How to Prepare Your House for Sale: A Comprehensive Guide

Selling a house is a significant undertaking. There are lots of things you can do to help your house to sell – some of them can be done in the months and weeks before you “press the button”, others need to be done on viewing days. By presenting your property in the best possible light, you can attract more potential buyers and potentially secure a better price.

1. Make Necessary Repairs
We all have jobs we’ve not had time to do around the house: scuffs, creaky floorboards, wonky cupboard doors etc. The problem is, whilst these are minor, they give an impression a house isn’t well maintained and that can sound alarm bells to prospective buyers. Even minor flaws can deter people and result in lower offers.

Walk through your house with a friend or relative who doesn’t come to your house often. Ask what they notice (tell them to be REALLY honest, but don’t take it personally). Unfortunately, whilst as homeowners we may have niggles that we know need to be dealt with, we can also become “blind” to some of the flaws that maybe our friends and relatives think stand out a mile!

The advice above relates to the sale of a normal property, in a generally good state of repair. If you have a property that you know will need work – be it dated, not compliant etc – then don’t try to hide it under substandard work – you will be found out – vanishingly few buyers purchase without a survey, so show the property warts and all. You are much less likely to face a re-negotiation or fall-through, if the buyer knows at the outset what they are in for.

We are always happy to advise where it is worth spending money and where it isn’t. Generally, there is no point in putting in new kitchens and bathrooms, even if they are in a dreadful state. Purchasers looking at do-er uppers actively want to put their stamp on a property and don’t want to pay extra for someone else’s taste. You will never see the investment back. The only time when it might be worth doing is if you are selling a property with no kitchen or bathroom at all – as this is not mortgageable, so automatically you narrow your field of buyers. However, you only need the bare minimum – a sink and cooker in a kitchen; a toilet and shower/bath in a bathroom – they can be cheap, but they do need to be connected!

2. Declutter, De-personalise and Designate
Buyers need to visualise themselves living in the space. Clutter and personal items can be distracting, and some can give “messages” to buyers that as a vendor who loves their home, you don’t see. If you have a particularly outlandish colour scheme (maybe a teenager’s room) – neutralise the colour – you don’t have to go over the top but paint the walls a neutral shade. It's unlikely your buyer will appreciate a huge mural or a black feature wall.

Remove personal photographs, and excessive knick-knacks. If there are things lying about that don’t have an obvious “home” remove them, otherwise buyers will perceive the house is short on storage and they might outgrow the house like you have. Make sure that your cupboards and wardrobes are presentable too – I’ve been on too many viewings where a cupboard door is opened and some of the contents fall out…not a good look!

Make sure each of the rooms in your house has a clear purpose and that the purpose it what most people would use the room for. For example: don’t have a 4-bedroom house and designate 2 of the bedrooms as studies – put beds in at least one of them – a cluttered study in a bedroom makes it very hard for a viewer to see it as a bedroom for their child. If you have a downstairs reception room set up as a bedroom – if possible, set it up as a sitting room, or study. Generally, most buyers viewing houses have not actually seen many properties – they often find it hard to imagine how to live in less conventional spaces. Help them and make it obvious. If you are not sure, speak to your estate agent. If you are selling an empty property, never remove all the furniture and soft furnishings. Dressing a house for sale is vital, you don’t want to seem desperate, or give away the fact that the property is empty. By the same token, do not keep everything – use the advice above about decluttering and room designation, to provide a canvass on which a buyer can draw their life.

3. First Impressions
Make your house easy to find - your house name / number needs to be clean, lit and obvious. If your agent offers you a For Sale board, take it! Many homes in this country are unnamed, are on unlit streets and in rural areas, in the middle of the countryside. Put yourself in the position of a viewer. You may well have several viewings booked during the day, the areas are unfamiliar and its pouring with rain. You have a house name and a postcode, but nothing else except an appointment time which you don’t want to be late for. It’s easy to understand how frustrating this situation can be. A viewer who is running late and can’t find your property, will already be in a negative frame of mind, before they even walk through the door. Make it easy for them and if your property is particularly hard to find, get your agent to use what3words to specify the location.

