Last week we’ve shared a few tips to help you boost your home’s value when selling. We took some ideas from a survey, made by Populus – one of the leading UK market research companies. They asked what are the things that would make potential buyers to reduce or even – withdraw their offer when buying a property. Some of the factors like weak mobile phone signal are not under the seller’s control, while others, related to condition of the house can be fixed.
Small renovations, good lighting and clearing the space are just some of the things you can do to highlight the advantages of the property. Check what else you can do if you want to present the house in the best possible way and get a good deal when selling it.
Clean the Property
The results from Populus’ survey were very clear in terms of cleanliness. One third of the potential buyers would ask for a significant cut off the price if the property is messy or in need of serious cleaning, one third would try to reduce the price by a few hundred pounds and 15% of the participants answered, that they would lose interest and withdraw the offer.
To avoid such scenario be sure to inspect and clean your property really well. Things you should really pay attention to are carpets, upholstery, bathroom and toilet and kitchen. Check some of our great guides on DIY cleaning: deep home cleaning methods for kitchen, living room and bedroom areas. We’ve also posted a comprehensive list of task to tackle when moving out. After you finish aerate the place really well. Selling your home and moving out is often a stressful experience. If you don’t have the time to deal with all this by yourself you can hire professionals for one off deep home cleaning.
Pest Control
Presence of cockroaches, mice, bed bugs, carpet bugs or other vermin can seriously reduce the price of your property. Actually, 44% of the participants in Populus’ survey admitted they would withdraw the offer if in doubt of pest infestation and 23% would give a significantly lower offer for the property. When cleaning the house inspect well for uninvited guests. If there are even slight signs of pest infestation, call pest control company before putting the property on the market.
Trim the Garden
Having a garden, even a small one is often seen as a big plus of the property, especially in large cities. Nevertheless, 15% of respondents in the survey admit a neglected, overgrown garden would make them want a significant cut of the price. This is why it is a smart move to mow the grass and trim the garden, before putting you home for sale. If there are old, worn out pieces of garden furniture, get rid of them too – they can make the outside space look smaller and messy.
BONUS TIP: Be careful when hiring sales agent. 35% of the people, who took part in Populus survey, admitted that they would ask for discount on property price if they have to negotiate with annoying or rude agent, and 19% of the participants said, that they would search for another offer. Get the right agent working on your behalf!
