I'm going to be putting my house on the market in the next few months and would appreciate any guidance please

[BirthdayRainbow]

I don't think it will be until at least two months time but could be longer. I haven't sold a property since 1998 and that was a flat in London. I'm selling a house in Kent.

I would love any tips for what I could be doing now to make my house sellable. It's not so much about getting every penny but about a reasonably quick sale. I need money for a future house but emotionally need to move so it's a balance.

I have started packing so the garage and loft has some boxes in but it helps as not too cluttered.

Thank you, even obvious things would help.

Doing the same
Had a few agents round- they stressed must be immaculate as the current mortgage market means that buyer don't have spare money to do it up when they move in.

(have 7 men working in the house today as a result!)

Get the paperwork sorted out. Old extensions with no building regs sign off? Failure to get planning permission for alterations in a conservation area? These were the sort of things that held up our last purchase massively before we exchanged contracts -sellers and their solicitor were really unhelpful about sorting them out.

Listen to Kirsty's answer to the first question on here - and some other good tips too!

Make sure everything is right for the photos. Once you think it's ready take some pics yourself and study them - the images are the first impressions to get people excited about your home. For example wheelie bins - we all have the, they're unavoidable but they don't need to be in any pics. Beds - is the quilt/throw straight? Bins - kitchen/bathroom - don't have them in pics, same with cat litter trays/dog beds/crates for example. Have a bit if colour in all rooms eg if your bathroom is all white buy a towel and soap dispenser in a brighter colour just to tie it all in. You can get these cheaply in b&m etc. Have a look at similar houses for sale and see what you like/dislike about their images etc

Sort out your EPC
Have your boiler serviced if it hasn't been done.
Gas safety certs for appliances. (Optional but looks good)
Declutter...... be ruthless
Sort out any little/big maintenance jobs you've lived with.
Clean, clean, clean.

We're going round the house doing all of the little jobs we haven't had time for, like painting over marks on the skirting board, finishing off the bathroom with matching accessories and some art etc. In March we're'll be weeding and tidying the front and back gardens, getting a new front door mat and house sign etc and adding lots of colourful plants.

I've never sold a house before so it's all a bit daunting.

Ex EA for mys sins....

• Declutter but not to the point that the house doesn't look lived in or homely
• Clean, clean and clean again. Open windows to air the home.
• If you have pets especially dogs, can they be taken elsewhere for viewings? Hide evidence of them.
• Look at the layout of your furniture. Does it maximise your space?
• Tidy any outside space. Many people like to do a "Drive by" viewing before arranging an internal viewing.
• Let in as much light as possible especially for photographs
• Complete any odd jobs

People are looking for somewhere that they can move straight into and live comfortably without having to worry about a list of things that they will need to do immediately.

Good luck!

Ask your Estate Agent to be honest with you about their opinion about anything that should be changed.

Good tips above. I buy and sell frequently. I wouldn't spend any money replacing carpets or whatever, but some things will help.
So you definitely want to get all paperwork ready - planning permissions and completion certificates, party wall agreements, any guarantees, FENSA (I think it's called something else now), get your boiler serviced.
Your house: do all those little jobs you've put off, like fixing a loose cupboard door, resealing around the bathtub, cleaning the gutters, painting the hallways, cleaning the carpets, fixing the doorbell etc etc.
Declutter! You'll have to pack everything up eventually and you don't want to take stuff you don't like or never use or your kids have outgrown to the new house. If you have too much stuff but can't bear to part with it consider a storage unit.
Clean the windows, repaint your front door, make sure the front garden in particular looks nice and well cared for. Power wash any patio/walkways. Good tidy up of back garden. Don't bother buying lots of new plants, but a few well placed containers will cheer things up and you can always take them with you! Make sure garden furniture and any play sets are in good shape and clean.
If you have pets make sure dogs are out of the house when viewing. Clean their feeding bowls and beds and try to remove any trace of pet odour- you will be oblivious to it but it's there!
Finally, for viewings let the estate agent do them if possible, and point out to them things like the great school a block away, that there's an annual summer BBQ in the park, that parking is no issue - that sort of thing. Do not mention that 'we rarely hear the fire station two doors down'! Just don't mention anything negative (like you are moving as there's no storage in the house). Obviously do not omit anything you are legally obliged to disclose.
Make sure all beds are made, no laundry lying about and toys tidied away. No dishes in the sink. A bouquet of flowers looks nice.
Much of this is obvious but you'd be amazed at the state of some houses I've seen!

