Tips for someone about to sell their house and move for the first time?

[passthestraws]

I suppose I'm after two things please MN;

1. Any tips for getting the house ready for sale? Do's and don'ts? Listing photograph tips.... anything!

1. Can I have your best moving tips, anything I might not have thought of?

Thanks!

Choose an estate agent actually selling houses in your area - get a minimum of three round and don't just go with the highest valuation.

Do all the outstanding DIY jobs that you've been living with. Things that could do with doing make potential buyers think there could be bigger maintenance issues.

Declutter but not to the point of leaving the place without a homely feel. Move anything you wouldn't want in the photos.

Tidy up the front of the house and add a couple of planters, etc if it's bare - think kerb appeal.

Tell the EA you want to have sign off on the listing and photos before it goes live and check what they've put is relevant and actually relates to your house.

Selling and buying at the same time is stressful because you have no control over other people in the process. Try not to worry about the things you can do nothing about. Do what you need to quickly and efficiently.

My top moving tip is: pay the removal firm for full packing. It makes things so much less stressful. You just live normally until a day or two before completion day.

Oh and don't agree to exchange and complete on the same day. Far too precarious and someone can pull out on the day.

Thank you!

Do removals men dismantle furniture for you too? What about assembly, will they do that at the other end?

Yes and yes. They do it day in, day out and know what they are doing.

My top moving tip is: pay the removal firm for full packing. It makes things so much less stressful.

Yes to this!

I couldn't tell you how many times I moved when I was renting, and it was exhausting hassle.

I had a relocation package from my job for my last move but one, so had everything done for me. It was bliss! I put a holdall, my handbag, a box with the kettle, tea etc and the dog in the car and just drove myself to my new town. I was able to start unpacking and putting stuff away while the movers were still unloading.

It was so much less stressful that I paid for the same on my next move.

My other bit of advice would be to start decluttering and getting rid of stuff now. The less you have to do nearer the time, the easier it will be.

To echo what PPs have said, removals companies are amazing and well worth the money. Just when you are ready to drop from stress and exhaustion they just keep on going. We are thinking about moving again and will be budgeting for a proper removals service.

Now is a good time to declutter and slim down possessions as much as possible (even if you're just filling a few boxes). Keeping the house tidy for viewings day after day is a nightmare so the less stuff you have around the less mess it can make. If you have pets think about any impact they have on the house - smells, bedding, cages etc

My tips are (sold october last year)...

1. choose a local agent who you see lots of sold signs for.
2. make the house immaculate for photos - clear worktops, no junk piled under the bed, no crap stored in the garden etc. Neat bed linen. Neat cushions and any display items. Fresh flowers.
3. don't go for an agent who gives you the highest valuation without considering the whole service. Don't go for an agent with a set up front fee - choose one where you only pay when you sell.
4. when you do move, hire a van a size bigger than you think.

PAY FOR PACKING AS PART AS YOUR REMOVAL DEAL.

Also declutter before you move.

Also when choosing an agent look on rightmove to see the quality of photography and floorplans. You can do the decluttering for photos simply by moving stuff out of sight of the camera, but it’s definitely a good time to declutter. Do NOT be tempted to do anything lavish like put in a new bathroom/carpets etc.

Urgh yes, one local agent to ours puts a sepia tone on all their photos. Ridiculous.

Oh, and make sure the agent is on Rightmove to start with!

A lot of good advice already, we did it all, plus for viewings I completely de-catted my house, cleared all surfaces, so kitchen, dining room table etc.

Prepare for them opening built in wardrobe doors, (Don't put all your crap in them in a mess essentially!)

I did put a few vases of flowers out too, dunno if it helped, but had 3 viewings one one day and the 2nd ones put in an offer the day after!

When you de clutter, apparently the staging rule of thumb is no more than 3 items/objects on a surface. In kitchens this is difficult, but what you are trying to achieve is showing there is work surface space. Also pay attention to your cupboards - having cupboards rammed with stuff makes storage seem inadequate, even if it’s not. If you are like me and can’t bear to get rid of everything, rather pack into boxes and then pack the boxes into a cupboard. Better that the chaos is organised and hidden than falling out when you open the door. Try to consolidate this type of packing into one cupboard too.

^^ what they all said about the packing.
Was worth every penny

Urgh yes, one local agent to ours puts a sepia tone on all their photos. Ridiculous

Who would even think that was a good idea!!

Following with interest as we will be putting ours on the market soon. Some great tips already.