Parking – if you are short of parking (i.e. you only have 2/3 parking spaces) make sure you take all cars off the drive and park elsewhere. Again, if a purchaser has to drive around the block to find a parking space, this is not a positive start. Bear in mind, some viewers come in separate cars and may bring family too, so it is possible that between the viewers and the agent there are 3/4 cars to accommodate.

Pets – I love my dog and most people who own pets can’t imagine why anyone would not love their four-legged friend, but there are people who do not like animals or are allergic to them. It is never good for a dog to be present during a viewing – it is far too much of a responsibility for the agent and not fair on the dog. Also, dogs can smell and cat litter can be horrid – pop dog beds and cat litter trays in the garage, or outside, preferably a few hours before the viewing so any smell can dissipate.

The 2-minute rule – research says that most people make a decision about a house within the first couple of minutes. A fair proportion of that time will be spent walking from their car to the front door and waiting for the door to open. Make sure the driveway/access to the front door is clear, not slippery, and well lit. Make sure the doorbell works and look around your porch/front door – is doormat a bit thread bear and dirty? Are their cobwebs above the front door? Does the front door need a coat of paint? What about the outside light – does it work and is it clean? Lastly – does the door open easily and ​​​​​​​not stick? These are all common sense when they are pointed out but, often when preparing house for sale, we become focussed on the interior and the “big stuff” like mowing the lawn and making the whole garden beautiful. Yes, these things are important, but if you forget about the first impression, the buyer may not appreciate the rest, as they m​​​​​​​ay have already made up their minds.

Welcome – d​​​​​​​oes your property feel welcoming when you come through the door? It should be a good ambient temperature throughout (about 21 degrees), it shouldn’t have any smell (unless it’s from a scented candle, flowers, or baking) and is it light? Which leads me to….

4. Shine a light
If there is one thing every house hunter asks for it is LIGHT. In 25 years selling property, no one has ever asked me for a shady, dark, home. So, what can you do to make the most of the light, especially if you have a cottage, or beamed property that might be lacking in natural light.

• Clean the windows – you would be amazed at home many dirty windows I see and it does make a difference
• Remove or tie back curtains and blinds that compromise the light coming into a room
• If you have a dull house, aim to market in the summer, when you are more likely to get sunny days, which go some way to help, open outside doors, as this lets in more light than windows alone
• Make sure all your lights (side, ceiling and wall) have bulbs in. If you have a particularly dull corner or space, consider fairy lights – people’s eyes are drawn to them, rather than the darkness.
• Remove large ornaments such as vases on windowsills that block the light
• Mirrors reflect light and clever placement opposite windows can create more light in room (and make it look bigger)
• Make sure your estate agent knows where all your light switches are, and whenever viewings take place, some lights are put on in advance. Much better to walk into a lit room than realise its dark and put the light on.

5. Get Organised ​​​​​​​
When you put your property on the market you will be asked lots of questions. Make things easier for yourself and for your estate agent and gather all paperwork relating to the house. Things such as:

• Planning permissions/change of use, covenants/overages/restrictions and public footpaths etc
• Guarantees (e.g. for double glazing etc) • Information about boundaries and who owns them
• Septic tank information (is it exempt, which type, year of installation etc)
• Dates of inspection of boiler/wiring and date of installation

To help your estate agent:

• Make sure they have access to all areas when they do viewings, either unlock garages and outbuildings, or provide access with well labelled keys
• Show them where the boiler, fuse board and septic tank (if appropriate) are located
• Inform them of any flooding, underpinning, or notifiable plants (eg. Japanese knotweed) has taken place, along with dates
• If you have any environmental improvements such as air source heat pumps, or solar panels, explain impact of them to your estate agent

I know all this may seem daunting - we at Jackson-Stops have been helping people to sell their home for 115 years – let us answer your questions and give you sound advice.

NEXT NEWSLETTER – Choosing an estate agent, pricing and when to market….