Following the list writting thread, I need help with a list...

[chicagomum]

I am sitting here writting a list of all the things I need to do to get the house in order to put on the market asap. (DH is stalling so I'm taking control- will do the painting etc etc). What I am asking for is (IYO) the sort of things you would be looking at in a house that would entice you to put in an offer (and conversely what would put you off) so I can check I have all the bases covered so to speak. TIA

neutral decor (i know i know everyone says this)

tidy, quite sparse cupboards (esp. in bedroom)

clean windows

i get quite excited when houses i am viewing are clutter free, not a lot of furniture, nothing 'showy' either (cant stand folk who set the table or have flowers everywhere just to impress viewers)

dont have it impractical (like, you can have toys around, just tidied up) and dont have something in every corner

hth

ive moved house loads and viewed hundreds of houses

good luck with the sell

Mine is on the market atm and we've looked at lots of other properties too, including having a look around our 'competition' (those similar properties in the same price bracket to ours). Ours is well very well presented and tidy compared to the majority ! There's not much cosmetically that would put me off making an offer, as I can see past that, but generally...

• Make sure it's VERY clean and tidy
• De-clutter, but don't take too much away so it ends up looking unhomely
• Clean down all you paintwork - doors/skirting etc
• Neutralise any strong colours (strong colours in kids rooms are generally ok so long as paint/paper in reasonable condition)
• Repair any little DIY jobs that you've kept putting off
• Air the rooms properly before every viewing.
• Make sure your windows are SPOTLESS. Buyers love light rooms so do all you can to encourage day-light in (pull curtains right back etc)

ask friends to look after bits of furniture, big toys etc til you move

dont stuff it all in the garage or shed

put out pots of flowers at the door

have nice neutral decor

not too many pictures

open a window

weed the garden

even change the lightshades to neutral if not already

I second putting pots or something outside house - be aware of what they call 'kerb appeal' on the House Doctor, ie, making sure if someone just looks at the outside, it looks tidy and welcoming, and makes them want to look inside.

"kerb appeal" or whatever they call it on all those property shows.
Look at the first impressions that potential buyers who pull-up outside will get-sweep the path, weed garden, tidy shrubs, pots of colourful plants, wash down woodwork on windows and doors, clean windows etc.

Snap, BettySpaghetti.

Things that would put me off:

obviously unfinished diy jobs
tatty carpets
wallpaper (much easier to paint over a colour you don;t like than strip paper etc)
lack of kitchen space (OK not much you can do but make sure kitchen looks streamlined and not cluttered)
lack of storage space (ditto)
a very overgrown / "difficult" looking garden
describing anything in teh details other than how it actually is e.g. calling a room bedroom 5 when you'd be hard pushed to fit a bed in it

things that would tick boxes for me:

new or good condition, neutral carpets or other flooring
walls painted in neutral colours (so at least can be lived with for a while)
paintwork freshly painted in white
tidy garden that looks easy to maintain
a good sized & well layed out kitchen with room for all appliances
a newish looking, clean, white bathroom suite
a shower, pref mains, power & walk-in
sufficient power points (often a problem we've found)
overall a bright, light aspect to as many rooms as possible

Those are the things I think you can probably influence as a seller. The other things, like location, size of rooms, layout, etc, are probably higher up the list for me than cosmetic details.

big shiny polished brass door number

You've been watching same progs as me JackieNo

Yes BettySpaghetti - love the House Doctor - there's some useful stuff on the \link{http://www.uktvstyle.co.uk/index.cfm/uktvStyle/standardHomepage.article/sID/230.shtml\UK style website} on her ideas.

When you say about the cupboards I understand kitchen cupboards those under the stars etc, but surely they wouldn't look in wardrobes etc (particularly if they aren't fitted and hence obviously we will be taking them with us.)

Thanks for that link btw jackieno

people do look in your cupboards. but not non-fitted ones that you will be taking with you, good point chicagomum

Does fresh paint not make you think there is something to hid though (eg damp) ?