Getting house ready to sell

[Whatshallichangemyusernameto]

Not sure which topic is best for this but here goes. DH and I plan to move house very soon (or at least get the wheels in motion). Silly question but what do we need to do to get it ready to sell? Some points which might be relevant:

We don’t smoke.
We have no pets.
If we were staying we’d redecorate to freshen up/change things up but won’t now.
It’s not overly messy but we have a 3yo so do have to do a tidy up every evening of toys etc (with 3yo’s help).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Make good use of whatever storage you have. For viewings and photographs hide all things in the bathroom in drawers, put odd bits in cupboards, that sort of thing. You want the house to look like a loving home, but not too personal. Tidy up the garden and driveway from leaves etc. I'd even go as far as taking cars off the driveway to show space. Toys is a hard one but if you've got storage boxes, tidy them away into a corner so that living rooms or playrooms look like potential living spaces if that makes sense. We had a room for LO but moved it all out so it would look like a potential dining room. Good luck!

Clean thoroughly. Complete any unfinished DIY jobs/spruce up anything that really needs it. Stand outside your house at the front and cast a critical eye over things: does the garden or drive need weeding? Is the front door clean?, etc. We don't notice things when we live with them and turn a blind eye to things that don't bother us day to day. Viewers see things differently.

In this situation, I’ve always done a big declutter to reduce down what we own and what we have to take to a new house. A major deep clean prior to photographs and listing. Ensure windows are regularly opened and cleaned prior to viewings. Touch up scuffed paint work - it’s amazing how much this lifts the look of a room. Ensure your choice of layout of furniture maximises the available space in each room. My kids are older now, but during toy stage we used to transfer toy boxes into the shed ahead of viewings.

My top tip is to get one storage box per room to put all the stuff from surfaces into. When you have a viewing just transfer all the bits and bobs into a box and put it in your car boot (if you have one) or in a cupboard or under the bed. I would clear all the stuff like books, make up, toiletries, hairdryer etc from the bedroom and bathroom surfaces, kids rooms clear the surfaces of toys, lounge clear magazines, remotes, pens, photos on shelves etc. It makes the space look cleaner and less personally yours. It only takes 10-15 mins to do the whole house and even less to unpack it.

De clutter is your first task, and clean down paint work ect, some people make their homes show home style, I personally find that off putting (and I’ve moved a lot over the years .

Carpets are very noticeable, someone once said to me that the human always looks at the floor first before entering a space to check it’s safe, then they look up, and it’s true you do 😂. so a clean clear walk way , doesn’t have to be the perfect carpet, but clean is important.

photos - have the garden tidy and some pots of spring flowers look inviting, remember you get drive bys so the front door is important to look nice. When the house is on the market keep the front of the house nice . But the EA will take a front photo to show the board, so clean tidy spring flowers. Inside you can walk round with the photographer and remove things like towels and toys. I’ve always had the house looking good, then removed things to other rooms for the photos, then started packing after the photos, people are find with boxes when viewing a house in some ways it shows you mean business. Our last house we had a small box room we used as a study, we packed boxes in there and it worked well, previous houses we’ve used the garage. This packing is purely to declutter, empty kitchen cupboards off things you hardly use and clear the sides into these cupboards. Most EA advise you remove photos, I’ve never done this, it’s up to you.

Yeah, clear surfaces, no stuff on top of cupboards. Make sure shelves are tidy & not crammed with stuff rammed in higgledy piggeldy. You want the house to look like there's plenty of storage (even if it doesn't). We put loads of stuff under the beds for viewers. Bathrooms should be clear of any stuff, bottles and cleaning products should be in a cupboard and not on view.

Clean the windows, give the front drive a good power wash to get rid of any mud or moss, give the house a good airing so it smells fresh.

Use this as an opportunity to declutter. We were doing weekly tip runs for a while, got rid of all the junk in the shed, cellar and loft. Stuff we didn't use but in good condition went to charity. It really helps to have less stuff when you want to keep it tidy for viewers.

Walk round your house and garden and take the same shots of each space that you would expect an estate agent to use.

Then review critically to see what you can:

• take away to make it look like there is lots of room
• what you might need to touch up or finish off
• what you might add to make it homely without adding clutter e.g. flowers

Look at your local competition to see how far you need to go.

Basically you are trying to make your house look like the best version of itself just like you would dress smart for an interview.

IME getting carpets professionally cleaned can make them look practically new. Otherwise it's just making it look bright, spacious and appealing in the photos. People appreciate that viewings are during normal daily life but they study pictures for longer.

It's a good idea to take your own pre photos, you somehow see cluttered corners or ugly things that you don't see IRL.

A good clean, clear away clutter, box up some things into the loft if needed. When you have visits toys should be away in baskets/tubs at least

Thank you for the replies - cleaning the paintwork is definitely something that needs doing. I agree with the point that viewers see things differently.
Right, I’m off to get my rubber gloves on!