Things that sell a house
Discussion
We're looking to sell our house in the coming months and I was wondering, is it worth asking Mrs G to bake a cake just before people come to view? Should she play classical music quietly through the house? Or should she make sure there is always the smell of fresh coffee in the air? Bunches of flowers? Or a grand piano 
?
Do these things really help to sell a house?
?Do these things really help to sell a house?
Frankeh said:
I heard baking bread helps.
Probably the best thing is to have a house that they want though :P
Probably the best thing is to have a house that they want though :P
Not smelling of last night's curry is probably a wise move. Getting rid of the s
t you've been collecting for years and replacing them with a few choice items that personalise the house is recommended. And don't make it too bland in the front garden... it should be welcoming... usually the wife will have a big say in the final decision so pretty flowers, hanging baskets and plants in pots will help. Ok, that's enough camp talk from me. I'm off to kill someone.Do you have children? If so try not to have viewing when they are running around the place.
Keep it clean and tidy, especially the kitchen and bathrooms, think about boxing up extra occasional use items and popping them in the loft/shed.
They see the outside of your house first, so go out and have a good look, are the nets/blinds/curtains clean and tidy, has the grass been cut, is the number/name of your house visable.
Open a couple of windows.
Be aware of local services, school, libary, good shops etc.
You want the house to look like it's ready to move in to.
Keep it clean and tidy, especially the kitchen and bathrooms, think about boxing up extra occasional use items and popping them in the loft/shed.
They see the outside of your house first, so go out and have a good look, are the nets/blinds/curtains clean and tidy, has the grass been cut, is the number/name of your house visable.
Open a couple of windows.
Be aware of local services, school, libary, good shops etc.
You want the house to look like it's ready to move in to.
Edited by LittleMiss on Wednesday 9th September 11:02
Number 1. Get rid of all the old tat lying around.
Just because YOU use each room for a particular purpose, doesn't mean the buyer will.
Try and make each room look like it can be used however they want it.
Lounge for instance -
TV position, chairs, lights, tables etc..
Show (if you can) that they can go anywhere they want, that the room can be set out any way.
Tell them that.
Get the buyer thinking about opportunities, rather than what they see is what they get.
Small Bedroom -
Opportunities again.
Childs, Visitors, Office, Playroom, Games room, Laundry etc..
Get rid of clutter, so the buyer can see its adaptability.
HTH
Just because YOU use each room for a particular purpose, doesn't mean the buyer will.
Try and make each room look like it can be used however they want it.
Lounge for instance -
TV position, chairs, lights, tables etc..
Show (if you can) that they can go anywhere they want, that the room can be set out any way.
Tell them that.
Get the buyer thinking about opportunities, rather than what they see is what they get.
Small Bedroom -
Opportunities again.
Childs, Visitors, Office, Playroom, Games room, Laundry etc..
Get rid of clutter, so the buyer can see its adaptability.
HTH
A bit extreme, but we recarpeted almost the whole house and put a new kitchen in. This helped get the offers in after having the house on the market for a year. This was after feedback from viewings.
We also put any unneccessary stuff (furniture, ornaments, pictures etc) into the loft. Clearing that lot out when we moved made me wonder why we keep all that cr*p in the first place. Sadly my wife caught me going to the tip with a load of boxes that she made me keep!
We also put any unneccessary stuff (furniture, ornaments, pictures etc) into the loft. Clearing that lot out when we moved made me wonder why we keep all that cr*p in the first place. Sadly my wife caught me going to the tip with a load of boxes that she made me keep!
i might be a bit 'old skool' but how about having a reasonable asking price..?
personal opinions/ experienced based on selling and buying over last 10 mths:
first viewing either you or agent NOT both at same time.
if you then talk up all the local schools/pleasantness of neighbourhood.
if evening make sure rooms are well lit. put all lights on before viewers come around - don't have dodgy energy saving dinginess - open the (closed) room door and show them how incredibly sopisticated the room is(!)
in terms of house. all the usual tidying up rubbish.
fill all the cracks and re paint if necessary.
are any of your walls in dated colours? just 'natural calico' them.
don't talk up what you've done too much is my personal view. if you've doubled the size of it then make that sort of point because clearly that's changed the value from the price they've found off the land registry - but don't go trying to tell people you've 'done work' when you've just redecorated it's just annoying.
sell it chain free
tidy the garden. tidy the neighbours garden if needs be.
don't let on that the neighbours house is rented unless directly asked - just say how nice they are.
it might be worth drawing their attention to the fact that there's plenty of room for an extension/garage/more parking/conservatory/loft conversion and (if there is) there is a precedence for planning in the road.
don't let on too much about your personal life. they do not need to know that you're unemployed/relocating/divorcing. it's chain free to remove hassle and no more...
