How to make your home irresistible to buyers
Last updated 14:39, Saturday, 29 March 2008
As spring approaches there is a traditional increase in the supply of properties coming onto the market.
However, many home sellers don’t invest sufficient time in preparing their property before offering it for sale.
Your home is a ‘product’ and needs effective marketing by you and your estate agent to give you the best chance of a quick sale at the maximum possible price.
The key to achieving a sale for your home includes the following steps:
- Choosing a good estate agent;
- Quoting the right asking price to suit the market conditions;
- Preparing your home to create the best possible first impression.
When choosing your agent put yourself in the shoes of potential buyers. How would you feel about them if you were searching for a home?
Apart from considering the agent’s accreditations such as membership of the National Association of Estate Agents and the Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme a useful checklist should include:
- Office Standard
- You’ll want your buyers to easily find the agent’s office and be well treated once they’re inside so check this out for yourself.
- Quality of Press Advertising, Website and Sales Particulars
Does the agent provide free and regular local press advertising? Is their website welcoming, informative and user friendly? You’ll want your property details to stand out from the crowd. Is the format of their sales particulars eye-catching and professional? Are they well printed and informative?
- Staff Effectiveness
The staff in the office will act as the first point of contact for your buyers, so quality people are key. You need to be sure they are professional, enthusiastic and well trained. Are they helpful to customers in the office? If they make promises to call you back, do they keep them?
- Number of Potential Buyers
A good agent will service a mailing list of potential buyers by promptly circulating details of properties as they come onto the market. Don’t be afraid to ask agents how many potential buyers they have registered who are looking for your type of property, especially those who can immediately proceed.
Ask the agents what action they will take to help achieve a sale. This should include immediately circulating details of your home via their mailing list, and telephoning the “proceedable” buyers to encourage early viewings.
The agent should also agree to provide consecutive press adverts in the first few weeks of the marketing campaign, together with the prominent display of your home’s details in their office window and website.
The asking price for your home must be correctly set to help attract early interest from the start. This is vitally important in the current market conditions. You should be guided by the agent’s advice on this, but you can do your own research by comparing recent and current asking prices for similar properties.
Always make sure that your agent can justify their recommended asking price by showing you comparable evidence from recent similar sales.
Normally the most competitive asking prices get the best response.
If you set the price too high there is a risk of the property going “stale” as it stays on the market and is seen week after week in the local press.
If the initial response is disappointing then the asking price should be reviewed, so long as you are satisfied that the marketing has been suitable.
Once you’ve chosen your agent and agreed the asking price, you must make sure that your home is suitably prepared for all viewings. Tips for this include:
- Creating a good first impression – viewers will spend time at the front door looking at your garden and paint work so make sure the front of your home, including the garden and hall, are clean, tidy and inviting.
- Removing all internal clutter – this will make the rooms appear more spacious.
- Improving paintwork – fresh emulsioning of walls and touching up timberwork is quick and cheap and will enhance the appearance of rooms.
- Maximising natural light – this gives a more spacious feel to rooms. Open the curtains and let natural light into halls and landings.
- Toning down interiors – simple neutral decor often works best.
- Removing damp, musty or unpleasant odours – open windows and let in the fresh air before viewings. Use air fresheners or pot pourri.
- Arranging furniture to make rooms look more spacious – You may even need to remove some by putting it in storage.
- Adding finishing touches – display fresh flowers, play relaxing background music and if it’s cold, put the heating or fire on.
- Being ready for all viewings – before each viewing, your estate agent should be able to tell you all of the viewer’s main requirements. This will allow you to highlight each of the key selling points for your home which will appeal to the viewers.
A good agent will follow up all viewings to encourage offers and give you the viewer’s feedback. If offers aren’t forthcoming after several viewings you should work with your agent to decide on the best way forward.
You should respond to any negative feedback. This might influence the way your home is presented or, if a number of viewers comment that the price is high, this may persuade you to reduce the asking price.
If you have to reduce the price, your agent should organise further press advertising and contact all the recent viewers to advise them of the price reduction. Reducing the price can often open up a whole new market for your home.
By following these steps you’ll have a much better chance of agreeing a sale for your home at the best price and in the shortest time.
- Nick Elgey is managing director of Cumberland Estate Agents.
- Visit the website at www.cumberland.co.uk
