A Higher Price is Not Always Better

What is more valuable to you your time or a few extra pounds?

It may seem ideal to get the highest price for your house, but is getting the higher price really the best option, think of it this way if you go to an agency and they over value your house not only can it take longer to sell but it can in fact, stop it from selling altogether.

After all if there are similar houses in the same street for sale, and your house is up for sale for the highest price, it has to be exceptional and if not it will not sell. This means that you cant move to your new home as quck as you would like, which takes up more of your time. Just by waiting for the house to sell.

So remember do you really want to over-value your house to gain a few extra pounds, or would you rather be selling it quicker for a lower price and same tons of time.

Use the Right Agency

We all know that when you sell your house you are going to use an agency. Try to think beyond the traditional agency, is the first rule.

1. Use local press
2. Use internet property websites, such as www.buzzproperties.co.uk
3. Use local agencies
4. Use property consultants

Now as you can see from this short list the options are endless when it comes to selling your home.

It is simple to want to sell your house but not simply to get the right agency, after all agencies are traditionally made up of people and if these people are not up to the job then your house sale will suffer.

Try to think about your own experience of agencies from the otherside when you have been buyer your house, or when you were renting. Which agency treated you right? If you can think of a particular agency that you were happy using, then why not let them sell your house.

Too often agencies do not want to earn a living and are either very rude, don't understand what they should, or are just plain lazy. So try to choose wisely, as the right agency can sell your house, and not just for more money but quicker.

At the end of the day its your house, so if you don't fell confident in the agency, then make use of the other options to sell your house, such as services offered by www.buzzproperties.co.uk or local property consultants. The options today are endless.

Just remember choosing the right agency can make your property sale a whole lot easier.

Don't Forget to Sell The House

This tip may sound straight forward but, so often when people are moving house they tend to forget they are trying to sell the house, and that they in fact bought it in the first place.

When you are showing potential buyers around your house, make sure you point out the good points. Dont get too in depth about why you are moving, after all moving comes in all shapes and sizes, from increased family size, to moving abroad.

So don't go into why you are selling the house. Go into the reasons why people should buy the house.

Remember your house can't speak for itself, so its up to you to speak for your house and make the sale.

Sell your area

Remember that people buy house to live in, not just to look at.

Try to keep this little fact in mind and make a big deal about what is in your local area. This goes for all your listing with estate agents, or if you are selling privately, remember to mention that you are close to a local school, or on a bus route.

Just try to think about the things in your area that you use everyday, thsi may be the local pub or it may be taking your kids to the local park.

Remember that people will want to live in your house, buy they don't want to be only in the house.

It may be that you have a great country walk near your house, or you may have a nice river that runs near your house. All these factors will help your house to sell.

Just remember your house is based somewhere, and try to think back to what make you buy it in the first place.

Keep on top of it

It is so easy to only keep your house looking nice when you actually know that people are coming to view it. Remember that most people who are going to buy a house will take a look around the area and at the house before actually visiting the inside.

This means that people will seen your house before you know they are actually looking, after all anyone can see the for sale sign in your front garden, and will know its for sale.

It is the same principle when trying sell anything, a little bit of effort can go a long way.

So in short when you have your house on the market, try to keep it looking its best at all times. So keep the grass cut, this applies even in winter, keep the windows clean, and generally keep your front of house and curb appeal at the best all of the times.

Don't Ignore the Bedrooms

Most people move house due to the lack of number or the size of the bedrooms in their current home, it is estimated that this figure is as high as 60% of all people who move do so because of bedrooms. Whether they are a growing family or a down-sizing one, the bedroom element is going to play an important part in their buying decision.

So when it comes to selling your house and getting the maximum return concentrate on the bedrooms, and if this means spending some money adding an extension to add a bedroom, it is worth it.

A simple rule of thumb is that adding a bedroom will help your house sell, a lot more than a study or playroom will. So when it comes to selling your house, remember make sure that all bedrooms have a bed in them, even if this means giving up your study for a few weeks. Its worth it.

Another point to remember is that its adults that are buying the house not the children, they will be interested in their needs. This comes in two ways.

1. Making the most of the master bedroom, after all this will be a sanctuary away from the kids for the new buyer with a family. So make it nice, new carpets, new curtains, new bedding will all help to sell this room and what great is you get to take it all with you (that is except the carpet)
2. Remember that people have families, so try to maximise the rooms for what they may be used for. Make the kids room look large enough for kids to play in, or the teenagers room cool enough even for the fussiest teenager.

Try to remember that people send a third of their lives sleeping and they want a nice relaxed place to do it. So spend extra time and effort on your bedrooms, and if this means spending some extra cash, do it, as most things you buy will simply be taken to your new house with you.

Accessorise

Using the right accessories can enhance your rooms. Use Mirrors to reflect light and space, and use plants and fresh flowers to bring life to rooms and add a natural fragrance.

Loads of different floor coverings will make any area seem smaller. If you can't stretch to replacing all your flooring, close the doors on the other rooms until showing each room in turn.

Also remember it is worth while spending a little money on purchasing nice furnishings, even though these will go with you when you move. Simply improvements can mean buying a throw to cover that old sofa, or adding a few extra cushions.