________
phase two.
'kitchen's and bathrooms sell houses'. depending on the level your house is at it might be worth a bit of retiling/reflooring/rehandling/recupboard dooring. i wouldn't entirely re-do the kitchen if your house is anyway 'normal' or unless it's flipping awful.
______
it needs to look well maintained. it needs to look light. it needs to feel spacious.
personally i never fell for any (+ve) coffee b0l0x BUT (-ve) cat food/curry can be off putting.
personal opinions/ experienced based on selling and buying over last 10 mths:
first viewing either you or agent NOT both at same time.
if you then talk up all the local schools/pleasantness of neighbourhood.
if evening make sure rooms are well lit. put all lights on before viewers come around - don't have dodgy energy saving dinginess - open the (closed) room door and show them how incredibly sopisticated the room is(!)
in terms of house. all the usual tidying up rubbish.
fill all the cracks and re paint if necessary.
are any of your walls in dated colours? just 'natural calico' them.
don't talk up what you've done too much is my personal view. if you've doubled the size of it then make that sort of point because clearly that's changed the value from the price they've found off the land registry - but don't go trying to tell people you've 'done work' when you've just redecorated it's just annoying.
sell it chain free
tidy the garden. tidy the neighbours garden if needs be.
don't let on that the neighbours house is rented unless directly asked - just say how nice they are.
it might be worth drawing their attention to the fact that there's plenty of room for an extension/garage/more parking/conservatory/loft conversion and (if there is) there is a precedence for planning in the road.
don't let on too much about your personal life. they do not need to know that you're unemployed/relocating/divorcing. it's chain free to remove hassle and no more...
________
phase two.
'kitchen's and bathrooms sell houses'. depending on the level your house is at it might be worth a bit of retiling/reflooring/rehandling/recupboard dooring. i wouldn't entirely re-do the kitchen if your house is anyway 'normal' or unless it's flipping awful.
______
it needs to look well maintained. it needs to look light. it needs to feel spacious.
personally i never fell for any (+ve) coffee b0l0x BUT (-ve) cat food/curry can be off putting.
Edited by briSk on Wednesday 9th September 11:26
Ask friends or family, about improving the "sale-ability" you need an objective eye on the matter.
Start from the outside and work your way in..
Potential buyers will form an idea of the property starting from the moment they see it and as they enter the property. If this is a negative PoV all the later +ves will go to waste.. If they form a +ve initial PoV then the later -ves won't seem so bad.
Remove clutter and tat. Either de-clutter / bin / charity shop / freecycle / EBay stuff.. This is a double bonus, your house will sell more easily and there's less tat to move to the new home..
Start from the outside and work your way in..
Potential buyers will form an idea of the property starting from the moment they see it and as they enter the property. If this is a negative PoV all the later +ves will go to waste.. If they form a +ve initial PoV then the later -ves won't seem so bad.
Remove clutter and tat. Either de-clutter / bin / charity shop / freecycle / EBay stuff.. This is a double bonus, your house will sell more easily and there's less tat to move to the new home..
Hi,
Not a great deal to add to the sense stated above. Make the place as presntable as possible, a lick of pain and a massive decluttering if your situation allows it. Fresh flowers, clean curtains and attractive soft furnishing sif your place has any risk of being viewed by the fairer sex. Give each room an identity. Do not, ever, leave yesterdays washing up on the side (or in the dishwasher) or a bin even half smelly or dirty. Keep that bathroom as clean as your Mum would.
Ensure you have the right marketing for the property. If selling through an agent choose the right one, not the cheapest, or necessarily the one that recommends the highest asking price. Ensure the photos are of good quality and are plentiful but not excessive. Ask for a floorplan to be added to the brochure/internet. Ask for feedback from viewings. If necessary, be open to addressing the asking price if you are not getting the right number of viewings or receiving offers after, say 4-6 weeks.
