Top Tips For A Smooth House Sale

They say moving is one of the three most stressful things you’ll ever do, but does it really need to be that challenging? Not if you follow our top tips!

Make your house look its best – It might seem like simple common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people put their property on the market without first taking the time to make their property look its best. Of course you don’t want to have to spend a vast amount of money on house jobs when you know you’ve got the cost of moving ahead of you, and you’re going to want to spend money changing your new property to suit your personal tastes, but a little bit of money can go a long way when it comes to preparing your property for a sale.

Top Tips For A Smooth House SaleSimple things like completing any unfinished DIY jobs, refreshing any tired looking paint and tidying up any outdoor space will all make a huge difference when people come to view your property. You should also take the time to have a thorough declutter before putting your property on the market – any extra space you can clear will help your property to feel larger and also help viewers to imagine how the property would look with the their furniture and possessions.

Pick a good agent Again, you’d think this is just common sense, but going for the cheapest option is not always the best decision. You should choose your agent based on the comparable properties they’ve sold and how quickly they find buyers for properties. A cheap rate isn’t going to be much good to you if your agent struggles to find you a buyer, and most agents expect some negotiation when it comes to their rate.

Be prepared to negotiate – This is also where the value of a good agent is felt, as your agent should be guiding you through the negotiation process, helping you to achieve the best price possible, but also having a good enough rapport with your buyers to know how far to push them with the negotiations. Remember that your ‘asking price’ is just that, it is not the price you will necessarily receive for the property. A good agent should be able to give you guidance on what your asking price should be and what you should realistically hope to achieve – these two figures are rarely the same.

Consider your offers carefully – Similarly, the highest offer is not necessarily the best offer, so it’s important that you consider the circumstances surrounding each offer carefully; a slightly lower offer from a chain-free or first time buyer will often be preferable to a slightly higher offer from someone who has yet to find a buyer or who is tied up in a lengthy property chain.

Plan ahead – declutter before your move and make a moving checklist The declutter you did before you put your property on the market will be a great help when it comes to preparing for your move – you’ll know that you’re not hoarding any unnecessary clutter and will have a greater idea of what you’ll be needing to move and therefore what packaging supplies and moving facilities you’re going to need. It’s also useful to go round your property room-by-room making a thorough moving checklist, with notes about where the items are in your current property and where they should go in your new property. This will not only be a big help to your removal company, but will also allow you to unpack in a more organised and efficient way.