Help me get ready to sell please

[AlwaysFoldingWashing]

We are hoping to move house later this year. Can I please ask for your advice on the best things we can do to make it more sellable? Are there areas we should focus on in order to help increase the likelihood of selling quickly? Is it better to keep it as blank a slate as possible or should we try and modernise it to make it more appealing?

Many thanks

In my experience, if you modernise, do a really good job. Don't miss a thing, so it's like a new build.
Or leave it as a doer upper. Because people seem to go for one or the other, not a 95% done house. But others may have a different opinion.

Clean, clutter-free, not too "done" but enough to be comfortable straight away. Not out of keeping with the area, if you are in a "local house for local people" sort of place. Basic maintenance clearly kept up, no odd jobs left hanging. Fresh paintwork, inside and out, where reasonable.

Mostly though you need to ruthlessly, heartlessly, viciously declutter. Maybe that's just our problem, but it was a relief to see our house photos showing a house that was calm, clear, tidy, and clutter-free. If you like nicknacks, box 90% of them up! Etc.

Declutter, and once you are done declutter again. Look on line and see how houses that sell fast are presented.

If you go on YouTube and watch the Unsellables you'll get a good idea of how your home should be presented.

It needs to look as close to a show home as possible.

Also clean. Make it spotless when people come round. It needs to look almost unlived in when it comes to cleanliness.

Can we see pics?

De-clutter:
If you're not taking it with you to the next house, get rid of it.
All your ornamental stuff, nik-naks, family photos etc., pack them up now.
You want your home to look spacious.

Make a list of all the jobs that need doing and book in tradespeople to fix anything that needs fixing. This includes anything that's broken or tatty-looking. (e.g. cracked window pane, scruffy paintwork.)

Kerb-appeal starts outside. Attend to gardens, front and back, any scruffy paintwork, and make sure your front door looks smart.

Once you've done this, go round your house and take photos of every room, plus outside front and back. Look at the photos objectively. You'll be shocked at how much clutter etc you have to get rid of to make a house look good in pictures.

Price the house to sell. Do not be tempted by silly valuations from estate agents. Do not get greedy. A well-priced house that is a house that sells. Price reductions look bad.

Don't entertain buyers who are not in a position to buy. Serious proceedable buyers only.

And good luck!

Yes, spotlessly clean. We even hid the kitchen bin away for pics and viewings.

Examples of my house - I sold it a week after I listed it in November last year, so recent.

The above are great suggestions. I would add that if you do this and then price the property a little under your local competition you should get a healthy number of viewings. Buyers are out there but price is key atm unless your property has something particularly desirable or is in a highly sort after area. I don't think we will get much of a spring bounce this year. Don't get caught trying to catch a falling knife as my Grandad used to say.

Find out what your estate agents do to earn their fee? Do they hold open house events to drum up interest? How do they market your property (everything from prominent space in their window etc)?
Clear your space. eg Someone else may want to convert your loft so will need to access it to view.

Do your own research when pricing your house. Set up some searches on rightmove in your area for the same type of house as yours, and see what the market is like. Look up average salaries in the area and do the rough 4.5 times figure that a lender would use. Who will be interested in your house the most - established families, young professionals, retirees? Try to figure out what would draw people to the area/street. Keep up to date with BoE activities, average mortgage prices and house price trends.

All this research and thinking ahead of time will help you when interviewing estate agents and you shouldn't be surprised with the price they offer to list it at. Choose a reasonable price for your house and it should sell.

Keep up to date on houseprices.io. These are the prices you local area was achieving around 7mo ago (and now completing Nov 23). Bake in increases/decreases based on your local market since then.

Thanks so much for all the help, everyone. Will check out the YouTube tube suggestion and take inspiration from the photos! I am
Pleased to say I am ruthless with clutter and very disciplined. Our next door neighbour is actually putting their property up this month so that should hopefully give us a good steer re pricing. The area itself has become very popular over the last few years and has trebled in size so I'm hoping we will have a reasonable amount of interest. Here's hoping! Thanks again everyone