I'd always try to remember that selling or buying anything is a very personal thing. It isn't (entirely) sales bull5hit that people buy people, so I would prefer to show people round my own place. I know it an awful lot better than I could expect an Estate Agent with 50 other properties on his books to know. I'm also much less likely to be late for the appointment and leave the viewers waiting around outside noticing next door's chavvy cars/rubbish on the street/noise from the dual carriageway half a mile away.
I appreciate that not all of the above may be suitable in your situation, it may be for example that you are unable to offer a chain free sale, or it may be that you are happy to wait a year or longer to get that return on an investment or inheritance, but hopefully enough of what has been said could be used to help you achieve the sale.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Not a great deal to add to the sense stated above. Make the place as presntable as possible, a lick of pain and a massive decluttering if your situation allows it. Fresh flowers, clean curtains and attractive soft furnishing sif your place has any risk of being viewed by the fairer sex. Give each room an identity. Do not, ever, leave yesterdays washing up on the side (or in the dishwasher) or a bin even half smelly or dirty. Keep that bathroom as clean as your Mum would.
Ensure you have the right marketing for the property. If selling through an agent choose the right one, not the cheapest, or necessarily the one that recommends the highest asking price. Ensure the photos are of good quality and are plentiful but not excessive. Ask for a floorplan to be added to the brochure/internet. Ask for feedback from viewings. If necessary, be open to addressing the asking price if you are not getting the right number of viewings or receiving offers after, say 4-6 weeks.
I'd always try to remember that selling or buying anything is a very personal thing. It isn't (entirely) sales bull5hit that people buy people, so I would prefer to show people round my own place. I know it an awful lot better than I could expect an Estate Agent with 50 other properties on his books to know. I'm also much less likely to be late for the appointment and leave the viewers waiting around outside noticing next door's chavvy cars/rubbish on the street/noise from the dual carriageway half a mile away.
I appreciate that not all of the above may be suitable in your situation, it may be for example that you are unable to offer a chain free sale, or it may be that you are happy to wait a year or longer to get that return on an investment or inheritance, but hopefully enough of what has been said could be used to help you achieve the sale.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Thanks for all the tips.
I'm fortunate enough to have 10,000ft of warehouse space available to keep Mrs G's junk (sorry, her infrequently used items) out of the way. This also allows us to store furniture etc. after a sale in order to keep things chain free whilst we lodge with the in-laws.
The next door house is rented and whilst we did ask about it at the time, the tennant was then very nice and very quiet. Sadly the new tennant is rather noisy, slamming cupboard doors etc. when she's in
A lesson learned for us but a potential problem when we come to sell.
The other problem is that we have a dog - no ammount of hoovering and cleaning will remove the smell entirely, even if Mrs G takes him for a walk when we have viewings. The dog also means it will be impossible for an agent to show anyone round the house whilst we're at work
I'm fortunate enough to have 10,000ft of warehouse space available to keep Mrs G's junk (sorry, her infrequently used items) out of the way. This also allows us to store furniture etc. after a sale in order to keep things chain free whilst we lodge with the in-laws.
The next door house is rented and whilst we did ask about it at the time, the tennant was then very nice and very quiet. Sadly the new tennant is rather noisy, slamming cupboard doors etc. when she's in
A lesson learned for us but a potential problem when we come to sell.The other problem is that we have a dog - no ammount of hoovering and cleaning will remove the smell entirely, even if Mrs G takes him for a walk when we have viewings. The dog also means it will be impossible for an agent to show anyone round the house whilst we're at work
Goochie said:
The other problem is that we have a dog - no ammount of hoovering and cleaning will remove the smell entirely, even if Mrs G takes him for a walk when we have viewings. The dog also means it will be impossible for an agent to show anyone round the house whilst we're at work
Could you arrange an open afternoon with the agent, spend the morning cleaning, then get someone to have the dog for an afternoons worth of viewings.Pets smell and hair is a definite deal breaker for me, as even after you've moved out it tends to linger.
LittleMiss said:
Goochie said:
The other problem is that we have a dog - no ammount of hoovering and cleaning will remove the smell entirely, even if Mrs G takes him for a walk when we have viewings. The dog also means it will be impossible for an agent to show anyone round the house whilst we're at work
Could you arrange an open afternoon with the agent, spend the morning cleaning, then get someone to have the dog for an afternoons worth of viewings.Pets smell and hair is a definite deal breaker for me, as even after you've moved out it tends to linger.
