May 2nd, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Part 1 – Speedy Selling

If you’ve never done it before, selling your home can be an intimidating prospect. Less and less people are able to buy homes these days, meaning it’s vital that you make a good impression on those that do come for a viewing. However, inviting a steady stream of strangers into your home is stressful for anyone, especially if you have a couple of setbacks. Cleaning your house and getting it ready to show off to potential buyers takes a bit of effort, but there are ways you can lessen the stress. That’s where we come in. If you want to sell your home quickly and without stressing, read on; our simple guide will give you all the advice you need. Part 1 of this guide covers selling your house quickly. Part 2 covers ways you can increase the value of your property. Make sure to read that article too to make sure you get the best deal on your home, with the least stress!

1. Get in the Right Frame of Mind

Be proud of your house and you'll make your buyers excited to move in! Before you even start looking at your home, it’s important to try and empathise with your potential buyers a bit and get yourself in the right headspace. Remember, people aren’t just buying your house, they’re buying into you as well! Be your own harshest critic and try and put yourself in the shoes of a buyer. The little quirks and blemishes around your home that you’ve grown to love might well be off-putting to your potential buyers. Think about the type of person who you expect to buy your home and try and cater to them. Is it a big home for families? Go for a family-friendly layout and try to emphasise the space you have. Is it a smaller home for first-time buyers? Use lots of mirrors and open all your curtains to make your home look as bright and clean as possible. It also goes without saying to be as open and friendly as you can be to your viewers. Showing your home is incredibly stressful, but you want to show off that you’re proud of your house and that your viewers would be happy to live there! Greet your viewers, offer to put the kettle on and let them know you’re available to answer any questions they might have. Then you can stay out of their way and let them wander around freely. If you follow the advice below, you’ll have every reason to be confident in your house, so relax!

2. Pick the Right Time of Year

Autumn is a pretty time of year, and it's one of the best times to sell your house! Once you know who’s most likely to buy your home, ask yourself: is this the right time of year to sell? If you’ve got a big family home, selling your home in summer might not be the best idea as a lot of families will be planning out their school holidays. Likewise, if the big selling point of your home is the garden, winter time isn’t going to show off your garden in the best light and might be a harder sell. Generally, spring and autumn are good times to sell your home, while winter is generally the slow season.

3. Remove Clutter and Remove Yourself

This is a hard step to take, but it’s an important one. When your viewers look at your home, they’re not really looking at your home. They’re looking at what could potentially be their home. That means they need to be able to visualise themselves living in it, so try and remove any personal touches from your house. Taking down photographs, posters and things with your name on is a good place to start. Replace them with generic artwork if you need to. This can be tough, especially if you have a lot of memories in your home, but it’s proven to help homes sell faster. You can do this while de-cluttering your home, which is an obvious step to take for anyone selling their home. If you have pets, make sure all trace of them is cleaned away and try to keep them out of your home while it’s being viewed if possible. Start packing before you’ve even sold up – this will help make your house look more spacious and inviting. Treat your home like a blank canvas and invite your viewers to fill it with their own ideas. If they start to imagine themselves living there, that’s a great sign!

4. Clean Those Carpets

A clean carpet will guarantee your home seems fresher and brighter Once you’ve got a good idea of who your house is for and you’ve de-cluttered nicely, you can start with cleaning! Carpets and floors are a great place to start as some quality flooring will impress any potential buyers as soon as they step into your home. Your hard floors are simple enough to clean with a decent steam mop and detergent, or simply a bit of elbow grease. Carpets, however, are more difficult to clean as they tend to absorb dirt and odours over time. What’s more, we tend not to notice dingy carpets as the discolouration usually happens gradually, and if we leave odours to build up we eventually get used to them. Even if you don’t think your carpet needs it, give it a thorough clean with a quality carpet shampoo. You’ll notice the difference immediately! A fresh, clean carpet can really brighten up any room, and it won’t go unnoticed by your viewers.

