Selling a home Fast ~tips?

Avoid any company which promises to buy any home. That means you accepting a fraction of its worth.

There is a Saint of selling houses, honestly ?, you buy a plaster model and bury it in your garden.
Only thing is I have have forgotten which one it is!
It might be St Joseph, this came from a friend’s SiL who was a realtor in Florida.

Just checked and it is, you may google if you find it hard to believe.

Unless they are buyers with no imagination: doorstep appeal.
Some experts say that a house is sold ( or not) in the first 4 minutes.
In other words: your outside has to grab them.
And no clutter

Price. If you can afford to offer the house for less than the value that tends to help!

Clear the clutter and ‘de-personalise’. Treasured pictures of you atop an elephant in Thailand or your grandchildren covered in ice-cream ‘might well not’ appeal to viewers!

Clean, clean, clean - especially kitchens and bathrooms.

Do any repairs that have been put off - damage or unfinished jobs will set viewers thinking what else they might find later!

It goes without saying to tidy up - coats and shoes left in the hall could indicate insufficient storage.

Pets?? Personally, love them. Not everyone does, so perhaps keep them away from the viewing and make sure their bedding/eating areas are clean and don’t smell.

Smokers - all paraphernalia should be removed and windows opened before viewing. Well scented flowers or indoor plants could be useful.

I’d go along with kerb appeal too, so step out and see what prospective viewers might see. It’s not too late for hanging baskets and pots using Autumnal colours. Make sure the front door is clean with an outdoor mat to wipe feet. Polish any door furniture and look closely - could it use a lick of paint?

Be prepared to answer questions on nearby schools, Churches or general amenities even though the Estate Agent will have mentioned those in the details - viewers might want your personal input.

I’d ask a friend or relative with an eye for these things to do a walk-through and make notes - good or otherwise - just to get any other suggestions.

Estate Agents won’t offer constructive criticism - photographers taking pictures won’t touch things. I’ve seen pics of bathrooms with underpants left on the floor and kitchens with a black bag in the corner, ready for the bin.

Finally - things are still selling around here like hot cakes as long as the price is right. DD2 sold her house in only 3hrs on the market in June to the first viewer at full asking price and moved in the same month.

Good luck. ?

WOW thank you for your replies so far, very grateful xxx

Present the house to viewers not in the way that you actually live in it, but in a way that potential buyers could imagine themselves living. Make the most of the garden or any outside space. In the past I have put furniture into storage when selling my house (the house was small and wanted to make it seem as spacious as possible) and borrowed items of furniture ie a single bed to go in the small third bedroom when I had been using it as an office.

We have bought and sold 14 homes, GeorgesGran gives good advice, clean, de clutter and give the house some kerb appeal.

Price the house correctly, and if you can then pay the agent on a sliding scale, full fee if sold within 4 weeks for within a percentage of the asking price then less as time goes on, this gives the agent focus and incentive.

Have all your EPC certs, Fensa guarantees, planning applications, boiler guarantees etc ready in a file.
We once had a delay of a month over a Fensa guarantee!

Good luck.

No one wants to live in a scruffy road - make sure there are no weeds or litter outside your house. Mow the lawn, including edges.

Look for an estate agent who loves your house. You can tell when they look round. Preferably one which has sold houses in the same area and similar to yours- they sometimes have people waiting for properties. Agree about the decluttering, but my photographer moved things so he got the best angles (it was a huge family joke that the house looked fantastic in the photos).
If you can get a buyer who has already an offer on their property or a first time buyer things move much more quickly. The longer the chain the longer the wait.
Keep on top of your solicitor when you have an offer. They tend to work slowly.

My daughter just sold quickly by packing everything she didn't need day-to-day and renting a storage space. She made the house look massive. She painted the front door and bought a new shiny door-knocker and put some cheap plants in pots at the front.
She painted over her (very) wild wallpaper in the bedroom with a neutral contemporary colour.

My son moved very quickly and did exactly the same (obviously not the wallpaper).
Both had quick offers.

Make sure the photographer does not make your house look bigger than it is with a wide angled lens. This happened to us and some viewers said 'it's smaller than I thought' as they walked in. We had to get the agent to do the photos again.
Other than that, yes de-clutter, clean thoroughly (don't forget the shower cubicle) and get the price right. One agent told us to get some hanging baskets as 'people like them'.

Do you have a property to sell quickly MaryQueen or is this just a general request for unusual ideas of the spiritual/whimsical nature, in the way that, for instance, a journalist might ask?

JenniferEccles, I need to sell my home ASAP, due to becoming disabled I can no longer manage to live alone. I am moving into sheltered housing. Im not sad about it as I understand it is the best thing for me to do.

There has been some great advice given here and I am grateful xx

Oh I can see the need for speed then.
We are told that the property market is very buoyant at the moment, with people deciding that they need more space and in particular, a garden.
Good luck with your sale. It’s a stressful time though isn’t it?

At present around here property is sold the day it goes on the market. Most people who wanted to move took advantage of the Stamp duty holiday and now there is less to choose from.
Those that don't sell are overpriced or have serious defects.
Good luck.

MaryQueen sorry to hear you are having problems. If you need help decluttering and getting rid of any unwanted items you can get professionals who will help you with it. Hope you are very happy in your new accommodation, my mum lived happily in sheltered housing for many years.

Cut the price so that it is the best house on the market at its price. Check what price similar houses on your road are selling for. Go on the Rightmove site and then click on 'House prices on the top bar, then click on 'sold house prices', then type your road name and post code in the box.

When the Agent takes pictures or the house is to be shown, make sure the toilet seat and lid is down!
Clear all the shampoos, lotions, talc etc from the bathroom into a cupboard. Make sure the shower curtain is spotless. Polish the taps!
Take suitcases & paraphernalia off the top of wardrobes. Clean windows to make more light flood in.
You’re selling a “lifestyle”, so prospective buyers will think “I want to live like this.”
Go for it & goo luck.

Absolutely agree with all of these.

We're house hunting and the last three houses we visited we thought we were at the wrong house, they all looked smaller than in the photos. I've also noticed that in photos of neighbouring houses that have sold recently that are actually the same size as ours. We take more notice of the plans now before we decide to visit and check the size of the rooms.

Make sure the front of the house looks tidy first appearances matter. Tidy personal ornaments and other stuff away. Then empty walls of pictures it gives the impression of space. If you have good storage space makes sure it’s tidy so you can show it off. People seem to be impressed with storage space. If you have a garden make sure it’s all looking good. Everything in its place like you see in magazines best wishes.

Sorry in my experience you are asking the impossible. No such thing as selling a house fast. Unless you sell to a company that will give you lot less than your house is worth same goes for auctioning it.

Georgesgran gave a great response.

In addition I would say the following:

The smell of baking bread or coffee is a bit of a cliché now I think.

Open the windows before viewings to let in some fresh air so that the house doesn't smell stale, especially if you have pets

Don't spray air freshener everywhere or have those plug in air fresheners as it it just smell like you are trying to cover something up.

This is just my opinion. I agree with what other posters have said about decluttering and street appeal.