moving home

Top Tips to selling your home, quick!

by

When it comes to moving house, part of the anxiety for many homeowners is the unknown aspect of selling their current property. Will it sell? Will I get what I need for the next property? Will I be on the market a while? Will I lose a buyer and have to find another? There is undoubtedly a lot of anxiety hot spots when buying and selling houses.

We recently have done the whole process of selling and buying, and damn, it was stressful. But it wasn’t the selling that was the hard part for us. No, and that’s simply because we lined our ducks in a row to make the whole experience a heck of a lot less stressful. We sold quickly and within 3 days of being on the market, at full asking. Here’s how we made everything plain sailing so we could sell quickly.

Prep your home

Whilst many would believe you don’t need to do anything extra to your home to help it sell, buyers can be stupid. Some can’t see past the straggly wallpaper, dirty floors or cluttered spaces. So, making it easy for every potential buyer will be your best bet. Now, you don’t need to overhaul your whole property, but there are some things you should look at doing before getting that agent in.

Touch ups

Scuffs along the hallway, marks from the kids playing, food splatters in the kitchen. All these should be touched up. Making your home look neat, tidy and above all else looked after, will help any buyer realise your home is a gem that is loved.

De-clutter

Oooo there is nothing worse than looking around a property you hope will give you more space and realising its full of crap. Clear yours out so any potential buyers dont feel like your home lacks space and storage. Plus, de-cluttering now means when you come to pack, your only packing the stuff you want and need.

Clean

You would be surprised how many homes I walked into as an agent that were dirty. This is so off-putting for any buyers, especially when it deters away from the home. A stinky smell will be all they think of when they view.

Stage

Like its going in a home interior magazine. I would highly advise this for the pictures and viewings. Making your home the best presentable self is vital in helping buyers visulise living there. Buy fresh flowers, brew some coffee and plump the cushions. Think of how good show homes feel and do the same in your home.

Pick the right agent

Now your home is ready to hit the market you need a stella agent that is going to sell the socks off your property. With property portals doing most of the work, you should pick a agent that will make it stand out from the hundreds of other listings.

Look at their photography, see if they offer floor plans, virtual tours, video content. It’s also worth reading the description. Lazy agents with lousy phone camera images will not help your property pop on Rightmove. Virtual tours and property videos are hugely popular, especially considering covid can stop people from viewing many properties. They can give a great insight into the home and whilst many agents would say it can limit viewings, it will encourage those that have watched the video and like what they see view!

When it comes to having a property valuation, make sure you get 3 different agents in. This will help you get an average price of your property. Bare in mind, some agents like to over price to grab your property from their competitors. Always consider why their valuation may be higher. Whilst it might sound nice, usually these figures are hugely inflated and these agents will then advise you to drop the price to gather interest. Remember, dropping the price is visible on property portals and isn’t a good selling point.

Ask lots of questions also. Consider the time you will have to be on with them if you don’t sell. Some agents require a 12 week period which is a long time to sit stale mate on the market. Read reviews, look at their selling stats and check the properties they have on the market.

Gather the information

Once you have your agent picked, now is a great time to get some of the important information ironed out. Things like ground rent cost, maintenance charges, lease details, boundary information, any covenants, council tax bands ect. Some potential buyers will ask these questions before putting in an offer so its worth while knowing the answers. Plus, it makes it easier when gathering information for the solicitors too.

Inform your financial adviser

Hopefully you’ve already crunched the numbers, but it’s worth making sure your financial adviser is ready and waiting for when you need to offer on a property. Be sure you know how much you need to sell for, and your budget too.

Chase your agents

Once you are on the market, be sure to keep in regular contact with your agents. Check the listing on the property portals and get anything changed if you are not happy. When any viewings are conducted, request feedback at the nearest opportunity. Understanding what may be an issue is wise and can mean you can change something quickly to help move things along.

Selling your property quickly is only achieved when doing all of the above. Most importantly, it’s choosing the correct agent. Be realistic with valuations and don’t go for the crazy, wild, high figure. Knocking the price down will only make buyers wonder what is wrong with your property.

-More Buying & Selling Posts-
-Pin it for later-

How we are prepping for selling our home during lock-down

by
Talk about bad timing – just as we got the ball rolling – Covid-19 arrives and hits us right in the tummy.

We have been discussing moving from our first home, a 2 bed apartment, since we got married back in 2018. We won’t be the only couple that once we said ‘I do’ , wanted to move straight to the next thing – a house. But property prices back in 2018 didn’t allow us the movement we needed to move up the property ladder, and we just decorated instead. Not exactly the same thing but yanno.

Roll forward 2 years, some pay rises and our frustrations of hearing neighbours, carrying shopping up a flight of stairs and no private, outdoor space, we decided it was the year. We were going to put our first home on the market and move to a house. And then Covid-19 made its appearance.

Lock-down has inevitably put the whole property market on pause. No house viewings, mortgage meetings, house valuations, property surveys and no moving dates. It’s all just paused. And for us, that means we are currently in limbo.

Thankfully, we hadn’t got to the point of putting our property on the market, much rather we are only at the start of the process. Nevertheless, its very very frustrating. But every cloud and all means we do have some things to do whilst in lock-down to make the whole process run quickly when it resumes.

Checking on our finances

A new home means a bigger mortgage, more credit and a horrible conversation about finances. They are my worst nightmare. One thing is for sure, the lock-down and pause on the property market has allowed us a little more time to keep track on our finances.