Lighting

Make sure you have adequate lighting in every room, use subtle mood lighting to create the right atmosphere in each room and check all your bulbs work.

This tip fits right in with our last one, it just takes it a step further. Lighting can help you define and make areas of your home feel more relaxed.

The very simple rule to play with lighting is to firstly thing of the type of lighting to use, the lighting must fit with the area its for. For example putting down lighters in the kitchen or under counter lighting fits well, or nice wall lighting in the hall. The next thing to remember is the type of light produced, try to think of your house as a home. Don't make the living room too bright, think how you would like. Well on most cases, if you like sitting in the dark, its a safe bet that others wont.

So whilst in everyday life you can do what you want, if you want to sell you house make sure its light and a nice place to be, and all lights serve a useful purpose.

Define each area

Buyers need to know what each room is for, so that they can decide where they
will place their own items. Sell the lifestyle and you'll sell your house.

This simply means that if you have a long dining room and living room, define the spaces. Make the dining room look like the dining room, make the living room look like a nice relaxed area.

One major mistake people make with their houses, is to neglect the outside space. Try to change your mindset on what you garden is for. Try to think of the garden as an extension of your living space, this is especially true is your house is not too large. Make the garden into another room.

It may sound daft to have your garden furniture setup, but have the garden setup as it woudl be when you are using it. No matter what the weather. Remember your garden is another room in your home and should have defined areas, just like everywhere else.

So if you have kids toys in the garden, make part of the garden a kid zone, make another part an adult zone. Don't clutter your garden full of kids toys, or anything else, whether that is old car parts, or anything else.

Remember - If something doesn't belong in a particular area of your home, move it.

Pets and unwanted nuisances

Always keep your pets under control, ideally have someone take them for the day.

Try confining them to a specific area. Although you may love your pets,
they can be off-putting to other people, and smells can be offensive, so
make sure there are no lingering odours in furniture or flooring, and if
there is, get them cleaned before you sell.

Make sure that there is no unwanted nuisances during the viewing. Whether its the kids playing loud music, the phone ringing off the hook, try to minimise the distractions during viewing, as you want the potential buyer to feel right at home.

Decorate and De-Personalize

This tip may sound daft, after all you are moving why would you decorate. Simple. Not only does it give the house a nice new look and feel, but it also create a better ambience for potential buyers.

Choose more neutral colours, such as white, beige, cream. as Neutral sells it's a fact.

Try to convey an image of quality and neutrality. Potential buyers walking through your home want to imagine themselves as the owners. If you use styles or colours they would never select, you've just turned them off. Stay high-quality, but neutral is safest.

Remove any personal items that may put off potential purchasers, such as religious or political items.

Make sure to leave some personal items, such as family pictures, as it is important to make the buyer aware of what a great home this is.

Use Technology

When selling your house think beyond the tradtional methods. Everyone likes to use whats available to them, and by using new technologies such as the internet you can not only reach alot more buyers but you can also show you house to more buyers.

There are lots of online services out there such as www.buzzproperties.co.uk and used in connection with other services offered by sites such as www.ourproperty.co.uk you can do everything yourself from valuing your home to the final sale.

Try to avoid being taken in by local agents, alot with promise to put your house on the internet by using nationally recoginsed websites. This is a mistake as the sales process is still the normal selling method and you get hit where it hurts, in your wallet.

So remember the high street is not the only place to sell your house

Eliminate Clutter

Clutter makes homes seem smaller and disorganized. (Have you ever noticed that the really expensive stores seem to have an expansive, clutter-free layout, while "cheap" stores are often a jumble of merchandise?).

Ask yourself is your house a cheap store or an expensive one.

Elimating clutter is really quite easy. Just put everything in its right place. Put toys in the toy box, put garden tools in the shed, and if necessary put the car in the garage.

When looking at removing clutter its a good time to think about what you really want to take to your new house, do you really need that extra table and chairs? do you really need to keep a years supply of your favourite magazines?

Remember one simple rule when eliminating clutter, if you have things that are not past their best, give them to charity. Your local charity shop is always asking for donation, so why not give your old table and chairs to charity, or your old clothes, just think not only will you be making your home a more saleable asset but you will get a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

If its broke. Fix it!

Got a dripping tap or a cracked tile? These will send the wrong message
to potential buyers. Getting all problems fixed before you put your
house on the market is a smart idea.

This might be something simple like tacking carpet back down, or repairing a loose door or fence post, up to getting that tap int he bathroom repaired or even replaced.

Remember repairing your home with not ass value to it, but it will make it easy to sell and for you to get the sale value you want.

Clean the House

You would not want to live in a dirty house, neither does anyone else.
Clean your house from top to bottom before putting on the market.

Having a weekly cleaning service while selling is probably a pretty
good investment.

Make sure your windows are clean inside and out too.

Front of House Appeal

You can only make one "first impression," and people usually form
their first impression within 30 seconds.

The front of your house is a good place to spend a little extra time and money.

Plant flowers, trim bushes, weed, pick up leaves, repaint your front door, replace tarnished house numbers or a dented mailbox, get a brand-new neutral doormat, park your old car somewhere else.