Getting your property ready to sell this spring

While there are signs that the UK housing market is recovering as we head into 2023, houses are not selling as quickly as they did six months ago, so sellers might have to work that bit harder to attract buyers – and the best asking price.

Selling a property can be overwhelming at the best of times and you might not know where to start when it comes to maximising your home’s potential, but we’re here to help.

In this article we’ll give you a step by step guide on how to get your property ready to sell this spring, as well as information on how we can help you through the process.

First impressions count, especially in a buyer’s market, so it is worth putting in some extra effort to help get your property looking as good as possible. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on big renovations, as there are small measures you can take to help get your home ready quickly and on a budget. The key is to ensure your prospective buyers can picture themselves living there.

Declutter and depersonalise

More often than not, the first chance you have to attract people to your property is the photographs they’ll see online, and the houses which stand out most are generally those which look tidy and inviting, rather than messy and cluttered.

It’s good to have your property looking as spacious as possible, which means hiding away unnecessary clutter, such as surplus furniture, boxes of toys, shoes, coats and so on. You might want to remove photographs and anything overly personal that you wouldn’t want to publish online, but without making it look clinical – it’s a fine balance! You want your property to appear clean and tidy, yet cosy and inviting.

Touch up paint

A coat of paint can work wonders for freshening up a house and boosting its appeal to potential buyers, especially if your paintwork is marked, dirty or peeling.

Light, bright homes tend to look best, so you might want to go for lighter colours. And while people often opt for shades of cream throughout, adding a touch of non-offensive neutral colour can add that extra touch of style.

Spring clean

It’s much easier to picture yourself living in a property that is clean and shining, so it’s worth taking the time to give the place a good going over, rather than relying on people having to see beyond things like mouldy tile grout, stained carpets and run-down walls and cupboards.

As well as looking amazing on photos, a clean property will also be appreciated once you get potential buyers through the door. If you don’t have the time, or the job seems too daunting, you might want to consider investing in a professional deep-cleaning service to carry out the initial deep clean. It’ll then be easier to keep on top of it as you go through the viewing phase.

Show rooms as they are intended

Think about who your property might appeal to most and make sure you’re showing it off accordingly. For example, if you’re advertising it as a four-bedroom property for families, but you’re using one bedroom as an office or gym, consider converting it back to a sleeping space for the purposes of selling, so your potential buyers can easily see the four bedrooms.

If you have a space downstairs that could be used as an office, but is currently a junk room, then you might want to dress it as an office to appeal to those looking for work for home options.

Get rid of odours

When it comes to viewings, make sure your property is smelling fresh. Most homes have their own smell and you might not notice yours, so let some air through before people come round and light some scented candles, especially if you have pets or smoke indoors.

You don’t want someone’s first impression of your property to be an overwhelming smell of animals. Similarly, avoid cooking anything with strong smells just before a viewing.

Prepping your garden

Outdoors is just as important as indoors, especially since the pandemic made us value our outside spaces even more. So whatever you’ve got, you want to show it off. That means mown lawns, weeded patios, swept up leaves.

This is particularly the case for selling in the spring or summer. There’s nothing like a photo of a lovely garden with flowers blooming, a freshly cut lawn and blue skies to make your property stand out from the crowd.

Light and airy

This is another simple but effective step you can take to show your property in its best light, quite literally. For photos and viewings, think about opening up all the curtains and blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. You might also want to make sure your bulbs are bright LED lights, rather than dim or flickering.

Other problems that may need fixing

Give your property a final once over with a critical eye, or you could ask someone independent, such as a friend or estate agent, to point out any final potential problem areas. Other issues that can be off-putting to buyers include mould or damp, misted double glazing, overflowing gutters (especially noticeable if it’s raining during viewings), broken uneven flooring and leaky pipes.

These are all things you might want to consider repairing before inviting potential buyers to your property.

Get finances and paperwork in order

It’s not just your property that needs preparing for sale. If you really want to speed up the selling process and take advantage of that premium spring/summer housing market activity window, it’s important to get all your finances and paperwork ready. At Alsters Kelley we offer a pre property sales service which will enable you to have all of your paperwork in order ready for when your property is sold.  This will help prevent delays further down the process.

As well as making sure you can afford to move and securing your mortgage, you will need to provide various paperwork, such as title deeds, energy performance certificate, fittings and contents form and so on. Find out more about what paperwork you need to sell your house here.

Hire an estate agent

Next you’ll need a decent estate agent to help you sell your property, and that doesn’t necessarily come down to price. It’s worth looking at reviews and recommendations to find out who is experienced in your area and has a reputation for being proactive and responsive.

Delays in the process can be costly, so you’ll want someone who works hard and efficiently on your behalf.

How Alsters Kelley’s conveyancing services can help

The final piece of the house-selling puzzle is a trusted conveyancer or solicitor. Between them, a good estate agent and a good solicitor can really help make the whole process as straightforward and stress-free as possible.

As well as responding quickly, quality conveyancers will be able to head off any potential problems or delays, and keep you up to date every step of the way.

This is what we do at Alsters Kelley. Our property conveyancers are accredited members of the Law Society’s conveyancing quality scheme and have helped thousands of people successfully buy and sell homes across Coventry and Warwickshire.

We’re here to help you on every step of the journey, from contract drafting to completion. Our experienced solicitors will handle the whole process for you.

Click here for your free conveyancing quote to sell, or to both sell and buy a property, quick.