Hi, i’m a buyer so happy to provide some advice. First ask yourself if your home is a starter home or proper family home. Proper family home is one with at least three proper sized (double) bedrooms. A starter home would be a two bed or a two bed plus box room. Buyers today will not consider the box “bedroom” a bedroom. Is the garden size decent? This is important for many people since the pandemic. Make sure your EAs add the garden measurements to your ad and floor plans. Any extensions done? Get proof of safety and sign off ready. Prepare to answer Qs by buyers about neighbours, boundaries (check your deed if you dont know), any burglaries to your own property and on the street, crime levels, schools. If a school was rated “outstanding” a decade a go, this should not be a selling point. A decade is a long time and ofsted is little trusted these days so be realistic about whether advertising that to get more on the house is feasible. If you arent sure about this, please read in the news about how Ofsted recently made up a report for a school. Knowing things like the age of the windows, any insulation across the house, age of boiler and proof of servicing and doing a gas safety check will matter. I know the latter is for rentals but I demanded a gas safety check for the property I’m purchasing because it hadnt been rewired for 30 years, so didnt trust the gas safety, and I’m not paying for it myself when the offer would be dependent on it. You have a new set of buyers now and with the cost of living and many people really tired of poor quality housing, I think it’s best to get information and proof of things in order now and buyers will feel they can trust you and therefore your house. Wishing you the best!

All of the above - particularly decluttering. Ask a trusted friend for an honest opinion before photos. You may be blind to a much loved house’s faults.
Do your research and choose a good estate agent. In this market the house won’t sell itself so cheapest isn’t always best.

Declutter like mad.

Choose a good EA & don’t just go for the cheapest one but rather the one that has a great track record of selling properties in your area. Look at what else is for sale in your area & use the Rightmove sold function to check on recent sale prices. This will give you some idea of what sort of price you think would be appropriate so you are warned if the EA is trying to value your house too high just to win your business.

Depends where you live and what the local market is like. Also on your house. Our old house was a "starter home" and they sell within two or three viewings where we live (some sell before they even go on Rightmove!)

Things for me are to make it look loved. Get rid of any scuffs on the walls etc, make sure it's tidy and not cluttered. Clean!

Clean and tidy, although if you got young kids, not unusual for this room to be slightly more cluttered.

Good kerb appeal. Buy some pots and put some pretty plants in it to add kerb appeal if necessary. Mow the grass, sweep the paths etc.

For photographs, do basics such as make the bed, empty bins, remove dog bowls etc.

If possible, put a posh car in your driveway for the photographs to make it more appealing.

Doesn’t have to be the latest fashion, as people will make changes. Also, I always think too many newly painted walls are suspect - what are they hiding?!

Fresh flowers, nice fruit in bowls for when people are viewing.

Make sure each room has a purpose. If a room has become a bit of a dumping ground, then repurpose it as a bedroom or office. Charity shops sell furniture really cheap if you need something cheap and cheerful.

i remember reading years ago, you should spend 1% of your selling price to do your house up for selling. Houses are a lot more now, so maybe not that much is needed, but you get the idea.

def focus on decluttering, especially for the photos, even if you have to bring stuff back out for living in. Make sure every room has a clear purposes. I really wouldn’t spend money doing any painting or work though, it looks desperate and it’s so obvious.

