Statistics suggest that people in the UK will move house an average of three or four times in their entire life. This means that we move house on average once every twenty-three years. That might not sound like much, but the process of moving house and selling up can be pretty agonising; there’s so much to remember and do that if you even attempt it without an extensive checklist you’re likely to be scuppered.
Don’t fall into common traps; check out these eight things you should remember before you sell your house and move on!
- You’ll need to clear it out
While it’s definitely true that you should consider staging when selling your home, prospective buyers don’t like the look of an accumulated life. They’d rather see a home they can envision themselves living in. With that in mind, it’s very important to clear out your home before you sell up. You don’t need to go it alone; you can enlist the services of a reputable company like House Clearance London to help you out (and believe us, you definitely should; it’s a long and thankless task). A clear home is a much more appealing home for buyers.
- Don’t make it look too personal
If you can help it, you should make sure your home is clear of as many personal effects and accoutrements as you can before selling it. Naturally, this will be much easier for some people than others; if you’ve already got somewhere else to live, you can store your stuff there while you’re selling. Buyers would prefer not to see a house that looks too much like someone else’s when they’re looking. Not only that, but if you happen to leave personal property at a house you’ve sold, your legal situation might end up a little tricky.
- Pick the right estate agent
A good estate agent is a hundred percent on your side when selling a property. They won’t hit you with hidden fees or costs right when the sale is about to go through; they’ll be completely upfront with you about what it’ll cost and what your chances are of selling at each stage of the process. Make sure the estate agent you’re going with is reputable and reliable, because you’re going to be with them for a few weeks at least. It’s okay to vet them before you make a decision; again, a good estate agent will understand why you want to do this and won’t be defensive or aggressive.
- Don’t neglect the front
You’re probably busy getting the interiors of your house ready for sale. That’s definitely a good thing, but the exterior of your home can make a sale by itself if you work on it enough. The frontage of your house is the first thing any prospective buyer will see, and if it doesn’t look appealing then they’re probably not going to commit to buying the property. This extends to your neighbours, too; if they’ve got bad curb appeal, it might negatively impact your ability to sell. If their property doesn’t look too great and your relations are good, see if you can talk to them and work with them to improve the situation.
- Repaint the house and upgrade rooms
If you’ve been living in your property for some time, there’s a good chance the walls are getting a little stained or discoloured. That’s completely natural, and it’s why repainting every so often is a great idea. When you’re repainting to sell a house, though, you’ll be using a completely different set of guidelines. Try to use neutral colours and tones. Buyers will probably be put off by bold, bright colours. Stick to magnolia, magenta, and white; they’re bright and easygoing colours that are easy on the eye and perfect for staging. As a more expensive option, you can consider upgrading rooms that are dated, from the kitchen to the bathroom, using a service like DIYHomeFit can prove to be valuable when wanting to sell a home – using your DIY skills or a local handy-man, it can result in making an older home like fresh and new which is ideal for selling. However, you’ll want to operate on a tight budget to maximize any benefits.
- Stop smoking
Not smoking is generally a great idea for your health, but did you know that smoking can also seriously damage the contents of your home? If you want your house to be an appealing place for prospective buyers, then it’s definitely a good idea to try to stop smoking. There are plenty of helpful programs and devices out there that will help you on your journey, so you don’t need to go it alone. If you’re a smoker, then stopping will have great effects not only for your physical and mental wellbeing but also for the state and saleability of your home.
- Be patient
On average, it takes around four months to sell a house in the UK. Of course, the amount of time it takes to sell your house could differ either way; you might end up selling within a couple of weeks, or your property could take six months to sell. Either way, it’s important to be patient. Don’t assume something is wrong if the property hasn’t sold in the average amount of time, because it could just be a bad period for house sales or the right people could just not have found your property yet. There’s always another explanation!
- Don’t get emotionally invested
When you sell your property, it has to become just that: a property. It can no longer be your childhood home or your family’s base of operations. You’ll need to divest yourself emotionally of any attachments you have to the property, because estate agents, prospective buyers, and other people will speak clinically about it once it’s on the market. It won’t be easy, but eventually, you’ll find yourself emotionally detaching from your property. That’s a good thing, and you should welcome it. If you stay attached, it’ll become much more difficult to sell the house.
