The first impression
Drive way or front path – it makes the first impression If you have a drive or your house is set back from the road you are extremely lucky as you have a visible, attractive asset before your potential buyer has even walked through the front door. Making the most of this asset is extremely important. 1.The tidying process should start as soon as the pavement ends and your land begins. 2.Look down. What is the state of the edge of the drive / path / garden. Are there tripping hazards? Weeds, Overgrown plants you have to step over? If so – Fix them! 3.In England...
Read MoreWork out your asset
Every house has an asset. It’s the thing which the estate agent should be telling the client. It could be the view, it could be the period features, the fact it has a drive, the 180 foot garden, the open plan kitchen diner… if you don’t know what yours is ASK! To maximise your asset: 1) Spend the most time and energy making the asset as good as it can be. If it is view make sure the windows are perfectly clean and the curtains are drawn back and blinds up. If it’s a feature (like an original tiled floor make sure it can be seen not hidden by furniture or a rug 2) Make...
Read MoreYour dining area
Dining room – do you have a dining room or a table where you eat. Does it look like a dining table? It really needs to if you want buyers to believe you use this space. 1) Move the table into the space to you can access all the seats around it. Dining tables often get pushed against a wall or moved to allow traffic through – we need to show that this table is regularly used and fits in the space. 2) Dress the table as if you are going to have a lovely evening dinner party including table cloths, glasses, cutlery, fresh flowers, candles, napkins. This is how a table...
Read MoreThe room which sells the house
The kitchen is generally the room which sells the house. The ability to replace doors and worktops is pretty well publicised and something I would recommend if you don’t have new / granite worktops and good quality doors, however I am going to focus on other changes. 1) Clean your kitchen. A proper spring clean where you go through the cupboards and throw our stuff you haven’t used in 3 years. Remember people will open your cupboards and the inside has to be as tidy as the outside. 2) Clear your work surfaces. There is no need to have every bit of kitchen kit you’ve ever...
Read Morestunning sitting rooms
The lounge / sitting room is one of the most important rooms in a house which people remember, after the kitchen. This is the room where furniture can have the most detrimental affect… especially a TV. FACT: Generally when women look at Sitting rooms they ask if their sofa will fit, Men ask if their TV will fit! 1) I always say it. DE CLUTTER!!! Most sitting rooms I work on require at least 3 boxes of books, magazines, ornaments, pictures and other household ‘stuff’ put into storage before the room has the look buyers go for. 2) Try to not make the TV the focus of the room....
Read MoreBeautiful bathrooms
Bathrooms Bathrooms first and foremost need to be clean. Even a horrible colour scheme can be forgiven if the room is spotless. 1) Deep clean with specialist products. Everything from black grout to lime scale should be removed. There are specialist products on the market for this. Always follow the instructions and make sure the area is ventilated. 2) Carpets in a bathroom are unacceptable. It may be nice on your feet. It may have been really expensive but it is one of the biggest turnoffs for a potential buyer. In half a day the space could be tiled, had lino put in or fitted a wooden...
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