What little touches would make you want to view/buy a property?

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Valuations yesterday, fairly average 3 bed 70s terrace, good location for shops, schools, public transport.

I've still got some decluttering, tweaks and gardening to do so looking at getting on the market mid April (I work f/t in a school so need the Easter hols as a safety net!).

Would just really appreciate any opinions on little things that are/are not worth doing?

A couple of things I'm wondering about - having neutralised the decor I've not put any artwork back up on the wall and wondering if it would make it look more homely or just be too personal and a waste of time?

Also to what extent should I try and 'stage' it? It's nicely decorated, clean and tidy. In particular I'm wondering about the dining area - I feel like it would be good to have it fully set up to show the space but I'm halfway through an upcycling project and don't know if spending 2 days sanding, finishing and reupholstering dining chairs is a good use of time!

Literally none. I go by floorplan and location.

But, plenty of people cannot "imagine" a space differently from how it is presented. So definitely do all the tidying, decluttering etc.

And have the correct furniture in every room. So, always a dining table etc in an eating area. And a bed in every bedroom, even if it's being used as an office.

😆😆😆😆. We put our poor cat out for viewings and put his litter tray in a bin bag under the bench on the patio. He wasn’t impressed.

Clean and uncluttered as people have said. Also make sure any small maintenance jobs are done - you don’t want it to look like a house where you’ve maybe let small issues go unfixed, as people might wonder whether there are also bigger issues.

I had a few pots i planted up by the front door and patio, it made it look more welcoming and I could take them with me when we sold.

My office has a good sized sofa bed in it so I'm going to ask the photographer to take pics of it set up both ways.

@Growlybear83 my girls are indoor cats and we're planning an open day so they will be off to grandma's for the duration - they will also be less than thrilled with this turn of events 😂

I’m sure everyone thinks they can see past the decor/see the potential (me included) but it must make a difference.

Mainly clean, neutral, not dark, no clutter, still furnished, flowers on doorstep, house smelling clean, house warm are the things I would not skip.

My last house had odd decor and stank of dog though, bought it anyway.

Clean and tidy is the main thing. Fresh paint if it is very tired looking. Smell is a big thing. You cannot buy a house that smells bad.

Generally it is about location and price though. If your house is in a good location, you will get offers. If it isn't, it will take a lot longer to sell.

Declutter, fresh flowers always brightens up a space. I made sure the bedding looked good with cushions throws etc.
Got asking price within a week of only three views.
Make sure the garden is presentable with some colourful spring plants.

It sounds like you are doing the right thing. I think houses where no personal items are on display often look a bit sterile and miserable. A few bits of art and ornament can make it cosier and more welcoming. Clutter makes it look too small. Dirt and weeds make it look uncared for.

We sold our house last year and I cleaned everything, all the paintwork, tiles, cupboard fronts etc, made a huge difference. We took lots of clutter, toys, books, costs, shoes etc and boxed them up and put in the loft. Got some new plants (not half dead ones) and candles. Fixed a few broken things. Swept up leaves, weeding, cleaned windows inside and out.

In terms of parking, the house we recently just sold was on a long street of terraced houses and HMOs and to make it worse one side was double yellow lines. We could generally park our three cars Infront or very near to the house so I always pointed this out to viewers such as "you see those three cars they are all ours so obviously they won't be here and as you can see we always get parked close to the house so it looks busy but isn't that bad"

Yes this is true. It doesn't look great when everyone's in (in the close generally) but it doesn't look great mean that pretty much everyone is parked.

In eight years I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've not been able to park within less than 10m of the house and that's usually been because someone's got work being done and vans parked up.

My next door neighbour has an electric car and manages to get it parked outside her house enough to keep it charged so it's not terrible.

I grew up with a mum who is one of those who get immensely ranty about someone parking outside her house, despite the fact she has a driveway that will fit two small cars so I suspect I'm a bit hyper aware of it!

Nothing. Houses aren’t bought due to little touches they’re bought because of big features.

There are no little tweaks that would make me want to view a property. It has to be in my price range, search area, and have the rooms and garden I want.

I'm quite experienced in property and providing those 3 essentials above are correct, I would not be put off going to view by bad photos, clutter or decor.

However. EA photos always do look better if taken on a sunny day, curtains and blinds fully open, lights off unless absolutely essential, beds are really smooth (I think a plain cream or white bedspread that also covers the pillows is a 100% improvement on someone's Next floral duvet cover), toilet seats down, bath mats off the floor, oven gloves and tea towels not dangling from the oven door, wheelie bins out of sight, pet food bowls out of sight, small random bits of furniture can be moved out of sight for the photos, house needs to be clean and tidy but not staged. I can't stand EA photos of ordinary suburban houses with the dining table set for dinner with the owner's best crockery. Naffer than a naff thing.

