House Selling Tips and Home Staging Guide 

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We have been asked many questions about house selling tips from property sellers and homeowners wanting to make the most of their property when selling in order to achieve the best selling price and to sell faster with as little chance of broken chains or buyers dropping out as possible! Some of these individual questions and answers on home improvement options are detailed below and include declutter tips when selling property, tips to sell property faster, do I need to decorate my house to sell?, should I pave my drive or put in a new door to sell?,  how do I carry out home improvements to a tired house on a small budget?, what to do with a coloured bathroom suite when selling my house?.

  Declutter tips

'Should I declutter children's bedrooms before selling my house?'  Jasmine 

  "Hello Jasmine, Children's bedrooms may be considered for a guest room or study by the viewers so its best to declutter as much as possible and remove some of the posters if you can.  Take the chance to move on unused toys and games to the charity shop. It can be the case that the parent, rather than the child, is reluctant to part with items for sentiment; so be sure that you don't stand in their way to move on. Certain items will hold sentimental value for you and I would always recommend having a box for keepsakes and a memory box - take photos of things one final time if you are having trouble letting go"    

  Tips to sell property faster

I'm very busy and work full-time.  How do I make the changes you suggest quickly? What house selling tips will help me sell fast?' Jo

  "Hello Jo, Its useful if you can enlist the help of the whole family; teenagers and other family members may be as keen to move onto the next house as you. After reviewing your whole home and deciding on which areas need most attention create an action plan list and add names to it! Encouraging other to be involved will reduce the time it takes and get your property marketed much more quickly. Alternatively if this is not an option consider employing a gardener to do some jobs and a cleaning company to take on deep cleaning a number of areas in the home including windows, bathrooms and carpets for instance. Check beforehand if they will cover external areas such as doors, UPVc window frames and lower ground windows."

"Should I re-decorate before selling?"  Tristran

  "Hello Tristran, A fresh lick of paint can work wonders to freshen a property and give it buyer appeal which is well worth the cost. However keep things neutral, paint doors and woodwork white and avoid the use of gloss paint. If some rooms are wallpapered and you cannot do the work yourself the costs of decorating needs to be balanced with other possible improvements which may influence buyers more. Patterned prints might paint over or changing the room with styling and accessories might be a better use of your budget."

  Paving my drive or new door to sell

" I'm considering having a new door fitted and block paving my drive.  Will it increase the value of my house?"  Sandy.

   "Hello Sandy, The cost of some changes might not return the investment you make. However they might help you to sell your house faster. Your decision on costly changes will depend on whether your priority is more to sell as fast as possible or to sell for the highest price. Its also important to consider the ceiling price of your home - most property has a top value achievable and expensive changes may not help you to increase the selling price over and above this ceiling price. If in doubt let me have more details on your property and use our telephone Consultation or speak to your estate agent for local market conditions and property valuation. I hope these house selling tips are useful."

  Tired house - how to do home improvements on a budget

" My family have lived in our house for 17years and an estate agent described it as a little  'tired and lived in' How do I change it to sell without costing me a fortune?'  James

"Settling into a home can result in becoming comfortable with the way things are and being unaware that it may look a little tired and 'lived in' to new folk wanting to buy their 'dream home.' When selling its important to look at your home with fresh eyes.  There are many tips that may help you sell your house. Try visiting a new development show home and return home to take a fresh view of each room. Your potential buyers may view the show home and your property in the same day. There are methods to refresh your home that can be implemented quickly.  Add modern art canvasses, change tired rugs for large modern rugs, change bedding for a white duvet cover a colourful throw and matching scatter cushions, replace kitchen cupboard door handles for a contemporary style and store old kitchen worktop appliances out of sight.  Fresh white towels placed in bathrooms on marketing photo day and on viewing days will work wonders. If your sofa is too old to take to the next house consider replacing it early". 

  Wow factor to sell my house

" What low cost methods can I use to get wow factor into my home?' Samantha

  "There are a number f things you can do at low cost to add wow factor and buyer appeal to help sell your house.  My advice is to firstly re-think room layout to achieve best photo shots, shop about for large mirrors, place wallpaper squares in a large frame, buy bright and cheerful coloured cushions for the lounge, artificial planters for the conservatory, put the dining room table central and add a table runner and large statement centrepiece, choose a full bedding duvet set with co-ordinating throw, paint a highlight wall with colour matched accessories, remove half used toiletries and replace children's posters with brightly coloured canvasses that they will want to use in the next house." 

  Gardens when selling in winter

" What can I do to my garden in the winter to create a selling feature?'  Janice

  "Gardens can be a huge selling feature adding extended living space to your home. If selling in colder months you can still create the indication of use of the garden by cleaning down and setting out the garden table and chairs or investing in a small 2 seater bistro set with round table. Sweep up dead leaves, remove washing lines, wipe down window ledges and add a terracotta tub with winter pansies or an evergreen shrub such as a box shaped or spiralled. I hope these house selling tips are useful, good luck!"  

  Coloured bathroom suite when selling my house

" Should I change a coloured bathroom suite before selling my house?" Timothy

  "In many instances changing fittings when selling may not return the investment if you make the wrong choice of style. However, with bathroom suites it is easier to judge a style to suit the property and white bathroom suites are much preferred by buyers to colour.  With restricted mortgage lending and reduced property investors to develop older property it may be more beneficial in the current market to change a coloured suite before marketing for sale. Property value, ceiling price, location and overall desirability of the property play a part in prioritising the spending of your budget to get the property ready for sale. For more individual advice contact HouseWow or check out more house selling tips in the 25 page free house selling tips webguide".  

  Cash house buyers

"Are there mistakes that I can avoid when getting my house ready to sell?" Dorothy, Sussex

  "There are many key mistakes that homeowners make when trying to get their property ready for sale. Often they are in such a rush to test the market out that they avoid the things that will take the least time but give maximum effect. Presentation is vital to help home buyers see the potential in the home and they can be put off by clutter, untidy houses and a few repair jobs. Read more about common mistakes made by homeowners looking for a quick sale here>

Two factors to sell your house fast for the best price are:  

1. Property price 

Its important that your property is valued at the realistic price for the market.  Talk to your local Estate Agents about the best price to put your property on the market for. Don't test the market at a high price first - this will waste valuable time and you will miss the important BUYERS - those ready willing and able - with finance in place KNOW the property price thats right as new property appears on the market.

1. Property style and presentation

HouseWow's customers can access the HouseWow.info Smarter Property Sellers Website to find all the tips and advice and full Guide to Property Presentation and Home Staging when selling.

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