Climbing the property ladder is a monumental moment. It can be a sign of a growing family, growing out of the space or just being in a position financially where you could afford a bigger space.
Before moving into your next home, selling your current property is a task many homeowners will likely have to experience. It can be time-consuming and stressful at times. However, there are ways to help you with the process.
If you are planning to move from one London home to another, here are a few tips to help you prepare your home for the market.
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Time To Clean
Before your property hits the market and potential buyer visits are booked, consider cleaning your home. Conduct a deep clean to help your home look in the best possible condition. Break the task into smaller amounts by focusing on one room at a time. This will help to reduce the chances of feeling overwhelmed when cleaning your entire house. Performing a deep cleaning of your home is also a great opportunity to declutter some of your belongings. Selling, donating or throwing away any items you no longer use and will not be used in your new home. It helps to free space and reduce the amount of belongings you need to pack when you finally do move.
Along with cleaning your home, you could rearrange the rooms. This could be changing the placement of furniture to help show potential buyers how much space there is in your property. Space and storage rank highly as desirable amenities for homeowners. Showing that your property has space and opportunities for storage would be something that potential buyers will take notice of.
Fix Up Issues
After cleaning your home and rearranging the purposes for some of the rooms, now is the perfect time to search for any issues that need to be resolved. These could be loose door handles, unfilled holes from old picture frames or any damages that need to be mended. Spend a weekend or two fixing any issues in your home to ensure it is in the best possible condition. It could help towards making a positive first impression.
To help brighten the place up, you might add a fresh coat of paint to the walls. Painting the walls might not seem like much. However, it can transform a space. The space can immediately look lighter, and sometimes it helps to create the illusion of a bigger room. Of course, bigger spaces are something that many potential buyers are interested in.
Check The Electrics
Aside from adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls, another aspect that could influence a potential buyer’s decision is the safety of the property. Of course, the area your property is located in, and the crime rate will influence your home’s safety, but internal elements can also impact it. For instance, the electrics. As a property owner, you want to ensure that your electrics are in the best condition to reduce any faults that could have unfavourable consequences. Potential buyers will also want to know that the electrics are in the best condition. One way to prove this is through an Electrical Installation Condition Report.
Ensure that you obtain an EICR certificate when having the electrics in your home tested. You can get an EICR certificate in London from companies like Hexo Electrical Testing. Showing potential buyers that there are no faults with the electrics in your home could help push your property higher on their list. Although obtaining an EICR certificate might seem like an unnecessary investment, it will be worthwhile if it helps to get your house off the market quickly.
Don’t Forget The Garden
Garden space is another desirable amenity for potential buyers. They want an outdoor space they can use to socialise and entertain guests, enjoy the warmer weather and get their fingers green. If you have a garden, ensuring it looks in the best condition could help attract potential buyers.
Ensure that the grass has been cut and that any bushes or hedges are trimmed back. This should be done to the garden in front of your home. If the front of your house looks unkempt, potential buyers will assume the rest of the house might be as untidy as the exterior. Create a positive first impression by ensuring that the exterior of your home is as well-maintained as the interior.
Reasons To Prepare Your Home
Of course, the tips mentioned above might seem like time-consuming tasks to undertake and money spent on a property that you plan to move out from. However, preparing your home for the market can be a smart move, and here are a few reasons.
Attract Great Interest
Potential buyers more than likely have a checklist of their requirements. These could be factors that they want the home they choose to buy to have. It could be having a driveway, a certain number of bedrooms or garden space.
However, a house that has had a fresh coat of paint to brighten the place up and is well cared for will be more appealing to a property that has been neglected. The extra care in preparing the property for the market could result in more interest from potential buyers.
Reduce Issues On Report
Understandably, potential buyers interested in purchasing a property will invest in an inspector’s report of your house. This will show them any areas that need to be addressed urgently or what to be mindful of if they choose to place an offer.
Spending time checking your home for holes to fill, hinges to update, and any other small issues will help you reduce the number of issues flagged up on the report. It could help to increase the interest of a potential buyer in your property, hopefully swaying them to place an offer.
Help Minimise Delays
No amount of planning could prepare individuals for the delays that come with buying and selling a property. There are multiple factors out of a person’s control that could bring the process to a halt at a moment’s notice. However, there are some factors that an individual can control, which as having the relevant paperwork available. This could be any home reports, certificates or proof of planning permission.
For instance, if a potential buyer asked to see a copy of the EICR certificate, having it on hand ready could work in your favour. The lack of delays waiting to see paperwork requested could help potential buyers with making their final decisions. There have been instances where delays in paperwork have caused potential buyers to lose interest in properties. Ensuring all the paperwork needed is ready to provide to those that ask at a moment’s notice is a small but greatly beneficial step worth taking.
In Summary
When preparing your home for the market, put yourself in the shoes of potential buyers. View your home from their perspective. Try and view your home as if it were your first time visiting. This approach will help you identify any areas that need changing that could help you attract potential buyers and sell your home quickly.
As house prices are expected to fall throughout the year, more people are looking to take advantage and get their foot onto the property ladder. Selling your current London home for another one now could be the perfect time to do it. With the tips mentioned above, your property could be off the market not long after joining, and you will be climbing the property ladder.