I think there's a point where a house is basically fine, neutral but maybe a bit tired, where a few splashes of colour/personality will really brighten up the photos. Maybe one or two contemporary accessories that would appeal to younger buyers.

When we sold our last house I spent maybe £100 on a mirror, some cushions, a table runner and few other bits literally from TKmaxx/Dunelm and it sold very quickly.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things.

cleaning the carpet won't hurt, but leave it until the weather is better & only do it if you've done the other more important things (fully decluttering, made tge street appeal as good as you can)

i wouldn't use any my fake smells, not candles, not method, nothing. All you need is to air the house. If you feel you must do something, part bake rolls in the oven.

best of luck!!

This. Clean tidy, uncluttered, well maintained.

Garden bins that are tidy and tucked away. Well maintained gates/hedge/fence.

People will always have different tastes but if the basics are sound, it makes moving in, so much easier.

Superficial ‘dressing’ wouldn’t influence me at all, I’m afraid.

I look at the location first, plus aspect ( N facing garden etc.) and probably drive and/or walk around the area, look from the outside. After that, the floor plan/room sizes, are the most important.

I don’t really trust photos - they can make a place look a lot bigger/nicer than it is.

You asked about pictures. I would definitely put some artwork on the walls, to make it feel more homely. Empty walls feel soul-less to me.

It's also worth looking at your local "competition" on Rightmove, how similar sized houses are presented. I think ones with good looking photos really stand out. You need to be able to appeal to buyers who aren't very imaginative as well as the ones who can look past decor.

Yeah I think I'll definitely do that. Most of the house has been redecorated in the last year and is fairly neutral or at least plain and fairly tasteful (not withstanding the Emma Shipley wallpaper in my bedroom but someone else can deal with the pink tigers if they don't like them!).

When I moved in post-divorce it was a blank canvas as had been a rental for 20 years. I went a bit mad (rebelling against XH and his non-existent taste in interiors) and it was a pop art/fair ground/tattoo parlour mash up for a while...Red walls with black and white paper in the sitting room, a black wall covered in Andy Warhol prints and LED lights in the dining area 😂

...but my taste has evolved over the last couple of years which is saving me a lot of redecorating now!

Declutter and minimise everything - remove as many ornaments as possible, similarly with artworks, hobby items, etc, window ledges, fireplace tops, sideboard tops etc pretty clear with just the odd item, book cases and shelves tidied, clothes put away, shoes minimised and neatly organised in front porch/inside front door etc. Think about removing some family photos, especially those "walls" of photos - just the occasional strategically placed wedding photo or the odd photo of your children etc rather than dozens of them all over the place! The less "stuff" the bigger the house will appear to be.

Check there are no smells, particularly if you've a pet or a smoker - don't use harsh sprays etc to "hide" the bad smells - sometimes they're worse - just open windows and get plenty of fresh air into the house.

A big yes to the poster above who said about getting lots of quality photos for the listing - declutter and tidy before the EA comes to take the photos - you really don't want to put people off before they even come to view it, which bad photos or untidy photos will do.

It seems obvious, but also dust, wipe and vacuum throughout the house, clean the inside of the windows (lets in more light). Dust on surfaces or hairs/dust/mud on carpets looks awful and doesn't give a good impression.

It's all about getting the balance between the house looking like a "home" i.e. "some" personal effects, but not looking over cluttered and over-personal.

Someone mentioned cleaning bathroom floors with nice-smelling cleaner - I do think smells are important. When my DSis was looking at houses, we were completely put off one with terrible teenage boy B.O. in the bedrooms! And the less clutter, the larger it looks and the more the buyer can project an image of themselves and their own things onto it.

There are some things you can't change.

It's not a bad idea to keep the windows reasonably clean and if time runs short getting the garden under control, a recent grass cut for the photos and viewings. One thing that makes me cringe when viewing a property is a dirty looking cooker, units inside and out - this hasn't stopped us buying so far, but probably would in the future as we've ended up inheriting the filth.

As pp have said - don't bother about little touches.
It's going to sell on price and location.
If someone is going to be put off by a wrinkled duvet cover or the wrong coloured towels in the bathroom, you've got to question their judgement.
It's the biggest investment most people make, just focus on keeping it neat and tidy and a realistic price for the location.

You know if you do, you Wollongong need to change the deeds? Plus you might devalue your house?

not simple at all