So, your mind is made up and you’ve decided to sell your home. Now you’re probably wondering how to go about selling. Great, you’re in the best place to do it right – first time.
By taking these 10 steps, one at a time, you’ll ensure that you launch your property to the market with a bang, and get those buyers to take notice.
- Choose the right time of year – Timing it vital. Certain times of the year are better for selling than others . For example, retirement homes tend to stick on the market during the winter months when elderly buyers prefer not to go out in the cold dark conditions. Families prefer to move at either the beginning of the year or start of school terms. Knowing your buyer and planning according to specific timeframes is a must.
- Get your home ready – Make sure your home is ready for photographs and viewings. It’s important to spend time (and possibly money) on this important aspect. Look at your home objectively or ask a friend for their honest feedback. Is there anything that can be done to make it more attractive without spending a fortune? Remember, when buyers are walking round your home, they’ll be thinking and looking for little ways to knock £1,000 off here, £2,000 off there – don’t give them any.
- Choose your estate agent – Don’t just choose the agent with the lowest fee and highest valuation – take a considered view on their professionalism, reviews, and whether you like them or not. After all, you’re going to be working quite closely with them for some time. A bit like how a buyer knows in the first few minutes of walking in the front door whether they like the property or not, you’ll have an equally good idea whether you think the agent will tell your moving story and sell your home in the way you want.
- Photography sells – Wonky photos, bad lighting, shoes in the corner of a room – We’ve all seen them and most likely, skipped passed the property without a second thought. Professional photography is a must so if an estate agent turns up with a camera ready to take photos, make note. Buyers often decide whether to view a home based on photographs so you have a small window of opportunity to get this right.
- Describe your home – The description has to be enticing, yet accurate. Your home is more than just bricks and mortar so you need a description that tells a story. You know your home inside-out and why you chose to buy it, this information is priceless.
- Round up your figures – Once you’ve decided on your asking price, check it against your possible competition online to see how it compares. The asking price needs to be in front of the maximum number of buyers possible. Round figures, for example £1,000,000 have more success than £999,999.
- Quality over quantity – Brochures printed in office with photographs taken on a phone or by one of the office staff isn’t acceptable. If you’re not happy with the quality, neither will your buyers.
- Choosing the right day to launch – Launching your home on a Thursday or Friday will generate weekend viewings. The first four to six weeks are vital to successfully selling your home. Research from http://rightmove suggests, offers that come in within this time period are likely to be the best you will receive.
- Tidy up – Once you are on the market, keep your home looking it’s best. Keeping fresh flowers and a set of fresh linen and towels just for viewings will ensure you can quickly freshen up your home with minimum effort for viewings. These little hacks go a long way. I’ve seen so many buyers over the years really fall in love with the lifestyle the house has, so anything that can be done to enhance this ‘lifestyle’ will really set your home apart from the competition.
- Make sure your agent is working for you – I speak to my clients at least once a week to ensure they are constantly up to date. We discuss feedback from viewings, the market, any selling concerns, relevant articles or news stories, the list goes on. No news is not good news when it comes to selling your home.
Selling in an uncertain time
Now, for the most part of 2022 it was a tremendous year for home price growth in the UK – the strongest since the mid-2000s – with many areas and types of home seeing values increase by double-figure percentages. This means a house bought for £500,000 only two years ago could be worth up to £600,000 today!
We all know what happened in the autumn. Having said that, mortgage rates are already more favourable than they were before Christmas so there are signs that stability is coming back. The start of this year is also promising with strong enquiries from buyers already continuing to search for their dream home.
Chicken and Egg
Across much of the country, the best price rises have been at the higher end of the market. The shift in working from home and a desire for extra space as a result, has encouraged many homeowners over the past couple of years to upsize to larger homes.
The biggest challenge with the current lack of homes available to buy is that many homeowners can’t find anywhere to move to, so instead are staying put until that dream home comes on the market. This has created a ‘chicken and egg’ situation where the market is facing a stalemate – no one can move if no one is moving! Have a think about how you would feel if your dream home came up but weren’t able to do anything about it. When you’re selling your home, you need to be fully motivated and 100% committed to the process to give you the greatest chance of success.
“We’re thinking about moving soon – what should we do?”
Timing is always important when it comes to selling your home for the best price, but over the coming months, it’s going to be crucial. As per point 1 of the 10 steps, if you put your home on the market at the wrong time, any uncertainty will mean you are unlikely to get the price you need for your home.
But if you wait too long to put your home up for sale, you may find that the housing market is full of competing properties. This means you could miss out on any bounce-back in the housing market. This is something the market experienced once Brexit had passed – there were more buyers than houses, and some of our sellers were delighted with the prices they achieved.
The right time for selling is difficult to predict. But having a plan is vital if you want to hit the market at precisely the right time to benefit from the bounce-back, when it happens.
Being independent means huge flexibility in being able to react quickly and decisively. We’ll be ready, and we can help you to be ready for selling too.
Can I help you?
Perhaps you have a burning question about your moving plans, or you need more clarity on any of the above points – whatever it is, I’m here to help at any time.
Email me personally on steven@carrollproperty.co.uk or call me on 07962 306496 if you’d like a confidential chat.
I’ve also got another blog on How to prepare your home for sale that you might also find useful.
I’ll give you clear, actionable advice on what to do in your specific situation – whether waiting or taking action is the best option for you. Please ask – I’d really like to help you, if I can.