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Top 10 Tips For Selling Your Home

At Bensons Estate Agents we focus on helping our customers sell their home quickly and for a price they’ll be delighted with. From one bedroom flats to detached properties, we’ve got over 20 years experience selling properties across East Kilbride and the surrounding area. Our sales team are experienced, friendly and supportive throughout the process ensuring you’re kept informed throughout.

You may not have sold a property before or perhaps it’s been many years – as such, we’ve compiled our top 10 tips for selling your home.

Our Top Tips For Selling Your Home

1.       First impressions

The first impression a potential buyer will created is based on the outside of the property. This experience will formulate their first opinion of their potential new home. General waste or an untidy garden area can quickly impact on their feelings about the property. Likewise, if your bins are due for collection it’s often best to avoid them being out front if you can help it.

2.       Set your price for the market

We’ll always help you to get this right, but setting the correct price on your property is imperative to finding the next buyer. Often people “fall in love” with a property when they view it and will stretch their budget if required, but if they don’t visit because the initial price is putting them off, then it can be harder to sell. We’ll work with you to help you decide what the property should be marketed at.

3.       Declutter

A house becomes a home when it’s filled with treasured possessions, whether that’s photographs, furniture or personal affects. Buyers like to see that the home has personality, which often these personal possessions can offer.

However, homes also gather extra items which can impact on a buyer’s mindset. For instance, household bills, newspapers and children’s toys can clutter a house and should be stored away when any potential buyers are visiting. A light and fresh home with warm family possessions and perhaps a vase of flowers can help sell a property.

Keeping kitchen worktops and tables clear and clean can work wonders. If you have pets it’s often advisable to ask a friend, relative or neighbour to take them for a short period when viewings are underway. You never know, the potential homeowner could be allergic or scared of animals.

4.       Define your rooms

Having a clear plan of what each room is used for will help the future owner imagine what they can use it for. If your third bedroom is a storage room, as an example, it could negatively impact on their feelings about the property.

Defining the rooms doesn’t mean the new homeowners won’t change it, but it gives the home structure and helps to maintain the home report price.

5.       A lick of paint

Minor improvements to the property don’t need to cost a lot of money, but they can dramatically improve the number of viewings you receive and consequently the quality of the offers.

A little paint can freshen up a room and revitalise a property. It will also make the room feel airy and larger. If you have purple walls then you may wish to consider changing the colour with some paint to a warm, neutral colour. Whilst most homeowners will make their own changes, you don’t want them to be put off making an offer by a relatively easy change.

6.       Sensory experience

People are said to buy with their eyes, however in our experience, there are other factors that play their part. For instance, the smell of the house can impact on a buyers feelings. Perhaps a nicely scented candle will entice them to think positively about your property. If you have a fire and it’s a cold evening, putting the fire on both shows it’s active and functional but also adds a warm welcoming feeling.

Playing some light music in the background can also aid the selling of your house. It’s important the music isn’t up too loud and the selection should be fairly neutral.

7.       The personal touch

Whilst you may be keen to explain all of the features and benefits of your property and outline all of the improvements you’ve made, it’s important to give potential buyers the opportunity to explore the property and space to consider and dream about the possibilities. It’s important to explain the renovations you’ve made and then step back to allow viewers to ask you questions.

8.       Overbooking

It’s not advised to over book your appointments. Popular properties can be back to back with appointments so it’s important to structure your viewings for 20 minute time slots. Whilst it’s important to make time to show people the property, if too many people are “coming and going” you can be left feeling flustered.

9.       Sharing Isn’t Always Best

It’s not uncommon for buyers to ask you information about the property, often these questions can stray off into a more personal nature. Questions like “why are you selling?” are common, typically because they may think there’s something wrong with the property. Perhaps you’re separating from a partner, need to downsize for financial reasons or have an issue with a neighbour. Where possible, it’s always best to keep the conversation friendly and not elaborate on too many personal questions.

10.   Select your buyer

You may be in a position where you can select which offer you would like to accept. In circumstances such as these you want to choose, where possible, a buyer who isn’t in a chain with a property to sell but ideally a first time buyer with their mortgage in place. Reliable, safer buyers may not have offered as much but they could make the process a lot easier and stress-free.

We’re Here To Help

If you’re considering selling your home, then why not get a free no-obligation valuation from our sales team at Bensons Estate Agents? Should you decide to sell your property we will work with you throughout the process from listing and marketing your property to setting appointments and helping you accept an offer.

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