Giving Your Home Market Appeal

Property Market Tips

As we slowly, and hopefully, emerge from lockdown and return to normal – whatever that might look like for you – the property market post-COVID is coming back to life.  If you’re selling your home, you want it to have market appeal. You want to present your lovely home in such a way that it shows it at its absolute best. Here are our ten top tips for getting your home ready for viewings and potential buyers.

1. Disassociate from your home. This seems counterintuitive but it’s an important step! Being able to dissociate from your home helps you view it through the eyes of a potential buyer. It takes time but it’s vital if you are to present the house in its best possible light. 
2. Depersonalise. Not the same as dissociation – depersonalisation doesn’t mean removing anything that frames it as your home – it’s more nuanced than that. You want your property to appear homely and inviting but try to avoid too many family photos or anything too ‘quirky’ that puts your stamp on it. Some potential buyers may find it difficult to imagine a blank canvas.
3. Declutter. Goes without saying – or so you’d think. We’ve all heard the horror stories about viewing a property with washing hanging over the radiators, and cluttered worktops, and fridge magnets covering every magnetic surface. Declutter, then declutter again. Or employ the services of a professional declutterer via the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO)
4. Wardrobes and storage cupboards. Particularly if they’re built-in. Potential buyers need to get a feel for storage space – so as tempting as it may be to stuff things in cupboards to declutter – just don’t! Invest in some reusable plastic boxes or vacuum bags and store as much away as you can. 
5. Make Minor Repairs – creaky doors, flakey paintwork, loose tiles? Fix them. The devil is in the detail, as the old saying goes.
6. Make it Shine. Clean windows, floors and surfaces. No grubby door handles.
7. Pets – yes they’re a member of the family but not everyone feels the same way about your four-legged friend. It’s not always possible to remove pets from the home prior to viewings but at least keep them to one room, and under control. 
8. Smells. See above. Strong cooking smells, and pet smells are off-putting – as are so-called air ‘fresheners’ that simply mask nasty smells, replacing them with artificial fragrance. No plug-in air fresheners either. They’re so distinctive as well as unnecessary in a clean home. A lightly scented candle strategically placed at the front door is more welcoming.
9. Kerb appeal. Go outside, check out the entrance and doors. Are they attractive or need a freshen up? 
10. Last but not least – consider using self-storage for your excess belongings. It’s more affordable than you think. Get in touch with our team at Edinburgh Self Storage for a chat around what self-storage solution would work best for you. If you follow these 10 steps then you can be sure that your house will have market appeal.

References

Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers