Preparing to sell your home - Get ready to move
1st of June, 2024
Selling your home is a significant milestone, and getting ready for the move can feel like an overwhelming task. However, with the right preparation, you can ensure that your home attracts the best possible offers.
In this guide, we'll walk you through essential steps to get your home market-ready, helping you maximize its value and appeal to potential buyers.
So let’s make sure your home is viewing-ready!
Use our room-by-room ‘Preparing to Sell Your Home Checklist’ to make sure your whole house looks fresh and attractive to entice a viewer to make an offer. Just email us on fiona@wrightsofcampsie.co.uk to get your copy today.
Let’s look at the elements that make up your property marketing, to make sure each one is showcasing your home at its very best.
Photographs
High-quality photographs are crucial for today’s buyer, who is likely spending hours on the property portals. Most buyers will first encounter your home online, and excellent photos can make a lasting impression. Make sure your agent is using a photographer who will be able to showcase the lifestyle your home has to offer, and create images that are both beautiful and aspirational. The goal is to create a visual story that makes buyers eager to see your home in person.
Step inside
Once buyers step inside, they should feel welcomed and impressed by the interior of your home. Pay attention to the hallway, as it sets the tone for the rest of the house. Consider adding a fresh doormat, a potted plant, or a stylish console table to make the space inviting. Make sure the house is clean and smells pleasant; you might want to use subtle air fresheners or diffusers before to create a homely, fragrant atmosphere. Keep your decor neutral but stylish, allowing potential buyers to imagine their own belongings in the space.
Tame your garden
If the recent wet weather has caused your garden to become a little out of hand, now is the time to tame it. Your lawn needs to be freshly mown, and the edges neat. Your flower beds free of weeds so your plants and flowers can stand out and any children’s outdoor toys washed and tidied. If your patio furniture is looking past its best and you don’t want to replace it, give it a good scrub; if it’s wood, paint, varnish or stain it, so it looks smart and viewing-ready. Add a flowerpot to the centre of the table for a touch of lifestyle polish.
Patios, decks and paths may need a power wash, or just a good brush, to show them at their best. If you have gravel areas, try adding new gravel to freshen them up, or raking over the existing gravel and taking out any leaves and debris.
Shrubs may need cutting back or neatening, and rogue shoots over paths should be removed. Hedges too may need trimming.
Getting clicks online
With several property websites all vying for attention from millions of buyers, your online advert needs to really stand out. These are five key areas that can help make sure your advert gets the click:
- The headline and summary paragraph need to be strong, informative and emotive in order to entice a browser to click to find out more about your home.
- Bullet points – these need to showcase the key features of your home, make them sit up in their chair and give them a reason to view. For example, ‘Downstairs WC’ – is not so much of a wow factor. ‘Panoramic vistas’ - better. But ‘Romantic, rose-filled garden’ will stop a browser and make them read on.
- Photographs – these need to be compelling, attractive and up to date. As a rule, up to 20 images is plenty. Any more and you may find you don’t get viewings, as buyers feel that they’ve seen the whole house. Save something for the actual viewing, and leave a reader wanting more.
- Flow of images - do your photographs flow in the same way as a viewing would naturally do? Starting with a front photograph, followed by a hallway, and then the living room, makes a buyer feel that they can visualise your home.
- Property description – this needs to be compelling and visual, telling the story of your home. You don’t need a whole essay here - Just a few paragraphs should be enough to compel a browser to want to find out more, and pick up the phone.
Family buyers looking to ‘upsize’
Families looking to upsize often have specific needs and priorities. Highlight features of your home that cater to these buyers, such as large bedrooms, ample storage, and a family-friendly neighbourhood. Emphasise the benefits of your local area, such as good schools, parks, and community amenities. Families will appreciate practical features and a layout that accommodates their lifestyle, so ensure these aspects are clearly presented during viewings.
Your onward move
If you have found your dream home, your focus will be on selling your home as soon as you can. By using our handy checklist, you’ll feel confident you have given yourself the best possible chance to sell and move on. Having a firm offer on your home from a proceedable buyer will give you the buying power you need so you have credibility with the seller, and an advantage over less proceedable bidders.
No interest? Time to go back to the drawing board
If you are disappointed with the level of interest your home has had, take a look at our Preparing to Sell Checklist. Just pop us an email to fiona@wrightsofcampsie.co.uk and we’ll send you a copy straight away.
If you’ve done everything we recommend and your home still isn’t selling, then perhaps it’s time to reassess your choice of estate agent.
Sometimes, a fresh approach from a new set of eyes will find new marketing angles, and reach a different group of buyers. Let’s face it, you only need one buyer and a new estate agent could be the key to finding them.
As an initial step, we’d like to invite you to have a chat with us – we may be able to uncover the reasons you’re not getting the interest in your home that it deserves, just by looking at your online advert. From there, the rest is up to you.
Getting your home, your family and yourself, prepared and ready to sell will give you the best possible chance to move on as soon as you can. We’d love to help you make your home moving dreams a reality, so if you have any questions not covered in this blog, please email on fiona@wrightsofcampsie.co.uk or call on 01360 739739 and let’s get you moving.