What are your top tips for selling a home? - £300 voucher to be won

[EmmaMumsnet]

NOW CLOSED

If you’ve sold your home before, or nosed around someone else’s, you’ll know that first impressions count. There’s a load of advice out there on how to get your house market-ready but Purplebricks wants to hear from you with your top tips for selling and what you look for when you view houses.

If you have children...how do you hide store all the toys?! What about redecorating? Is there a go-to paint colour? Maybe you do small things like having fresh bedding and flowers for house viewings? Or do you clean clean clean and clean again?

Here’s what Purplebricks has to say: “MNers, let’s talk kerb appeal. What gets you going or just gets your goat when you’re looking round a potential new property? Have you got any advice you could share on how to present your property for maximum impact? Share it with us.”

So, whatever your tips are for selling, share them on the thread below and everyone who comments will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[Batteriesallgone]

Irma what value house or flat? What size kitchen or bathroom?

[IrmaFayLear]

We live in a sought-after area, but house is 80s, not period, so although it's in a good spot, no one (including us when we bought it) is going to be oohing and aahing over it's aesthetic appeal. Bathrooms are very limescaley which I think would put someone off, but otoh spending ££££££ to replace them seems not only stressful but a dubious sunk cost. Or not?!

[Batteriesallgone]

Limescale will clean off. It’s not easy but it will clean off.

[Farwah]

Definitely declutter and get rid of the mess! First impression is definitely the last impression so the outside should be mess-free. Security,apart from the obvious,please please be honest! Let the possible buyers know everything! Trust me,it will keep both of your’s mind at ease! If possible,send your kids out when the inspection time is due. Keep windows open and make sure the house smells fresh and clean as that really leaves a good impression. Lastly,be honest and luck be with you!

[NastyCats]

Remove the dog! Viewers definitely do not want to be barked at or fawned over when they arrive and then they either have to worry about their trousers being jumped on or getting slobber on or petting the dog rather than concentrating on the viewing, You don't want to make them uncomfortable from the start. Ensure there's no pet smell, either! Maybe have carpets/sofa cleaned.

Nice pots and flowers in the garden and immediately outside back doors. Fresh flowers in vases.

No clutter or mess. Pack away photo frames and ornaments and ensure everything is tidy. Immaculate bathroom spaces!

[fishnships]

Find an Estate Agent that you like and can trust. That's it!

[buckley1983]

Take a trip to IKEA & invest in some basic storage - the Expedit units are great - we stored all the kids toys, books, etc in the fabric drawers so everything was out of sight for viewings. If you want to keep the units, great! If not, they sell really well on Ebay second hand :)
We had a huge clearout & several trips to the Charity shop later, the house looked bigger & fresher.
Our house was pretty neutral anyway so no redecorating needed (thankfully!) but we took down personal photos to make the wallspace appear larger & to allow viewers to project their own ideas on the place.
You don't have to spend loads, just have a good clearout, get rid of clutter, store wisely & have a really thorough clean.
The classic fresh coffee smell always works a treat too :)

[1969angep]

When we moved we put a load of stuff in storage whilst on the market, to declutter all the rooms. I think you need to make your house look as spacious as possible. Try and keep the frontage/garden tidy and light curtains and open windows so it feels light and airy!

[Nena1]

Repaint if necessary. Don't have a half unfinished bathroom and a kitchen that is dated.

Take care of the house, replace the boiler if it is on its last legs. Make sure the walls don't have damp. Deal with it the first time you notice it.

Keep it tidy so people can walk round and get idea of space and how your beds/wardrobes work for you. How they may rearrange the room etc.

Be honest. Don't lie about things to get a better price.

Don't set your expectations too high.

[foxessocks]

Huge declutter, toys in cupboards!

[OhMyGodTheyKilledKenny]

Look for those little jobs that never got done or finished. The sort of jobs that you no longer "see" IYSWIM eg. Grouting that was never quite finished, that missing bit of skirting board, that bit of boxing-in that you never got round to painting.

And, of course, declutter! If you haven't got the storage space then use a friend's garage or rent somewhere.

[Housemum]

Echoing what others have said - clean but not empty! We sold our house in 3 days this year, this is what we did:

• rented a storage unit for 3 months, removed all non-essential items.
  
• bathrooms - only a couple of bottles out, rest hidden in cupboards or in storage
  
• bedrooms - reduced DDs' toys to a manageable amount. No one will believe your child has 3 wooden toys only! We left her a few of youngest's Lego friends sets out, and when viewers came it would be obvious that she played in her room but not cluttered. Likewise, we removed the out of season clothes so that there was a bit of extra space in the wardrobes - you don't want it to look like there isn't enough storage, but you won't fool anyone by only hanging up 3 shirts and a pair of trousers per person!
  
