There are alot of nice looking fittings you can buy for all areas of your home, from the bathroom to the kitchen. The issue with most of these is that they look pretty but are not usually very good at doing the job in hand, remembering that developing your house is quite an easy task.
Most of the designer bathroom sinks, either dont hold water or splash water everywhere. So you need to ask yourself if you really want to change the fittings to ones that just dont work.
On the face of it this may not seem like an issue, the problem is that as these fittings are widely available and the chances are the people looking to buy your house have seem these fittings in the stores, and know that they are not what they try to be. Take most modern kitchens they look great but when you get down to the quality, they just dont have it. Most of them are made up of chipboard, and other poor quality materials. Since these units are available everywhere and most designs look the same, you need to ask yourself.
Do you really want your house to follow the crowd? or Do you want it to be different?
Try to buy fittings that are aware for the normal ones, and if you can afford it buy better quality fitings. This will help you house be ahead of the game and stand out from the crowd. You will also get every penny back you spend, so you have nothing to lose.
Remember being different is a good thing, and if you are looking for a different place to buy your next home, check out your local foreclosure listings or if you are thinking of taking the plunge into the whole real estate and property investing arena, keep to the be different motto.
Tuesday 27 May 2008
Thursday 22 May 2008
Dont get tied to your estate agent
When it comes to selling your house you can use an estate agent, and most estate agents will have some sort or tie in. This simply means that you must sell your house through them for a minimum period, and if you sell it through anyone else in that period they still get a commission, or you can sell it yourselves and save hundreds of pounds in the process.
Now there is a big mistake that most people make when choosing an agency, and this is that a lot of people choose a Sole Seller agreement and not a Sole Agency agreement.
The different is simple
Sole Seller Agreement - You dont want this one
A Sole Seller agreement is one which states that you will only use that agency to sell your property, and they are representing you as a seller of your property, this means that if you sell through anyone else during the tie-in period you will still have to pay them a commission.
Sole Agency Agreement - This is the one you want
A Sole Agency agreement difers from the sole seller as this one states that you are only going to use one agency to sell your property during the tie in period. This is the type of agreement you want, that is if you have to be tied in with an agency. This type of agreement means you can sell your house yourself, this allows you to advertise or sell your house privately, using online services such as BuzzProperties.co.uk to sell your house, without having to pay an agency any fees at all if you sell your house yourself.
So in closing, make sure that you get the right agency and the right agreement, after all with the increased amount of house sales privately, adn increased number of sales options, being tied in can be a problem. So make sure that if you have to get tied in make sure its a sole agency agreement NOT a sole seller agreement.
Now there is a big mistake that most people make when choosing an agency, and this is that a lot of people choose a Sole Seller agreement and not a Sole Agency agreement.
The different is simple
Sole Seller Agreement - You dont want this one
A Sole Seller agreement is one which states that you will only use that agency to sell your property, and they are representing you as a seller of your property, this means that if you sell through anyone else during the tie-in period you will still have to pay them a commission.
Sole Agency Agreement - This is the one you want
A Sole Agency agreement difers from the sole seller as this one states that you are only going to use one agency to sell your property during the tie in period. This is the type of agreement you want, that is if you have to be tied in with an agency. This type of agreement means you can sell your house yourself, this allows you to advertise or sell your house privately, using online services such as BuzzProperties.co.uk to sell your house, without having to pay an agency any fees at all if you sell your house yourself.
So in closing, make sure that you get the right agency and the right agreement, after all with the increased amount of house sales privately, adn increased number of sales options, being tied in can be a problem. So make sure that if you have to get tied in make sure its a sole agency agreement NOT a sole seller agreement.
Dont Use Too Many Estate Agents
When you are selling your house it is too tempting to dilute the interest by using multiple agencies, this fits into the tie in agreement a lot of agencies have. When you are trying to sell your house look around at the agencies and find the one that is best for your house.
This may be an online agency such as BuzzProperties.co.uk or one of the many high street agencies, in any case you want to use a specialist agency, and not simply put your house in every agency.
Think of it this way, you go to a supermarket for food, a garage for petrol and so on. Do the same with your house look at the agencies, and if you are selling a country house, use a specialist agent, just the same as if your selling a house in the town. Choose as few agents as possible, as this will help you retain value in your house, as if people see your house is for sale in several agents its a clear sign that its not selling, and opens you up to price negotiations.
So think of it this way the current UK planning regulations are the way they are for a reason, only have 2 or less for sale signs outside your house, not only looks better, but helps you get a better price for your house.
