As many of you know, my fiance and I have just told my first home. I bought it nearly four years ago, but earlier this year we decided it was time to start the next chapter of our lives.
Before moving into our current home, we’d been saving for years, and even moved in with my parents for five months whilst we were going through the process of buying.
Then in April 2017, we moved into our first home!
Roll on four years, and as we start to expand our family, we knew we needed to up sticks and find a new home. But first, that meant selling our house…
1. List your home
Selling a house can be one of the biggest life decisions you’ll make, so choosing the right estate agent is going to minimise worry and maximise results.
We decided to list our home with Purplebricks. Purplebricks is the UK’s No.1 estate agent brand and they have sold more homes than any other agent for three years running.
We had heard great feedback from lots of other people who had used them to sell their home, so we knew we were in safe hands.
Purplebricks are revolutionising the home moving process as they combine local knowledge with convenient online tech, that can save thousands of pounds when you sell. For us, we’ve saved £2,661 by going with Purplebricks instead of other high street estate agents.
The fee you are charged by high street estate agents is usually a percentage of the sale price or a flat fee. For us, we were given a flat fee of £999 with Purplebricks.
We opted to do our own viewings, simply because when we listed our property back in May 2020, we were still in the middle of a global pandemic and we decided that was our best option to get started with viewings before lockdown ended.
We began doing our own virtual viewings and really loved being able to show potential buyers our beautiful home and why it is such a lovely property. It also meant people could get a taster for what the property was like before we started doing face to face viewings in July.
The virtual viewings worked really well. We did 5 virtual viewings in total, and then another 7 in-person viewings before we sold our house in August 2020.
To check out how we did our virtual viewings, watch this video.
2. Get 3 x valuation done
A house is only the price another person is willing to pay for it. So I would recommend getting three valuations done, and getting the average as your perfect house price.
There are so many variants that can change the value of a house, including the interior, exterior, the street, the region, the side of the street your home is on, if it has a south-facing garden. You get the idea…
3. Increase your ‘kerb appeal’
First impressions are EVERYTHING. People can quickly scroll through lots of potential homes online so you need to ensure your home stands out and appeals to potential buyers.
You also don’t want buyers to arrive and be disappointed. Make the walk up the driveway stunning so that when they enter your home, they are impressed from the outset.
Try painting the fence, clean the front door, and place some plants or colourful flowers outside.
4. De-clutter
One of the most annoying things when you are viewing houses is to see other peoples’ belongings everywhere. Seeing mess and clutter puts any potential buyer off. Make your home attractive to a buyer simply by decluttering and tidying away.
One of the most important rooms in the house is the kitchen, so the same applies here. Put things away and make sure all the worktops are clear and that it smells fresh and clean.
5. The little things
However, having said that, highlight elements that could entice a buyer e.g. place flowers on the side, light a candle, and include some fresh bread on a chopping board. These will all add a homely feel and ensure the buyer can see themselves living in your home.
6. Make the most of outdoor space
Gardens or outdoor spaces are desirable for anyone buying a home, which means they need to look great and sell that gorgeous summer BBQ vibe.
One of the best things in our house when we were selling was our garden, so every time we did a viewing, we made the garden look amazing, popped all the cushions out and let the flowers bloom.
7. Choose the best buyer
Once the offers are on the table, it’s your decision to choose the most reliable buyer.
Having been in the position where we have had buyers pull out at the last minute, you need to do as much research as you can before accepting an offer.
Find out their position – are they living with parents, are they renting, are they chain free, are they cash buyers and so on. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to ensure you choose the most suitable buyer.
READ MORE: Tips for Buying Your First Home
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Thank you for reading and as always happy adventuring! If you have any questions about the destination please leave these in the comments below.
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Sophie x
