What You Need To Know to be in your New Home by Christmas
Autumn is such a lovely time of year. The leaves on the trees are turning golden and red, and homes feel so much cosier.
Lots of people who have their homes on the market in Autumn want to be in their new place by Christmas, so it can be a really good time to sell.
With that in mind, we have some suggestions to help you have the best possible chance of selling in the timescale you would prefer, at the price you need:
Make sure your home looks at its Autumnal best for photography and viewings:
Keep your garden free of leaves and branches, and make sure your lawn is getting cut regularly if it needs it.
Clean out your hanging baskets and plant pots to remove any dead and unsightly plants. Replant with lovely Autumnal flowering plants like
Michalmas daisy and Goldsturm Coneflowers, so that your home looks attractive from the first moment your viewers see it.
Moving inside, it’s time to get cosy. Light fires, switch lamps on and make sure your outside lights are on when your viewers arrive
Bed linen looks warm and welcoming accessorised with throws and cushions in rich, textured fabrics. Choose autumnal hues for an added essence of opulence.
Style your home with accessories that complement the season: church candles, russet apples in bowls, and room diffusers with a hint of cinnamon and spice.
Fill your vases with beautiful autumnal bouquets that will fill your home with colour as well as the scents of the season.
Put your home on the market for a price that will sell well:
- Comparable properties – what else could someone buy for the price you think your home is worth? How does yours compare? Will it compete well? Comparing your home with those around you on the market is what a potential buyer will do. By making sure your home is competitively priced, you’ll ensure that it’s on a buyer’s shortlist, and keep interest high from the outset.
- Sold Prices – looking at precedent, in other words, what has sold before and the relative sale prices, can give an indicator as to the possible sale value of your home. Bearing in mind that a surveyor will also use precedent when making their calculations to report to a lender, these sold prices carry considerable weight. Any property that seems to attempt to break the ‘ceiling’ price of a given area will be considered a risk. Looking at local relevant sales that have happened recently will help you better understand the potential price limit of yours.
- Price per square foot – this is not a commonly used valuation tool, as it doesn’t take into account any amenities (like an amazing view) or disadvantages (like a public footpath through the garden). However, it can be a useful guide to see literally how much house a buyer would get for their money. We suggest that you take into account any attached building, even if it’s a garage, but exclude any detached building, unless it’s an additional dwelling (eg a holiday cottage in the grounds).Your square footage is the gross internal measurements of your home; in other words, the internal dimensions multiplied, but excluding any internal walls. You can calculate a price per square foot by dividing the asking price of a property by the square footage, which will probably give you a figure of between £250 and £350 per square foot in the Lake District, although these figures can vary considerably.If your price per square foot is substantially over or under the average in your area, it could be an indicator that your asking price is too low, or too high. Too low, and you’re at risk of underselling your home, but too high an asking price may mean you won’t get any viewings.
- Online Instant Valuation Tools – these are relatively new to the UK, but becoming increasingly popular with homeowners looking for a quick answer to their question, ‘how much is my home worth?’ We use an online valuation tool on our AshdownJones’ site here – valuation.ashdownjones.co.uk – but we find that if yours is a unique home, the results are very unpredictable. We’d love you to try it for yourself and see what result you get.
Autumnal Shades can make a beautiful brochure
Photography – we use at least 3 different kinds of photography at AshdownJones:
1. Lifestyle – these are images that portray the kind of lifestyle a buyer could hope to enjoy if they buy your home. If you have styled your home to make the most of the season, your photographer can capture the cosiness of your home, and its warm welcome.
2. Local – buyers want to see some of the area, shown at different times of the year. In Autumn, local woods and hillsides will be transformed and look amazing in your brochure.
3. Twilight – Autumn is a beautiful time of year to show your home at twilight, or dusk. An image of your home with all of its lights twinkling, and a darkening sky behind will look stunning in your property marketing.
Description – your property description needs to bring out the very best features of your home, highlighting its lifestyle and homeliness in each sentence. Done well, a property description can really draw a reader in, and compel them to take the next action to view your home.
Brochure– if you have styled your home beautifully for Autumn, and captured it perfectly in its photography and description, a magazine-style brochure will be your piece de resistance. A talented designer can bring your home to life on every page, and leave you with a stunning keepsake to take with you to your next home.
As you can see, the Autumn is a lovely season in which to sell your home; get all the elements right, and you could be in your new home in time to put up your Christmas tree!
If you have a question about the best time of year to sell your particular home, we’d love to hear from you. Just call on 015394 88811 and ask for Sam or Phil, or pop us an email at team@ashdownjones.co.uk.
