How should I prepare my home for a viewing?

You’ve made the decision to sell your home and now have prospective buyers lined up to view your property. So how can you prepare your home for a viewing and make it irresistible to purchasers?

The key is to clean, de-clutter, make the property neutral and impersonal.  A recent television programme featured a property for sale in Leigh on Sea in Essex. While there was nothing particularly wrong with the fabric of the building, the house was full to bursting point with family paraphernalia. The interior colour schemes were bold and would certainly not be to everyone’s taste. Children’s toys lay scattered across the garden and dirty laundry spilled out of washing baskets. Unsurprisingly, the vendors had failed to secure even one offer in over a year.

The key to selling your home quickly is to help potential buyers picture themselves living in your home.  No-one wants to reside in an untidy, unloved property. Consider the following suggestions to help you prepare for a viewing.

• Be ruthless, de-clutter and de-personalise. Dispose of anything you don’t need and put any items you can into self-storage. Remove personal items such as family photographs, certificates or children’s artwork. Don’t forget the garden and garage if you have them.
• Clean like you’ve never cleaned before! Scrub every last corner of your property and then do it again. If you don’t want to do this yourself, consider hiring a professional company to undertake a one-off, deep-clean for you.
• Fix all broken items inside and outside your property – make your house look like it has been well-cared for:
  • fix any leaking gutters or broken fencing
  • replace any broken floor tiles
  • re-grout around showers and baths
  • replace broken window blinds
  • clean or replace dirty or worn carpets
  • make sure all light bulbs are working
• Buyers like to open cupboards, so make sure yours are tidy and not overly full
• Give your house kerb-side appeal: mow the lawn, wash down paintwork and invest in some plants to place by the door, you can always take them with you.
• If the kitchen is looking worn, consider replacing kitchen cupboard doors and old appliances.
• Paint your walls in neutral colours so prospective purchasers can easily imagine their furniture in your rooms

While these suggestions are nothing new, they really will help you sell your property. And in the current property market, as the well-known supermarket says, every little helps!