It’s always advisable to keep a track on your credit score and record whether you currently want to move or not. And it’s something I check monthly, ever since signing up to clearscore 3 years ago. It gives you a great indication on what banks see, and you can spot any errors or problems early.

I would suggest to anyone to check their score regularly. especially if wanting to borrow more money or get a mortgage. Somethings can take a while to iron out and you really don’t want any surprises when chatting to lenders. Clearscore is free and gives you a guide on what lenders will see when looking at lending you money.

Saving as much as possible

Being a ex estate agent, I had lots of clients who were surprised by unexpected bills and costs when buying and selling a property. The lock-down has given us some more time to save save save. Because even the most organised can be caught out with costs, even if it’s just buying new furniture or home essentials.

De-cluttering

When selling a home, de-cluttering can save you on packing, and help ease the clutter in your home for viewing purposes. Viewers can be put off if they see a home over-run with clutter and mess, since it suggests you have outgrown the property, or it doesn’t offer much space and storage. Whether that is the case, best not visualize it to potential buyers.

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been organising home accessories we would like for the new home, as well as the usual ‘loft items’ that we can hide at my parents whilst we are marketing the apartment.

Touch-ups

Your home can get very straggly very quickly, and its only when you look at it as a potential buyer you see some of the marks or small fixes it might need. Spend some time touching up marks and plaster cracks. Make sure anything broken is fixed too. Blown bulbs or broken handles are small indicators to buyers that you might not look after your home.

We have spent the last couple of weeks touching up paint work and cleaning the white walls. It doesn’t look great and we want potential buyers to see this is a loved home, well looked after.

Contacted agents

Finding the right agent that fits your budget and will market your property correctly can be a process in itself. Take this time to research and call around – ask plenty of questions and look at the properties they are marketing currently, and have sold recently. Checking this now, and finding an agent will give you a jump start on the market when things get moving again.

We have found a fantastic, local agent that we trust and works within our budget. We have already verbally instructed, indicating that we want to be on the market as soon as the lock-down easement allows.

The property market may be frozen for the time being, but there is still plenty to be done if looking to buy or sell in the coming months. With low interest rates, its a great time to consider borrowing more and moving up the property ladder.

Are you looking to buy a new home? Move from your current property? Let me know in the comment section. Did you want more property posts? Let me know too!

Be a pro packer – Home Edition

by

Packing. Who likes it? Packing and unpacking food shopping, clothes, suitcases, moving boxes. Whatever it may be it’s a ruddy horrible chore. Yet, with some packing there is an element of excitement. Especially when it comes to packing up your home ready for the next one.

If you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you’ll notice the running theme of buying property, moving and climbing up the property ladder. And to run with the theme, this post is no different. Whilst packing and unpacking is a ball ache, it’s a great opportunity to get rid of clutter, sift through belongings and organise your home.

So sit tight and prepare for the post that will help you pack up your home like a pro and make moving home that little bit easier.

Read :  Why moving out might just be what you need!

Book and organise transport 

First things first, you better organise and book your transport. Make sure you shop around and consider companies like Shiply, who make it easy to find the best competitive price, whatever you may be transporting.

Before packing anything up, make sure you know you can move everything to your new abode.

Grab supplies

Whether it be bubble wrap, boxes, tape or even coffee and biscuits. Make sure you are well prepared, and armed with supplies to start packing. Make sure you have a chunky pen to label boxes, and have sufficient packaging to protect your valuables.

Don’t buy your boxes straight away, hit local stores and supermarkets first, as many will be more than willing to hand over their used boxes for free! Lidl and Aldi are good spots for boxes!

Blast the music and keep it fun and you will be packing your home up in no time!

Moving onto the packing, Go room by room

Rule number one when it comes to packing – always pack room by room. Start and finish one and move onto the next. Going from room to room, and starting a new one without finishing the last will only lead to confusion, mess and above all else, stress!

Chuck out

This is the perfect opportunity to sift and sort through any of the accumulated clutter or belongings that have no place in the next property. Think carefully before just chucking anything away, but be ruthless too. Remember, anything you keep will cost you in removal fees.

Consider new storage

Storing bulk items like CD’s and DVD’s before you move will make packing easier, and unpacking seamless. If you are an avid DVD collector, why not ditch the cases and invest in a mass storing system that takes up LESS room. Purchasing and storing products in this way will cut down removal space and make them easier to unpack the other end.

Read : Being ruthless with your clutter.

Make a ‘last box’

And by the last box, I literally mean the last box that will go in the van. It needs to be filled with the ultimate utensils you will need from the minute you walk into your new home. Consider a kettle, tea bags, milk and mugs. Also make PJs, bedding and toiletries readily available encase you have a late night of unpacking.  Last boxes are LIFE savers and means you won’t have to hunt down the kettle just for a warm cuppa.

Use hanging boxes

Brilliant contraptions are these! Hanging boxes are great for storing and transporting your clothes whilst in the moving process. And what’s better, they will keep them crease-free!

Give yourself enough time

Do not underestimate how long it will take you to pack up your home. After all, it’s your life’s worth of belongings. If you intend to de-clutter before the move, take this into account, as it will add time to sift through and chuck the junk. You are better being packed earlier than needed, than stressing on the evening before.

Read : Signs it might be time to move home.

Packing up your entire home can be measly, but hopefully this lil post has helped you. Keep going and you will be under-way in no time! 

Do you have any tops for packing? 

Something I need to add to the list? 

As always, leave your thoughts in the comment section below! 

Charlotte x