6 Tips to sell your home

A successful home sale takes more than tidying up before viewings (although obviously this is still very important!). The attitude with which you approach the situation can really make or break your sale, so here are our tips to help you prepare yourself in order to sell your home:

Make it easy to view your property

When someone is trying to arrange a viewing of your property, make sure you are as accommodating as possible. Each viewing is an opportunity to sell your home so it’s important to try not to miss any.

Don’t be too sensitive

Remember that potential buyers want to like your home; otherwise they wouldn’t bother to come and look at it. The chances are that they have a wish-list of features that they are looking for, which may have been written before they saw your house on the market. When you show potential buyers round your home, be prepared that they might point out any flaws your home has and ask probing questions. Don’t be offended if your house doesn’t turn out to be the one they are looking for.

Stay optimistic

It is easy to start feeling despondent if your property doesn’t attract offers as quickly as you’d hoped. Don’t be disheartened; if you are having difficulty, it may be worth rethinking your marketing strategy. Assess whether the property is competitively priced, whether your advertising reach is broad enough and don’t be afraid to discuss this with your estate agent. Having excellent marketing photos will also help to attract more viewers. You can read how to take great shots of your property in our moving advice section.

Be nice to your estate agent

Remember that in your property transaction, there is a lot that depends upon you having a good relationship with your estate agent. He or she will be more enthusiastic about contacting you if you communicate positively with them than if you moan at them. Trying to sell your home can be frustrating at times but try to encourage them rather than complain to them.

Keep things moving

A good solicitor will always keep you updated about your situation. It is reasonable to expect a transaction period of between 6 and 8 weeks to sell your property, although there are various complications that can slow down the process. A lack of communication can result in the transaction becoming stale, so keep in contact with your solicitor to make sure everything is proceeding as it should. Always update your estate agent with important news so they can pass the message on to your buyers.

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Communicate via your estate agent

Exchanging contact details with your buyer could be a big mistake. Your estate agent is there for a reason, and although sometimes they can drive you crazy, it is good to have somebody there who can be diplomatic if the situation gets stressful. Also, if your buyer wants to negotiate or has any difficult enquiries, having your estate agent to act as an intermediary will give you time to mull things over before you go back to them with your answer.

The most helpful thing you can do for yourself is try to approach everything with a positive attitude. If you give people your best, you are more likely to get the best back.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.

Selling your home when getting divorced

Selling your home and getting divorced are notoriously two of the most stressful events that can occur in a lifetime. Unfortunately, these two things can often go hand in hand.

Sometimes the simplest way to start afresh is to sell the property you own together and divide the proceeds between you. So, if you have decided to sell your house as part of your divorce settlement, the last thing you will want is to have a long and drawn-out selling process ahead of you.

Here is some advice to help you in the process:

Work out your budget

If possible, try to work out with your spouse how much you can accept for the property so that both parties will be in a comfortable enough financial situation to move on. Remember to factor in your legal costs as well to avoid any expensive surprises.

Prepare yourself for the possibility that to get a faster sale, you may have to accept a lower offer, although you might find this is worth it in the long run so that you can begin to build your new lives. A surveyor will be able to give you an independent and unbiased opinion of the value of your property; having an idea of this would help you when negotiating with buyers and estate agents and protect you from accepting any offer that is just too low for comfort.

Shop around for quotes to find a good conveyancing solicitor who you feel confident to be efficient and to keep you informed at every stage of the selling process. Many solicitors now have on-line case tracking systems which will help keep you up to date at any time of day or night.

Prepare your property for sale

One or both of you may have decided to move out of the home that you own. If this is the case, then it may be easier for you to ‘dress’ the property for viewing, as you can de-personalise the space more easily than you could if you still had all your belongings there. Hiring a removals company to put your non-essential items into storage could be helpful at this time, and it could also help you to review and separate your possessions.

Before you put your property on the market, give it a real tidy-up, as first impressions really do count. Have a look at our other blog posts for more advice on how to impress buyers.

Keep communications open

Divorce is a difficult time when emotions are likely to become fraught and it may be hard to think logically and act in a reasonable manner. Try to remain as amicable as possible with your spouse, as failure to do so could result in a delayed selling process, which could then result in failure to sell your property. If you really can’t bear to talk to each other regarding the sale of your property, perhaps you could ask a neutral party to act as a go-between for the both of you. Always seek legal advice regarding any decision that could affect your settlement.

Best of luck selling your house.