photos and make the space feel more open by removing unnecessary items of furniture. Make sure that you fix any faucets that are leaking, replace any lightbulbs and, of course, ensure that all of the appliances work.
Once the house is up to scratch and looks like a show home, then it is time to start taking photos and call in the estate agents for a valuation session.
Pricing
You know how much your home was worth when you bought it but as the housing market tends to fluctuate, it can be hard to know how much it is worth before you put it on the market. For absolute clarity, it is worth undertaking a comparative market analysis, or a CMA, which is essentially when an estate agent compares your homes to similar sales in the area or based on houses with similar layouts.
You can, of course, look into the price of your home using online tools, as many have free home value estimators but to be certain you aren’t pricing yourself out of the market, it is worth contacting an experienced real estate team.
Garden Clearing
There is a reason it is called curb-side appeal!
When you approach your home from the outside, how does it look? Are the lawns surrounding it trimmed? Is there a clear pathway leading to the front door? Do you have adequate lighting outside?
Much like cleaning and polishing the inside of the home, you should also be aiming to make the exterior gardens appealing. Remove weeds from the garden(s) and be sure to clear any clutter. For the front of the home, make sure that the front door is in good condition, and if you need to, it is also worth installing some security lights. Nothing sells like safety!
Online Marketing
Gone are the days when a home was simply photographed and put in an estate agent’s window.
Nowadays, the homes that sell have more to offer potential buyers, especially those that are out of town and may not be able to visit. It is important to liaise with an estate agent. You should aim to have professional photos taken, and you could opt for 3D virtual tours of your home. It may cost a bit more, but it may be worth paying to have your property promoted through the social media page of multiple estate agents, as this will draw more eyes to your home, and increase the chance of a sale.
Show Your Home
For all who are looking to sell their home, it can be a bit of a conundrum deciding whether or not to have an estate agent hold viewings for you, or whether to do it yourself. It can be worth showing the home yourself, as you know the space better and will likely be able to answer questions with more accuracy than an estate agent. Be sure to offer flexible scheduling and to leave, or hang back, when potential buyers are exploring the property. Of course, an estate agent doing house showings will save you time and look more professional, so, if you are looking for a quick sale, this can be the ideal option. If your home is in high demand, it may be worth also holding an auction. These are often ideal for first-time sales, as they usually drive up the amount that buyers will pay for properties, so, ask your estate agent about this option.