So spend time finding the right agent, instead of using every agent.
This may be an online agency such as BuzzProperties.co.uk or one of the many high street agencies, in any case you want to use a specialist agency, and not simply put your house in every agency.
Think of it this way, you go to a supermarket for food, a garage for petrol and so on. Do the same with your house look at the agencies, and if you are selling a country house, use a specialist agent, just the same as if your selling a house in the town. Choose as few agents as possible, as this will help you retain value in your house, as if people see your house is for sale in several agents its a clear sign that its not selling, and opens you up to price negotiations.
So think of it this way the current UK planning regulations are the way they are for a reason, only have 2 or less for sale signs outside your house, not only looks better, but helps you get a better price for your house.
So spend time finding the right agent, instead of using every agent.
Monday 12 May 2008
Quality of Work - Dont Do It Yourself
One of the most important things that people want to buy is quality.
This goes for everything in your home, from floors to walls, inside and out. If you are a competent Do It Yourselfer thats fine, but remember people are paying for your house. So its worth getting some jobs done by a professional if you are just not competent.
If we look at tiling as an example, look at the picture below
This a a classic example of bas tiling, you can clearly see the tiles are not inline, and in a whole bathroom thiss effect is magnified by multiple errors.
Don't Do It YourSelf
So if you are not competent at doing a task, where it is jsut repainting a room, to laying a new carpet. Then get someone else to do it.This fits with other tips, in that although decorating or replacing carpets will not add any value to your house, it will help it sell. So you will get any money back you put into your house, so go nuts.
Quality Sells
People will buy quality so making your house stand out from the crowd is extremely important, making it as close to a show home is vital , especially when the house is one of the largest purchases people will ever make, they are willing to pay for quality.
So look around your house and be honest with yourself, if you cant do something to a high standard, get someone else to do it.
This goes for everything in your home, from floors to walls, inside and out. If you are a competent Do It Yourselfer thats fine, but remember people are paying for your house. So its worth getting some jobs done by a professional if you are just not competent.
If we look at tiling as an example, look at the picture below
This a a classic example of bas tiling, you can clearly see the tiles are not inline, and in a whole bathroom thiss effect is magnified by multiple errors.
Don't Do It YourSelf
So if you are not competent at doing a task, where it is jsut repainting a room, to laying a new carpet. Then get someone else to do it.This fits with other tips, in that although decorating or replacing carpets will not add any value to your house, it will help it sell. So you will get any money back you put into your house, so go nuts.
Quality Sells
People will buy quality so making your house stand out from the crowd is extremely important, making it as close to a show home is vital , especially when the house is one of the largest purchases people will ever make, they are willing to pay for quality.
So look around your house and be honest with yourself, if you cant do something to a high standard, get someone else to do it.
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Saleable or Added Value
One of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to selling your house is in what makes it more saleable and what actually adds value to the property.
In most cases you are trying to sell your hosue, and will get taken in by companies stating such things as "it will increase your property value", normal terms are thrown around a lot by builders and windows / conservatory companies.
Ok so you may be think that why won't a new conservatory add value to my house. Simple if the conversatory costs your £5000 you will only be able add this amount to your house, and in truth you are only going to get your money back. This goes the same for replacing windows and doors, and even new kitchens and bathrooms.
So Why Would I Bother?
You are probably asking yourself, why would you spend money adding a conversatory or putting in new windows or bathroom, if you are only going to get your money back.
SIMPLE
It makes your house more saleable that is "capable of being sold, fit to be sold". This means that you will be able to sell your house quicker, and it can set it apart from other house. As if your house is the only house in the street with new windows, a conversatory it will sell better than the other houses.
Adding things to your house can save a lot of time in the overall sale process, letting you move on to your new home and get on with your life.
What's an Addition and Whats an Improvement?
If you are trying to sell your house you need to decide what you want to do, Do you want to try to increase the value or do you want to make it easier to sell.
Remember a higher price is not always better!
Keep the two things in mind, improvements and additions. Basically speaking these are defined as
Improvements - Anything you add to your home such as
- New Kitchen
- New Bathroom
- New Windows and Doors
- New Conservatory
- Anything else that does not directly change the structure of your house
Additions - Anything that you add to the structure of your home such as
- Building a new extension
- Converting the loft into a room
- Anything else that changes the structure of your house.
So keep in mind a simple rule, if it costs more money chances are it will add real value to your house. And anything that changes the house from the way you bought it will increase its value. If what you are doing does not alter the house from how you bought it, it will make it easier to sell but not for a higher price.
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