Thank you so much. I had to post and run but I'll be getting a notebook me making notes. I've already started packing but this week I've done more boxing up while hoping to find something and while I miss my stuff it does look better. I need to take out the picture hooks from the photos I've taken down before the EA comes around.

I have had three rounds but the one I wanted to use has left. The second one I didn't like. The third one was inappropriate in his language and questions so I'm going to get another round soon.

Thanks again.

Declutter and deep clean. Take a long hard look at your decor and potentially get opinions on changing anything that needs neutralising.
Tidy the garden.

Get the electrics checked and recertified.
Get the boiler and any fires serviced and certified.

Make sure you have paperwork for any extensions, windows etc.

Why would you ask EAs about crime and schools when you can find this info online?

We bought a house where the vendor had failed to get the right permissions for alterations in a conservation area. The solicitors arranged an insurance policy (that the vendor paid for) to cover any future problems arising from this. It was a quick and simple solution.

The best way to get a quick sale is to make your house look like the best of it's type in the area and to market it at the right price. We're seeing lots of houses around here languishing on the market for months and dropping the price by small amounts every month.

First ask yourself if your home is a starter home or proper family home. Proper family home is one with at least three proper sized (double) bedrooms. A starter home would be a two bed or a two bed plus box room. Buyers today will not consider the box “bedroom” a bedroom.

And presumably a dining room for your candlelight suppers?

I'm trying to buy at the moment and have looked at lots of properties and to be honest none of the decorations/plants/decluttering etc makes any difference to me at all. I have kids, pets and clutter and I want to know they're going to fit in, it's very hard to tell if you're looking round a spartan staged house. I just want it to honestly match the listing. Accurate measurements, accurate descriptions, floorplan, lots of photos of different relevant things, not three wide angle shots of your new dining table with a bunch of flowers on it but no photo of the back garden. I agree with things like gas safety, electrical and boiler checks. A lot more buyers have been tenants and so are more aware of these sorts of things. I tend to view a house to buy like I would a rental and the first thing I do is run the hot tap to check the boiler and water pressure. If you've got problems with those consider getting them fixed. The second is check walls, windows and ceilings for mold, damp and cracks. Personally I want to see photos of practical things like the wheely bins and shoe racks because I want to know that there's room to store them.

@FraterculaArctica none of that is relevant for me but I'm sure will help someone else. Thank you.

@Whatevershallidowithmylife the bins are in the garage and down the side but I will make sure the beds are perfectly made.

@erikbloodaxe all that is done but the cleaning is on going.

@Coffeeandacatchup I will make sure the outside is sorted before the photos are done. Not sure about hiding evidence of my animals as I have quite a few, one definitely has to stay where he is but I'll move the beds for the photos. If they don't want my dog there for viewings they will have to do the viewings themselves.

@mondaytosunday my agent has left so I'm going to have a new one come around to value as I don't want to use the other two I had around.

@cupcakesarelife its definitely not a starter home. It's four beds with a massive garden and it is ready to move in. Just needs a new carpet and maybe a new kitchen floor.

@Twiglets1 one of the agents valued the house at £100k more than the other two. I'm considering getting someone else from that firm to value to see what she is like as I'm not having that idiot in my house again.

@Riverlee a posh car in the drive seems ridiculous tbh. I'm moving all cars off the drive to show the size. Someone won't buy my house because I've got a decent car on the drive! And if they do they are daft. I will be making sure the plant pots and hanging baskets are at their best though.

@ConflictofInterest I'm very interested in your post and in total agreement. I'm frustrated by the photos of some houses on line that are embarrassing if the agent or vendor think that is going to make me want to view and buy your house. I've already viewed a house where the photos weren't a true representation and it pissed me off no end.

lol @BirthdayRainbow

Sort out the bloody planning permissions and building regs! Get retrospective approvals. So much time wasted because of vendors not disclosing breaches.