For those who have said fo not pay upfront can I ask why? We have had 3 valuations, all very similar. The company who offer an upfront fee have by far been the most approachable, courteous etc. They have sold numerous properties in the area including one across the road from us and have also been recommended by a friend. We had pretty much decided to sell with them but no I'm wondering if we should think again?

The MN Property board has lots of threads on packing, moving, conveyancing etc (and is a pretty friendly board).
Take photos of your rooms - when you look at them, clutter will jump out at you - things that you don't really notice when you are in the room! I found that really helpful for identifying and moving distracting things.
Aldi do fresh flowers for £1-2 so you don't need to break the bank getting some.
We had an open house viewing on a Saturday (listing went live the preceding Monday). Most viewers wanted evenings/weekends (ours was a one bed flat so mostly FTBs), this meant we could have seven viewings in one hit and with one session of tidying up!

Of you are buying another property, do not exchange and complete on the same day. If someone in the chain messes up the exchange, or pulls out at the last minute, you could find out at midmorning by which point all your stuff is in a van and you will be stuck with the removal costs of the failed move.
Our buyer went AWOL on exchange day, they didn't transfer their funds until after the weekend and wouldn't answer their phone to the agent or solicitors. We never found out why and they didn't even apologise.
The rest of the chain had been pushing for same-day E&C, if I hadn't have refused we would have all been paying two lots of moving fees (not to mention the stress!!)

Try not to complete on a Friday, especially the Friday before a bank holiday weekend. If there are any last minute hiccups, they can be harder to resolve as the next day is not counted as a working day.

Monr0e
We almost went with Purple Bricks - lovely, knowledgeable guy - but I couldn't understand what the incentive was for him to support the sale after an offer was accepted. Why would they prioritise my sale above, for example, taking on a new client and getting a new fee?
We used a local agent, who did lots of chasing and liaising with our buyer, vendor and the solicitors (which I would have struggled to do during working hours). Their incentive was that they didn't get a penny until I had actually taken ownership of the property. They did much more to earn their fee post-offer than they needed to do to find a buyer.

Following several issues from friends, don't sell with Purple Bricks. If I saw a house up for sale with them, I wouldn't even go to view it!

It's a classic tip, but a good one.

Pack the kettle last! Plus cups & whatever you need for a cuppa. And make sure that box is immediately accessible.

Really annoying to get stuck into unpacking, needing a cuppa and having no idea where the kettle's gone!

Thanks AwkwardPaws, that's understandable. It's with a local agent who also offer the fee after completion option, not purple bricks, but I'll bear that in mind.

Stupid question but if you don't exchange and complete on the same day how do you time it?

For the photographs, put white or light coloured duvets or bedspreads on your beds. They make the room look airy, fresh and clean.

I noticed while looking at other property online that the rooms that looked most "together" had white covers, and there were some awful looking pics with patterned duvets that would have looked fine in RL.

I went and bought plain white bed linen for the pics, and they looked great.

Declutter everything for the pics! In the kitchen clear every surface, even of stuff you use every day. Chose a very small number of items that are actually aesthetically pleasing to leave out. (eg perhaps kettle if you have a nice looking one, fruit bowl, one nice vase with flowers or whatever)

Don't use an online conveyancer! We did. They were much cheaper than the local conveyancer, but the savings weren't worth it.

They were just crap at their job. They didn't know the local area, didn't understand why some of the buyer's demands were inappropriate. Didn't do their job properly - I ended up doing some of it for them. Took ages. Said a senior person would be managing it but in reality a very junior inexperienced person did most of the work and made mistakes.

Next time. I'll get use a local conveyancer, definitely.

Stupid question but if you don't exchange and complete on the same day how do you time it?

A completely reasonable question, OP! Obviously this has to be in agreement with others in the chain but a fortnight between exchange and completion is quite common. It gives everyone time to confirm removers, notify utility companies, etc. Some people are happy with a week. Last time we moved house, I made it a condition of the purchase that we had a full month because we were relocating from the North West to the South West.

Exchange is when you pay the deposit and you can’t withdraw from the transaction, or at least, without losing a large amount of money. Completion is usually about a month later, giving you time to organise the removal firm, inform utilities, organise post redirection, bank etc.

Final decluttering and think about what you want to do with precious items. I keep my jewellery with me and my craft stuff. It goes in my car. It’s a good idea to set aside clothes and toiletries you’ll need for moving day. I’ve been caught out leaving clean underwear ready for moving day that then got packed before I could get to it.

Put the lid/seat down on the loo for photos! (Pet hate of mine )