Preparing your home for viewings
The following information is for guidance only but will point you in the right direction of most of the things you need to consider. If you feel we can add anything then let us know:
First Impressions
The saying goes that you only get one chance to make a first impression. This is never more so than with your most valuable asset - your home. You need to make sure that viewers is going to be either impressed or at least not put off before they set foot in your home. This starts in the street on the approach to your property:
- Does the fence, wall or hedge look OK or could it do with a few minor repairs/tidying?
- Is the path to the front door tidy - does it need weeding or sweeping?
- How does the front garden look? If lawned is it freshly cut? Does the planting look neat and appealing? You can brighten things up with a few cheap plants that are flowering now.
- Are the windows and frames clean (inside and out)?
- Do the guttering and roof tiles look OK? Arranging for a few loose tiles to be fixed might seem to be more trouble than it's worth but to a buyer it suggests poor maintenance and possibly internal water damage. This could kill any chance of a sale regardless of how nice your home is inside.
- Is the front door clean and freshly painted (if applicable)?. This is the entrance to your home - what sort of message are you conveying with a grubby or poorly maintained door?
- Finally - how do your neighbours properties look? If their gardens are untidy, have rubbish lying around or they have a shabby front door then this could also put off your buyer. Have a quiet word and explain that it would help you if they had a quick tidy up - offering to help may do the trick.
Hallway
Make sure the hallway is clean and tidy. Put all shoes and coats away and clean everywhere - as it opens to the street it will be one of the dirtiest/dustiest areas of the house. Any hall carpet will probably be one of the dirtiest, due to people walking straight in from all sorts of weather - if it is dirty then consider having it cleaned. If other rooms in the house could also benefit then you may want to hire a cleaner - from around £30.
Living Room
- Depending on the time of day ensure the room is well lit so as not to appear dull.
- Tidy away any unnecessary clutter such as newspapers, DVDs and videos
- Try to de-personalise the room without making it too clinical. You are wanting your viewers to see this as their new home - this will be difficult in a room full of your own personal effects. You can always replace personal effects with things like a quality vase with fresh flowers, a bowl of fruit etc.
- Look at the walls and ceiling. Do they need repainting or at least touching up? Does the wallpaper look tired or torn? Are the colours too bold or personal? You should ideally be aiming for neutral colours to appeal to the widest possible audience so bear this in mind if you are going to repaint anyway. Neutral colours also tend to make a room brighter.
- If you smoke then pay particular attention to the ceilings as they may need repainting. Also consider washing (or dry cleaning) any soft furnishings as these will carry a smokey smell that will be off-putting to a lot of non-smokers.
- Make sure the temperature is acceptable - if you have a feature fire you wish to show off then turn the heating down in the living room a short while before they arrive so the room doesn't become too hot.
Kitchen
The kitchen is a key selling point in any home. Make sure you:
- Have it spotlessly clean including all the cupboard doors, oven (inside and out), floor etc. No-one will want to buy a house where the kitchen is full of other people's dirt. If something can't be cleaned satisfactorily (eg old vinyl floor coverings etc) then consider replacing it.
- Don't have any strong food smells lingering - ie don't have fish or a curry just before people visit and ideally not the night before.
- Check that things work - are any cupboard door handles loose; does the extractor work; does the tap drip etc?
- As with the living room, tidy away all clutter including pots, pans, tins, bottles and other equipment and utensils so the buyers can see the full extent of the work surfaces.
- If your pet has it's bed or feeding bowls in the kitchen then remove all traces as this will put people off. Indeed, if you have a pet it would be better to try and arrange for it to be looked after by a neighbour or have the kids take it for a walk just before your visitors are due - people can dislike or even be allergic to some animals.
Bathroom
Again make sure every surface is spotlessly clean. If tile grout is looking grubby then you can buy a kit to revitalise it for little money - this will have a big effect on the overall look if you have a large tiled area. Also check the sealant around the bath as this can become discoloured - if so then replace it.
If you have carpet in the bathroom then it would be advisable to change it, regardless of how nice it looks to you, as most people see this as unhygienic. A modern vinyl for most sizes of bathroom will be inexpensive.
Hide away all your personal toiletries and that stash of bleach and cleaning cloths under the wash basin. A mirror is a good idea as it can create an impression of size in a modest bathroom.
Bedrooms
Clear all clutter including shoes; clothes; books; towels etc. Give the room a good clean as bedrooms are very dusty rooms. Check lampshades as these can become really dusty in bedrooms. Depending on the weather, open the windows to let some fresh air in. As with other rooms, depersonalise the rooms as much as possible so your visitors can imagine themselves using them.
Make sure your beds are made and that the quilt covers/bedspreads look crisply ironed. If your bedding looks dated or too worn then consider buying a new set - it will be worth it and you probably wouldn't want to take the old set with you to your new house anyway. As with the living room, check that the decor is neat and tidy, touching up paint etc as required.
Make sure the kids keep their rooms under control so you aren't frantically tidying them just before a visit. If you use a bedroom as an office or storage room then make sure it is tidy and that people can still visualise a bed in there. Ideally, clear it out and turn it back into a bedroom - people don't need to see that they can store their junk in there but they will want to know that they can get a bed in there.
Garden
Make sure the access to the garden is clear. Mow the lawn and do all the weeding. Trim back any bushes or hedges and dead-head any flowers that have died off. If the garden is full of the kids toys then tidy them away. If they have swings, slides etc then consider moving them around so as to better show off the garden. In the case of trampolines, pools etc consider taking them down. If you have the latter then make sure you don't end up with bald patches of lawn. Move such equipment around regularly.
As with the front, have a look at your neighbours garden from the back bedroom windows (your viewers probably will). If it looks messy/overgrown then try to agree for it to be tidied.
Garage
If you have a garage then make sure it is tidy and that the door(s) to it are clean and well maintained. If you hardly use it then check there are no creeking hinges. If you have chosen to use your garage for general storage then please remember that your buyers may actually want to put a car in it. It will be hard to visualise if they can't even set foot in it for junk. Ask yourself, 'Will I really be taking all this with me?' If the answer is no then sort it out before you sell the house, not after.
If you really can't manage to clear out the garage before you move then at least have
the internal measurements available (including main door width) so the buyers can see whether their car will fit or not.