Selling your property

Usually when you want to buy a new house you have to sell your old one first. However, what should be an easy feat, can often be time consuming and downright frustrating.

Once you have agreed to sell you are in for a six to 12 week wait. But the bad news is that it could take months to even find a buyer in the first place… So, what can you do to help speed the process up?

First and foremost you need to have your property ‘show home ready’. This means that you need to make it as appealing to potential buyers as possible by getting those odd jobs done and decluttering…

The advantage of decluttering is that you always want buyers to be able to see the actual space available, and your personal items can detract from that. Plus, clutter is a distraction when buyers are viewing – you want them looking at the size of your garden not your gnome collection…

Focus on your storage space. Potential buyers need somewhere to keep their hoover, suitcase and even Christmas decorations – and if you have stuff lying out all over the place then it suggests that you don’t have enough storage. So declutter inside cupboards AND out – and show that you have room for everything.

Then you need to get onto those DIY jobs. You know the ones: that leaky gutter that has been dripping for the past 12 months; those sticky finger marks on the kitchen wall; the skirting board that the dog had for lunch and the weeds on the drive. If you’ve been meaning to do them then that means that they need doing – so do them now or risk putting buyers off.

Finally, make your space as appealing as possible. This means stumping up for fresh flowers, sticking on a pot of delicious smelling coffee and placing desirable publications on the coffee table – we’ve heard that North Wales Magazine is especially good for this!!

Seriously, you are selling a lifestyle as much as a property – so think about how your buyers want to live, and then dress your home accordingly.