Top house keeping tips for selling a house

[AdoraBell]

I have to get out of this place, but we need to sell it first.

So, what would you look for when buying a house. I'm working on decluttering, the dogs are no longer coming in the house and I have some essential oils to burn.

What else can I do? I'm getting desperate here folks

Declutter, neutral walls and carpets. Get rid of most ornaments and pictures (if you have lots). Tidy everything. Kitchen has to be pristine. Clean clean bathrooms. Stage each main room.

Thanks Chinwag we are changing the carpets soon, just need a price and the blokes to measure up this week. OH is currently planning to put more pictures on the walls rather than less. I've put away anything that needs be put away, now it's a case of throwing stuff away.

If you want to pm photos to me I will cast an objective eye over and come up with suggestions. However you need to take heart most people are struggling to sell (except in london)

Dont overstuff shelves as it makes the house look like theres not enough storage.

Go room to room and make a Snagging List of little bits yiu can live with but all add up to reductions in the sale price - fill in cracks, sockets fitted instead of lots of extension cables everywhere

Make each room look like its primary purpose. If you have a dining room but dont eat in there, make it look like you do.

House fresh smelling and aired before any visits.

Yes well aired rooms is vital. Remove rubbish, invest in candles in key rooms.
DEEP cleaning such as in between tiles.
Get rid of crap.
Fresh flowers inside, window boxes, flowers in pots etc!

Thank you for all the suggestions, re get rid of crap how did you know my mantra

Yesterday I tackled to thorny issue of reducing the amount of ornaments OH needs we have on display and DD1 counted 13 in the dining room. It only has 2 flat surfaces.

We're abroad, so not subject to the problems of the UK housing market. I sympathise with anyone trying to sell there. In theory we should be able to sell this thing quickly as the economy here is still in boom, but we built and decorated to our own tastes and then filled with all our crap posessions. So, carpets are being changed ASAP and I'll get cracking on some of your suggestions.

Thanks again.

Good luck adora.
Saying that a good friend of mine just sold in the uk. Did none of the above.
Sat bf her new baby with fish and chips - sold in 24 hours ha ha ha!

Thanks Wentworth, and congrats to your friend for new baby and selling the house.

I've recently moved. And before doing so, viewed countless properties.

One of the most off- putting things for me was 'pongs'! Specially smokers, bad food smells, or just staleness........

I just wanted to get out!

I have a dog, and certainly didn't ban her to outside during my selling process, (the very thought, it is after all, her home too!), I just popped her in the car, (she has a crate in there....), when it came to viewing time. And made sure no dog 'items' were on view, and hopefully,no dog smells.........

I had no problem selling, in fact 3 bloody times, they just never completed.....
Sorry, don't want to put you off........but potential buyers were a nightmare, aggghhh!
But stick with it, be patient, and good luck. And happy house hunting. You'll get there. And bring those poor dogs back in......

I'm not trying to reject the dogs, in fact I hate kicking them out, but we have FOUR of them and the estate agent has told us that we have "a smell, from the dogs"

We're anti non-smokers so other than the dogs the only olfactory problem I have is the pre-teen DDs, wonder if I could get away with sticking them out in the garden

Get rid of anything you cannot live without

Clear out your cupboards and tidy them - people open fitted cupboards to look at the space

The smell of fresh bread is very inviting

Fresh, fragrant flowers

Immaculately clean bathroom

"Stage" your rooms like a hotel. Lay the table for dinner. People have to be able to visualise themselves living in your house - but also see your lifestyle and think "ooh, I could have that too". If you have a "homely" hobby eg quilting, cake decorating etc then stage an area for it - eg get a little sewing table out with beautiful material etc. You want people to covet your lifestyle and therefore your house.

Thanks ohDear

Moré good típs there, I'll get cracking once the DDs are back at school next week. Have already manipulated persuaded OH to get rid of some furniture.

AdoraBell, it isnt easy selling your house believe i know, tried two yrs ago, plenty of viewings but not one offer sadly!, but two weeks ago we put our house back on the market, first viewing we had put an offer in which we accepted. i will agree declutter is the way to go, possible buyers like to imagine their own things in place straight away with as little to do as possible. i do think smells put some people off, the first house we looked at hit you as soon as you went in, the over powering smell of smoke really took my breath away, so all i could think of was decorating every room and changing every carpet before moving, its a stressful time, but well worth it, good luck!

AdoraBell, i've just spent two hrs going through the kitchen drawers, and my dh man drawer, i've never seen so many boxes of tablets and junk in all my life!!

Clean panels on light switches, look for finger marks on the edges of doors.

Radiators - re-paint if they're chipped. Really, they stick out like a sore thumb.

Some wise soul on the Property/DIY thread said a bowl of oranges on a table instead of flowers. Cheaper and you get to eat them.

No watermarks - dry off showers screens, basins with a handtowel before a viewing.

Be careful of putting in smells, e.g. plug-ins, it always makes the buyer think you have something to hide. Clean, clean, clean, and open the windows.

Even if it's daytime, show off the lighting - very important if it's overcast.

Agree with all so far. I would also say think about the outside and the approach to the house. Try to give it some 'kerb appeal'. Sometimes buyers decide they don't like a place even before they go through the door. So, do things like weeding the front garden, putting up a few flower baskets or tubs, ensuring there's no litter anywhere nearby etc.
Paint the front door and if the door handles etc look tatty, get new ones. Severely declutter the hallway. You don't want potential buyers to feel the house is too small as soon as they step inside, so get rid of anything that occupies too much space.
Get an honest friend to come in and tell you what the house smells like. Often, pet owners don't notice pet smells because they are used to them, but they are very off putting to buyers. Ensure that the house has only pleasant smells emanating!
Good luck!

If you have dogs I would strongly recommend having your carpets cleaned.

I kept a bag in the wardrobe with nice towels/bath mats that I put out purely for the viewings - then they went straight back in the bag!

It depends how you make your bed/s, but if you can see the pillow-cases, it's worth changing them before viewers arrive.