5. Fill Up Their Senses

Your home should be pleasing to all your buyers’ senses. Making it look nice is obvious, but you can also make it feel nice with some soft, clean carpets and some soft furnishings. You should also make your home smell great – we’ve already mentioned how a clean carpet can really freshen things up, but you can also add scented candles, reed diffusers, flowers and air fresheners to give your home a subtle but welcoming scent. While you’ll take most of these things with you, appealing to every sense is a great way to make an impression and will really set your property apart!

6. Glorify Your Garden

A nice garden that your viewers will want to spend time in could be a clincher In this age of cramped living where space is at a premium, offering your viewers a gorgeous garden to relax in is a sure-fire way to sell your home quickly! Try to present the garden as a blank canvas that won’t need a lot of work to become whatever your potential buyer wants it to be. Keep your lawn and any flowers or trees looking healthy and well-maintained to create an inviting space that your viewers would want to spend time in. If you’ve got a natural lawn, use some iron sulphate to give it that lush green colour. Make sure any weeds or other blemishes are removed so your garden looks its very best! If you’ve got artificial grass, give it a clean before anyone comes around! A patio is also a nice bonus for any buyer! If you have a patio, you want to make the most of it by giving your patio and other hard surfaces in the garden a good clean. Thankfully, that isn’t difficult; a simple going over with Pro-Kleen’s Patio and Drive Cleaner will get your patio gleaming, while Simply Spray and Walk Away will get rid of green mould and algae growing on decking and trellising in only a couple of days.

7. Fix Things Up

Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or you prefer to trust a professional with a paintbrush, now is the time to be fixing up your home and giving it a lick of paint. Any blemishes, cracks or dents in your home should be covered up, filled in or repaired. Any damaged furnishings should be replaced to make your home as appealing and fresh as possible. Also, if you have a feature wall, or any walls painted in bold colours, consider repainting them. You might love those statement red walls, but your potential buyers might not! Play it safe with neutral colours like whites and creams, and paint over any bold colours.

8. Make a Good First Impression

The second your potential buyer sets eyes on your house, it needs to wow them. When you’re cleaning, painting and fixing up your home, don’t forget about the exterior! Start off by giving the exterior brickwork a good going-over with a pressure washer. Give your door and windows a good cleaning, making sure to get rid of any grime that gathers on windowsills and doorframes. If you’ve got a garden path or drive, make sure it’s properly cleaned with some Patio and Driveway Cleaner! Consider livening up the walk to your house with some flowers, lanterns or birdfeeders to impress your potential buyers before they’ve even knocked on the door. First impressions are vital, so getting those right is a big part of selling your house.

9. Go Modern

Monochrome colours provide the perfect blank canvas for a potential buyer to fill with their own ideas Don’t worry about cultivating a vintage or retro look to sell your home. Go simple, clean and modern with your painting and furnishings so you don’t put anybody off. If your light fittings are looking a bit dated, get some affordable, modern-looking ones to replace them. It’s always best to go for a simple, monochrome look when trying to sell a home. Anything in white, grey or cream will work, and will really brighten up any property. Once it’s clean, a nice monochrome colour palette will make your home look brand new – that’s exactly what’ll appeal to any potential buyer!

10. Don’t Be Afraid of Technology

Using smart appliances that can be controlled with a smartphone will appeal to a lot of people Investing in some smart technology might not be the cheapest option, but it’ll definitely help you sell your house quickly and for a higher price. Look into smart thermostats, heating and lighting options that can be controlled with a smartphone. While they might not mean a lot to most older buyers, young families and first-time buyers will really appreciate the convenience and the savings smart technology can offer on bills. If you have a smart thermostat for example, make sure you or the estate agent emphasises this when you list your house, and make sure it’s pointed out whenever you have a viewing. A bit of technological innovation will definitely help your house stand out from the crowd and could well clinch a great deal for you.