House Selling Tips

May 17, 2015 by Rob Kahl

One of the questions I get asked the most, is what is my favourite house that I have ever seen or sold? Obviously this changes depending on what mood I am in. It could be a modern seafront apartment or a quaint thatched cottage or even a detached mansion with acres of land.

In fact, it is pretty rare that it is a huge house that floats my boat. As the old saying goes ‘size doesn’t always matter’ (I think that’s how it goes?). More often it is a feeling of a property that makes you remember it rather than the size.

After an applicant has viewed a property we always call them the day after to see how they got on and get feedback from the viewing for our vendor. When someone says that they liked the property, it was exactly what they were looking for and in the prefect location you automatically think about ringing the bell as another sale is about to happen. Then they drop the bombshell that they just didn’t get the right feeling about the house. There is very little we can do as agents to change that feeling, even if we are positive and talk the property up, there is not much we can do to persuade someone to part with what is undoubtedly a great deal of money for something that just doesn’t feel right.

It is always difficult to relay this type of feedback to vendors and it is extremely hard to quantify or justify. Obviously they liked the property originally, they bought it at some point themselves, so for someone else to come along and say it just doesn’t feel right it's sometimes hard to take.

But, how can a vendor go about capturing that feeling? Well, like I said it doesn’t have to be a huge mansion of a house to get the wow factor. Sometimes, really large properties can feel cold and empty and people find it hard to imagine how they will use all of the rooms or furnish loads of bedrooms, oversize drawing and dining rooms.

Quite often, when I go to see extremely large properties I walk around with the current owners and they say that they haven’t been in some of the rooms for months! With the way that most people seem to live at the moment, the kitchen/family room tends to be the only room inhabited leaving sitting rooms, snooker rooms, formal dining rooms, study’s and various other reception rooms, spare bedrooms and bathrooms gathering dust.

But, it can also be hard to capture that feeling in smaller or more modest properties. I think that people expect to see a house that is obviously looked after but also lived in. No one wants to see a house that is tatty and dirty and this will have to be reflected in a sales price and may mean a property takes much longer to sell.

Equally, a property can feel uncomfortable or intimidating if it is completely impersonal and bare. All of the programmes on T.V tell people to declutter and depersonalise which is sound advice but you can take it too far.

I have been in properties where you feel like just standing there you make the room look untidy, whereas other properties you can imagine yourself kicking back, lounging around reading the Sunday papers in. These are the ones that I prefer and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the biggest, most modern or expensive to get that feeling.

There are a few simple things that vendors can do to try and achieve this.

• Clean. I shouldn’t really have to explain this one but you would be surprised how some properties are presented! Even if a properties décor is extremely old fashioned or kitchens and bathroom are very dated, giving them a thorough clean can often transform them. It may be that a potential buyer will rip out the kitchen and decorate every room but if it is clean they can usually imagine themselves living there and envisage refurbishing a room rather than having to do everything immediately.
• Do those little jobs. I don’t mean re-decorate whole rooms yourself or go to great lengths but the little things can make a big difference. If one of the hinges on a kitchen door is wonky, the number at the front of the house is hanging off, or that leak from the shower upstairs has been repaired but you never got around to painting over the stain in the downstairs room? These things matter and will make a big difference to the experience of a potential purchaser when viewing.
• Garden. Don’t forget the outside and especially remember the front garden, first impressions count when people are approaching the front of a property and the grass needs to be cut at the back, tidy those weeds and maybe give the patio a jet wash.
• De-clutter. It is a good idea to have a critical eye over your home before it goes to the market to see what you can throw out or even put in storage temporarily. As I said though don’t go too far, it needs to look like you live there but if the tops of your wardrobes are groaning with stuff that hasn’t moved for months or there is no room on the mantle piece because of all the old post you have dumped there, get rid!

As I said it is pretty straight forward common sense stuff but it is often overlooked or forgotten and please don’t fall foul of the old cliches. Nobody expects to view a house when you have just baked bread or have got a pot of coffee brewing anymore!