So you’re ready to put your home on the market – great! We’ve compiled a quick checklist to follow to give yourself the best chance to get moved in the timescale you want, for the price you need.
Let’s go!
1. Choose the right estate agent: Don’t just choose the agent with the lowest fee and highest valuation. Take a considered view on their professionalism, their success locally, and whether you like them or not. After all, you’re going to be working quite closely with them for some time. Once you engage your agent, keep them on their toes: mystery shop them, call them regularly, be meticulous about documenting feedback from every viewing – the good and the bad, drop in unannounced to their office, and ask them for your Rightmove Property Performance Report at least monthly.
2. Prepare your home properly – make sure your home is ready for photography and viewings. Perhaps this is a step that you rushed or even overlooked the first time you put your property on the market, but it’s vital you spend time and effort, and even money, on this very important preparation for marketing. Look carefully for any 21stCentury no-no’s: swags and tails on your curtains, carpeting in your bathroom, kitchen worktops more than 10 years old or any taps more than 20 years old. If you’re not sure what to do, and your estate agent doesn’t offering styling advice, commission a professional stylist and take a professional approach to your property’s presentation.
3. Review your photographs – take a critical and objective view of the images your estate agent takes. Look at the photographs of the best homes marketed online by premium estate agents (like us!). How do yours compare? Are they as good, or do your images look like the agent has just snapped them in a hurry on a basic point-and-shoot?
4. The ‘write’ way to sell your house – once you have your home presented beautifully and some gorgeous photographs, the next step is to turn your attention to your written description. The words used to describe your home in your brochure and online advert need to persuade a buyer it’s worth the time and effort to view your home. The best agents use a professional copywriter, based on an interview with the owner. Make sure your description captures the attention of a buyer, and holds their interest long enough to book a viewing.
5. Name your price – the final decision to make before you are ready to launch your home to the market, is the asking price. Ask yourself:
Does your agent support it? If you set your asking price way above that which the agent recommends, their lack of support could well be evident in the way they talk about your property to their team and also to buyers
Is there precedent? If your home is unique, there may well be a lack of comparable properties, and therefore you have much more flexibility in the price you choose to market your home at. However, if you are in a row of similar properties, chances are that there will be plenty of historical evidence to guide you into choosing an asking price that fits in with those of your neighbouring properties.
Does it fit in with an online search? Currently, 93% of property searches start online (source: Rightmove). You need to choose an asking price that will ensure your home is found by the maximum number of buyers searching the property portals. To maximise the number of buyers who will see your property, stay away from the 9s, such as £499,999, and instead choose a rounded figure that fits in with the price bandings the online portals use, such as £500,000.
Ready, Steady, Launch!
You’re ready to launch your home to market, and a big step closer to moving on. Taking control of your property sale can feel empowering and motivating. The steps might be simple, but not necessarily easy. If you’d like some impartial advice about your home sale and move, we’d love to help. Just call us on 015394 88811 or drop us a line at team@ashdownjones.co.uk
Sam and Phil
