SPRINGTIME SELLING: Nine tips to get you moving
1st of February, 2024
After a winter of short, dark days, home-hunters are excited for a change. Many have realised their current home is too small, too large, too far from family and friends and are preparing to start their search in earnest.
Spring is on the horizon, the most traditional and busiest time of year for house sales. With this in mind, the team at Wrights has put together a selection of nine tips to help you prepare to get moving this springtime.
Clear out clutter
Achieving the best price for your home is reliant on buyers aspiring to live there.
Buyers want to picture themselves having a stream-lined lifestyle in their new home and the best way to show the possibilities is by de-cluttering before going on the market.
Even if you don’t feel that way yourself at the moment about your home, buyers will want to see that your home has plenty of storage, so you need to get to work.
Be ruthless, there are many charities in the UK and abroad that will collect unwanted items from your home. Social media is a great way to advertise items for sale or free for collection.
If you have bulky items you wish to take with you then think about hiring a storage container for the duration of your sale, or perhaps a family member or close friend has a garage available to help.
Deep clean
Whilst regular cleaning includes a hoover and mop of the floors, scrub of the bathtub and wipe down of the kitchen sides…a proper spring clean delves a bit deeper.
Using our vast experience of leading buyers on viewings, we’ve prepared a list of areas you may not have considered but are critical to how buyers view your home.
Clear out the cupboard that houses the electrical fusebox, buyers will often want to see how modern this is, so make sure we can access it easily.
Clean down the front of the boiler will show it is well maintained and looked after.
Whilst the focus is often on the glazing itself, don’t neglect to thoroughly wipe down frames and handles of patio doors and windows. The same goes for switches and sockets.
If you are considering leaving appliances as part of the sale, be sure to scrub away any grime that built up on the front of the washing machines and inside the oven.
From rugs to riches
After a winter of Scottish weather, it might be that your carpets are in need of some TLC.
Well-trodden carpets can often be giving a new lease of life by hiring a professional carpet cleaner, which along with lifting stains, the process will often lift the pile, revitalising tired floor coverings.
If your floor coverings really are past their best, it is one of the few things we would recommend are replaced before selling, although this does depend on individual circumstances, it could be worthwhile contacting us on 01360 739 739 to arrange a complimentary selling advice meeting before you incur cost.
Scale and polish
Replacing grubby mastic around the sanitaryware can really freshen up your bathroom and take years off its age. Using a whitening pen on tired tiling grout can work wonders too.
Kitchens and bathrooms hold significant value to buyers and are super important to focus your spring clean on. However, if you are thinking of replacing/upgrading these areas to sell, please contact us for specific advice for your situation as these can be a very personal choice and it could be possible that buyers would intend to reconfigure or extend. Email us at team@wrightsofcampsie.co.uk to arrange your complimentary selling advice meeting.
Maximise kerb appeal
Nothing beats the burst of colour that comes with springtime. Take advantage of the glowing tones of nature to maximise your home’s kerb appeal.
Patio areas and pathways should be power washed to remove moss and vegetation that builds up over the dark wet winter. This also lessons the likelihood of a buyer slipping on a viewing!
Any remaining leaf decay or straggly vines should be raked and trimmed.
Use your foot to check if your lawn is ready to be mowed, if an imprint is left, leave it a week or so before repeating the test, if the grass stands up, you are good to go.
Top Wrights Tip: Mowing in a diagonal pattern can help make even the most diminutive of lawns seem larger.
Mellow yellow
Synonymous with chicks, daffodils and sunshine, yellow is the herald of springtime. The brightest of the primary colours, yellow also has a psychological role to play when selling your home.
Symbolically associated with light, cheer, enthusiasm, warmth, happiness and energy, this is definitely a colour you want to feature in your home this springtime.
No need to overplay it, but a vase of daffodils in the hallway, a planter of tulips by the front door and even freshening up a gloomy room with a yellow cushion or throw will give you the psychological edge when it comes to viewings.
Shine like a star
If it can capture a reflection, let it shine! Light sells, so be sure to maximise the gleam in every reflective surface of your home in the early spring sunshine.
Begin with the windows, clean them inside and out until they sparkle. Make sure to thoroughly wash and freshen up curtains too.
Hardwood floors and tiled areas should be polished to perfection.
Pay attention to conservatory roofs, these may benefit from moss and debris removal to allow the maximum springtime light through.
Be weather wary
Scottish springtime brings with it the promise of springtime showers.
With changeable weather always on the horizon, pray for sunshine during those crucial viewings, but prepare for rain.
Have a ‘viewings only’ brand new, clean door mat ready for your viewers. It presents a good first impression whilst also saving your newly scrubbed carpets from mucky feet.
We will bring umbrellas for buyers on a viewing, so if possible, have a place to store these set aside for the duration of the viewing.
Wise also to check the state of your gutters prior to viewings, an overflowing downspout thrumming onto the conservatory roof may not warm the cockles of your viewers’ hearts.
Fresh scents
With all this spring cleaning, your home will likely be smelling fantastic, leave diffusers with fresh citrus notes to maintain this throughout viewings and open the windows regularly to let in the smells of spring.
With those tips in mind it’s time to ‘spring’ into action!
So, if you’re ready to sell, we’d love to hear from you and help get you moving. Call us for a chat on 01360 739 739, or send us an email at team@wrightsofcampsie.co.uk. We’d love to help you spring into gear.