Getting the house ready to sell

[SuperCaliFragalistic]

I've owned my house for 10 years, was renting previously so I've never sold a house before and I'm pretty clueless about the process.

I'm a single parent and looking to buy somewhere bigger near a decent secondary so need to maximise my available cash.

I dont have the time or inclination to do anything major, some rooms need redecorating but they aren't awful. So far my list is:
Paint hallway, stairwell, landing
Declutter - chuck out surplus stuff
Tidy front garden, jetwash front steps
Tidy back garden, paint fence and oil decking, jetwash patio
Window cleaner
Deep clean whole house
This can all be done for very little cost.

Would you suggest I put some stuff in storage to make the house appear less cluttered? Obviously there's a cost to that. The carpets are in pretty good nick but would look better with a professional clean. How far should I go to get everything looking buy-able?

Then what do I do? I presume i need to get my house on the market before i start really looking for somewhere else? Any tips for choosing an estate agent other than local recommendations?

I'm totally clueless - any advice or things you think I need to bear in mind?

Oh and I have a reasonable inheritance which is partly funding this upsize. At what point shall I speak to the mortgage company? Would I just ask to transfer to the new property (I have 2 years left) or do I need to get a new mortgage?

Seems like you have everything on your list that I would do!

Storage for clutter - do you have a loft space/garage you could use? If it’s only going to be afew boxes etc then I don’t see the point in the expense.

I personally would only get carpets professionally done if they actually needed it!

I’m still in my first house so don’t have any advise for estate agents! All I would say if you don’t have to go through their own mortgage brokers etc. Some say you do but you don’t.

I would arrange valuations, once your happy with one get in contact with mortgage company, they should just transfer unless you need more but you said you have inheritance so I would find out this first so you know your limit.

Unless you have makes of stuff, don't need to put things in storage. But it is a good time to get rid of stuff - we all have things that we don't use or need or have outgrown.
You can hire a carpet shampoo machine.
Any odd jobs that need found? Loose tiles, broken lights, get this fixed.
In todays market you probably have to be under offer before agents will let you view, but keep checking out tightmove to get an idea if what's out there, how fast they are selling and their value.
You want an agent who will not overprice your house, that will do all the viewings and show to proceedable buyers. Look if one agent dominates the market near you. Ask for frank feedback on your house- what can you do to make it more attractive than the next house.
Good luck!

You will need to port your mortgage if you are still on a fixed rate. We're currently getting ready to do this. I'd ring up and aak if your mortgage is portable (most are) and they will be able to go through an agreement in principle with you.

Everything you've listed sounds fine - very similar to what we've been doing in fact. A couple of our carpets could do with replacing actually but people keep telling me I'm nuts for considering this.

We met with three estate agents and went with the most chatty and enthusiastic - they also had a good rate and lots of recent sales in the area.

Good luck!

Thank you. I'm half excited and half terrified. I bought this place with my ex and going it alone is pretty scary. But the big girl pants are on! I'll scrap the idea of storage - I'll shove a few boxes in the loft and try to ditch what I can. I have broken kitchen tile which I can replace pretty easily. I need to sell in spring/summer as the conservatory is not really an asset any other time of year but is lovely right now!

perhaps get mortgage advice early so know budget etc
make sure front of house is neat and tidy
ask people you know for estate agent recommendations, look around area for agents boards as this is another good indication of which agent is best in your area. Get 3 agents round at least and go with who you feel confident with.

Get three agents round for a valuation, this will give you something to base your budget on.

Start looking on rightmove etc to get a sense of what is out there, but you'll want to get your house on the market and an offer before you start viewings (things are selling v quickly).

Your plan sounds sensible. I've put some stuff in storage as I found a small unit for £6/mo.

Ask your EA if they think there is anything you could do to make your house more appealing.

I'd suggest avoiding chain estate agents, but that may just be my experience.

When you choose an agent, it is best usually to choose one that values not too low or too high. It is important to be with someone you feel you can work with. I visited the branches of my local agents and asked questions. After that I invited three to do a valuation. There is also a wide range of charges. Some will value your property high and also charge much more. Putting your property on for too much will just mean no viewers.

If you have a car you can chuck the clutter off the kitchen bench that you need later that day in the boot during a viewing
I would speak to your bank now to find out what their requirements are definitely
When you have agents round ask them what they think you should do
Also ask a friend who has recently bought if they can give you feedback
Good luck

Definitely declutter as much as possible. You'll probably find stuff you want to get rid of while you sort it. Shove it in the loft / shed / car / anywhere. We put pretty much everything we owned in the loft, shed, and in our two cars and then drove the crammed full cars down the road and round the corner! The house looked amazing but never looked as good since. We were lucky that we only needed to do two sets of viewings before selling as there's no way I could keep that up - you may find it easier though if you have less stuff than us. Best of luck!

Declutter and then declutter some more! Clean the house until it sparkles and show off the good points.

I am amazed at the state of some houses for sale.

Get your house marketed at the right price but insist on only proceedable buyers because you could get people who just come for a look!

Sounds a great list OP.

We have recently moved, a major downsize, I would add de clutter, as you go, get rid of items you don’t want, use or need. Buy plenty of black bags, put some pots with bright plants by front door to add kerb appeal.

Good luck, property is moving fast, so I am sure you will get a buyer in no time.