• be careful with scent - some people hate it or it triggers allergies/asthma. We didn't bother with fragrances, but made sure that we had cleaned every room top to bottom.
  
• We spent a week tidying up the decoration - a quick coat of Satinwood on the banisters and skirting in the hallway as they were chipped and it's the first view you see.
  
• Keep front door and hallway clear - people don't want to be stepping over a shoe mountain or fighting coats.
  
• Put a couple of pots with bright bedding plants by the front door
  
• make sure lawn is neat if you have one. Put garden toys away.
  

We basically made sure that our house was clean and tidy, but looked happy and lived-in rather than clinical and empty. We did remove DD2's "beware of zombies" sign from her bedroom door and replaced the miserable emo artwork with a more upbeat picture from the Range! (We were selling a house likely to appeal to a young family, I thought cheerful was the way to go)

[Housemum]

Kitchen gadgets - leave the worktops clear. You'd be surprised how many people don't notice that you haven't got a toaster out! I left the kettle and the Kitchen Aid, the large coffee machine/toaster/food processor went to my mum's for a while! Likewise we trimmed the utensils to a bare minimum and so if the viewers opened the kitchen drawers it looked like there was loads of storage (which to be fair there was but we'd filled it!)

[MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals1]

I agree with previous posters; make sure that it looks clean, fresh and uncluttered. As a part of this, I would suggest hiding any evidence that dogs or cats have lived in the property and making sure that the photographs are very well light. However, I'd also make sure that you don't take the character out of the house by putting all of your furniture into storage - many people struggle to imagine what the house is going to be like if they're confronted with pictures of blank rooms - that's not going to help someone fall in love with it! So, I'd say, make sure that there is some colour in the photos (especially if the walls/floor/ceiling are neutral) - perhaps by putting a boho throw over a chair or a green plant in the bathroom. For viewings, I'd suggest making sure the lawn is cut and there are fresh flowers on the table/kitchen counter.

[Lulabellx1]

Declutter as much as possible, give the house a fresh lick of paint and keep the gardens tidy... make it look like it's an easy house to maintain!

[QwertySmalls]

Paint all walls cream and add mirrors in the room for exra light. Keep the floors empty and clutter hidden.

[Teaspoon74]

Make the place as clean and clutter free as possible. And if you can’t store/ hide everything then try and make sure you have the clutter in one place(explainable) rather than everywhere.

HOWEVER where I differ from pals is that I think you should pause before spending if selling. No point in putting in a new kitchen and then having new buyers not like it anyway. Think about what you would change and then consider how much you would be willing to discount the selling price rather than have the hassle of living through/ doing work?

[duck22]

Sunny day, minimal furniture (less clutter the better) and everything tidy

[Awoof]

Send sullen teens to Starbucks for an hour during viewings 😁

[blackcat86]

The house needs to be really clean without too many personal items out . Show a use for each room so even if your dining room is used for storage, get a cheap dining table to put it. Fresh bedding and cleaned soft furnishings are a must as well as getting rid of any pet smells..don't have the washing machine or tumble dryer going. My tumble dryer is in the conservatory and kicks out a lot of heat so can make the conservatory seem hot when it's not.

[DurhamDurham]

The house should be clean and tidy, decluttered but not soulless. It should be aired and smell fresh but not overpowering, leave the air freshener in the cupboard ( I've walked around some viewings coughing due to abundance of air freshener )

If you have pets make sure they're out and their food bowls and bedding are put away. Not everyone likes pets as much as you do.

Market the house with a good local agent, one who knows the area well, one who can increase viewings and interest on your home.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

This is a really silly, minor thing, but I hate seeing estate agents' pics showing divan beds with no valance on!

[lpchill]

Remove family photos.

Declutter at least 30% of your stuff.

Organise your cupboards and wardrobes if fitted. (People do want to see how much useable space is in them)

If you haven't got time to really clean- clear surfaces, quick dust, Hoover and clean the toilet.

Fresh flowers always makes somewhere more homely.

Don't overdo it with smells. The more neutral it smells the better.

[LikeARockhopper]

Clean
Declutter
Fix anything you've been putting off

But mostly, pick a decent estate agent!

[Elliejojo]

All the houses I have liked recently have been clean, de cluttered and homely.
Keep things simple and have not have decoration that is ‘acquired taste’.