First impressions critical to a successful sale

Preparing a property for sale can be hard work but done properly, it can also add thousands to the price you’ll ultimately secure. There’s a saying that you only have one chance to make a first impression.

To identify where to start, imagine your home is being featured in Vogue Living, or a similar glossy publication: how would you like your home to be presented?

Whatever your answer, that should be your baseline. Anything less, and it is harder to maximise the value of your most important asset, so it’s best to begin the transformation process as soon as you make the decision to sell.

Here’s are some top tips:

1. Make a list of the best features of your home that would gain buyer interest. This might be recent renovations, large garden or size of the property.

1. Do a walk-through and make a note of flaws that must be fixed. These could be as simple as squeaky doors and floorboards, dripping taps and flaking paints. Start making these repairs, or bring in a tradesman.

1. Focus on critical areas such as the bathroom, where cracked tiles and dirty grout can really be a turn-off. Give the bathroom a really big scrub and consider refreshing the grout or installing new tapware.

1. Do a big clean-up outside, including and clean and sweep of paths and mowing the lawn and tidying garden furniture.

1. Consider the services of a stylist. As your agent, we’d be happy to make a recommendation.

1. Think of your home in terms of pictures. Consider the most photogenic parts of your home and think about what touches you can add to make them “Instagrammable”.

- Provided by RealEstate Content by ActivePipe