I find it rather depressing that the average housebuyer still has zero vision and wants to buy a neutral minamilist house that needs nothing doing it - ie has new kitchen, bathroom, carpets and freshly painted. I do appreciate that helps people visualise themselves in the property.
But I would think these things add a premium compared with a similar but slightly out of date property. So you have to price according to finish/decor and those little things.
I on the otherhand don't care - the house has to be right. Current house when we viewed it - full of clutter, 60s wallpaper, swirly carpets, serious damp, ancient kicthen and bathroom, artex, smelly & fierce alsation.....house had masses of potential. Ok so we gutted it, extended and renovated it .
But I would think these things add a premium compared with a similar but slightly out of date property. So you have to price according to finish/decor and those little things.
I on the otherhand don't care - the house has to be right. Current house when we viewed it - full of clutter, 60s wallpaper, swirly carpets, serious damp, ancient kicthen and bathroom, artex, smelly & fierce alsation.....house had masses of potential. Ok so we gutted it, extended and renovated it .
prand said:
A bit extreme, but we recarpeted almost the whole house
That is potentially a double-edged sword though. We saw a couple of houses last time we moved which had been beautifully re-carpeted - nice new carpet smell and all - but in cream. Bloody useless if you've got small kids. Our's is going on the market next week. Decorator is just finishing off painting the hall/bathroom/master bed which all suffered terribly as the previous developer cut corners 
New carpet gets put down tomorrow - not sure how we'll stop a 1 year old and 3 year old trashing it.
Don't forget you need awaste of time and money HIPS too.
New carpet gets put down tomorrow - not sure how we'll stop a 1 year old and 3 year old trashing it.
Don't forget you need a
Edited by Puggit on Thursday 10th September 11:21
From our recent experiences of house-hunting, I'd add this:
If the prospective buyer asks to look in the garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, don't just waft the door open vaguely, giving them approximately 4 nanoseconds to peer inside, before closing it again and declaring "well, it's only a garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, same as any other!". It looks like you have something to hide.
As others have said - clear away kiddie toys, clutter and whatnot. And best to avoid strong smells - air freshener is unpleasant, coffee is worse (I can't stand the smell of coffee!).
Clean up any dirt on woodwork - and if any of your kids has written his name on his door in marker pen, as in one house we saw - clean it off!
If the prospective buyer asks to look in the garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, don't just waft the door open vaguely, giving them approximately 4 nanoseconds to peer inside, before closing it again and declaring "well, it's only a garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, same as any other!". It looks like you have something to hide.
As others have said - clear away kiddie toys, clutter and whatnot. And best to avoid strong smells - air freshener is unpleasant, coffee is worse (I can't stand the smell of coffee!).
Clean up any dirt on woodwork - and if any of your kids has written his name on his door in marker pen, as in one house we saw - clean it off!
SGirl said:
From our recent experiences of house-hunting, I'd add this:
If the prospective buyer asks to look in the garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, don't just waft the door open vaguely, giving them approximately 4 nanoseconds to peer inside, before closing it again and declaring "well, it's only a garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, same as any other!". It looks like you have something to hide.
As others have said - clear away kiddie toys, clutter and whatnot. And best to avoid strong smells - air freshener is unpleasant, coffee is worse (I can't stand the smell of coffee!).
Clean up any dirt on woodwork - and if any of your kids has written his name on his door in marker pen, as in one house we saw - clean it off!
All going well with the move to Tilehurst?If the prospective buyer asks to look in the garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, don't just waft the door open vaguely, giving them approximately 4 nanoseconds to peer inside, before closing it again and declaring "well, it's only a garage/downstairs loo/airing cupboard, same as any other!". It looks like you have something to hide.
As others have said - clear away kiddie toys, clutter and whatnot. And best to avoid strong smells - air freshener is unpleasant, coffee is worse (I can't stand the smell of coffee!).
Clean up any dirt on woodwork - and if any of your kids has written his name on his door in marker pen, as in one house we saw - clean it off!
Puggit said:
All going well with the move to Tilehurst?
Hiya Puggit,Yes and no. Our vendor is keen to sell, but his vendor is playing sillybuggers. First he was looking for planning permission on properties before putting in an offer, now he's claiming that the house he wants to buy needs to go through probate before it can be remarketed. So my vendor has been proactive and told him that unless he has an accepted offer by EOB Friday, the deal is off. And then hopefully my vendor will find somewhere chain-free next time.
You having any luck yet?
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