To think some little things make a house look expensive?

Bit of Jo Malone diffusers help

Good quality, timeless, solid wood furniture is what I notice but obviously that’s not a quick fix. And good quality fabrics on curtains etc.

I do generally look past what is in the house and focus on floor plan and what the house offers. However, it does get my back up when people have put zero effort in to have a general tidy and clean up, bit of a red flag really into what kind of people they are and if they really want to sell. I would be embarrassed by some of the states we have seen.

Good lighting and nice lamps really make a difference in a house.

Go and have a look at some show homes to get an idea of how the professionals stage a house. High end fixtures and fittings really elevate a house.

Who are you are trying to sell the house to? First time buyers, families, downsizers? Think about what they might think is valuable.

Nobody is going to offer you more money because you’ve got nice cushions and throws.

Oil door hinges and make sure no doors slam

Clean with minimal artificial smells and no half dead house plants. Don't forget the outdoor space, tidy and swept with no empty planters or random piles of stuff.

I look at the size of the rooms, the light and layout, so clean windows, uncluttered walkways etc. plants lend a good fresh look

Get the windows cleaned inside and outside.

Remove clutter.

Make sure it smells nice.

Uncluttered. Fresh paint. Tasteful furniture and decor. Well maintained.

I offered on my house before I'd even been inside it! (I knew the houses for years, just hadn't been round the particular one I was buying until my offer had been accepted because I bought off someone I knew). But looking at houses with my DD, houses that appear as blank canvases make it MUCH easier to imagine how your furniture will look/fit in the space. Houses where the walls and floors seem crowded make me think that it might be hard to fit the existant furniture in.

Oh , I don't know . If I move , I'm leaving my 302 month old DS as a Fixture and Fitting

We viewed one house and the owner wouldnt
let us look in one room as her baby was asleep.

another house we viewed was being rented and it was an absolute tip, a smashed window in the door and dirty underwear on the floor in the bedroom.

We were on the market last year and the feedback we got constantly was that people wanted a house they didn't have to do anything to. Since ours is a newbuild with a landscaped garden, it was clear they meant the decor. We'd declutterred and tidied every time, but our decor was non-neutral and people clearly felt it made the house feel smaller and "more work".

We've gone round and painted every room in a neutral off-white colour. We've moved and taken away excess furniture so the rooms feel bigger. We've taken down things like coat hooks (which made the hall feel cramped) and picture ledges with prints on. Basically each room is now neutral and tidy.

We've been on two weeks and had five viewings and every one has mentioned what great condition the house is in and how spacious it feels. No offers yet, but it's a dramatic difference compared to feedback last year.

Brace yourself for tomfoolery from potential buyers and the seller you are going on to. I got gazumped this week. So fed up.

I agree you’re making a huge financial decision, so the house itself is the focus. However, the attitude of the people you decide to buy a house from is key as to whether that purchase actually goes ahead.

Buyers (and sellers) spend a lot of money on the process without protection until exchange. If someone doesn’t show commitment to selling their house, I’d have concerns that they aren’t really serious and may pull out down the line. This has happened to me before and it’s expensive and hugely frustrating.

Your making a quarter of a million pound investment. Suck up the awkwardness and plod on through.

I mean it would make viewing that room properly a tad awkward surely?!

I bought a house with a teenager lying hungover on the sofa, but she did go out halfway through the viewing so we were able to have a good look at the lounge afterwards!

I still remember the mumsnet thread where the woman didn't buy because the teenager was in bed in his messy bedroom at the time.

Like he was still gonna fucking be there when she moved in.😅

But you do understand that when you live in the house it won't have laundry hanging over the bannister no? You can't picture that in your head? Turning down a suitable property because there is laundry out is a bad financial/business decision.

I think it depends on the buyers and the type of property. If it’s a fixer upper then you’ll get interested parties like the PPs above who care about structure and nothing else.

But plenty of buyers want to do minimal work even down to decoration. So if your house is up to date, then these buyers are your audience.

Key thing as said above - zero clutter. Even remove furniture if the rooms are quite full. No sign of pets at all, hide all that in your car if you have one.

Also agree that purpose of room should be clear. You can then point out on viewings that there is space for an alternative uses, eg office/spare room.

ETA: Do not shove all your clutter in any built in cupboard or wardrobe, in my experience people will open them and have a nosy!

Personally I would hate any family prints/baby footprints/moulded bronze baby hands, Love/Life/Live/Harmony bollocks, especially when they follow a theme around the house 🧐
Keep it completely impersonal.

Clean and tidy as everyone has said. Whe I was looking I was quite shocked how people didn't prepare at all. I went to one with laundry hanging over the banister and over the doors. It made the place feel so small and not really fit for purpose for some reason.

Also one had a dryer in the conservatory, which may be practical for them but just made me feel like there wasn't a proper space for the basics.

If it was me I would have stuck it out in the garage or something and save the washing for later.

Lots of people do though and first impressions make a huge difference, especially for people who absolutely do not want a doerupper. Some people just want something they can move into with minimum fuss and so you want to be presenting that to potential buyers.

So, it has to be clean (and smell clean), and be as uncluttered as possible with a mininum of personal shit on display - just shove it all into the garage/wardrobes etc.

Basically, go round the house and if you think that any buyer would want/ need to do immediate work in any room - decoration, obvious stuff that is broken etc, do your best to remedy it.

As uncluttered and minimal as possible so people can actually see the space they are dealing with and the "bricks and mortar". If its a crazy cluttered mess they might not bother