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The following information is taken from Which? Guide to Buying, Selling and Moving Home
Your house is your home - somewhere that, presumably, has reflected your way of life and your taste while you have lived there. When it comes to selling, you need to put yourself in the position of the people viewing and pick out all the faults that you can live with but which could lose you your sale.
This can be an uncomfortable experience, but making an effort and maybe spending a little money now, before you start showing the property, will pay off in terms of both the speed at which offers come in and the price ultimately achieved. Consider allowing up to two or three weeks to bring your property up to presentation standard.
If you find it difficult to see your home with the eyes of a stranger, look at other houses (whether or not they are for sale) and consider what would appeal to you or put you off. What you are aiming for is a tidy front (and back) garden, and fresh exterior paintwork, plus an attractive entrance and a well-decorated, clean, uncluttered interior. Although it is not necessary for your potential buyers to fall in love with all your decorative schemes, they will be more likely to make an offer if they feel they could move in straight away without having to endure months of disruption while the place is being brought up to standard.
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Here are a few guidelines to follow to prepare each area of your home for sale:
Garden
- Blitz the weeds, mow the lawn, trim the edges, clip the hedges.
- Get rid of any rubbish.
- Consider laying new turf if the lawn is patchy.
- Store away children's and pet's toys.
Front Entrance
- Remove/hide dustbins, outdoor footwear, dog bowl, etc.
- Replace them with colourful planted-up containers (improvise with an old wheelbarrow, stone sink, etc, or just use cheap pots)
- Ensure the front-door is freshly painted and polished for best first impressions.
- Switch the external light on if you are expecting viewers after dark.
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Inside the house
- Clear away as much as you can - viewiers need to imagine their own belongings in these surroundings.
- Pack away most of your books and ornaments, leaving a few selected items that will look attractive.
- Move furniture back against the wall to create the maximum feeling of space.
- Make sure built-in cupboards can be opened and inspected without everything falling out!
- Consider adding a wall mirror to a room that needs more light, or to create a feeling of space.
- Carry out all essential repairs.
- Redecorate if necessary, using neutral colour schemes (cream and white are always safe and increase a feeling of spaciousness).
- Consider replacing worn-out carpet in the halls and stairs, or even rip it out and polish the floorboards underneath.
- Replace dead or missing lightbulbs, replace missing fittings.
- Sort out any dripping taps as these create a bad impression.
- Scrub the place like it has never been scrubbed before!
- Make sure the house smells clean.
- Re-grout kitchen or bathroom tiles if they look too dirty - it's a relatively easy job.
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Focusing the viewer's attention
- Keep pets and children under control
- Ideally, try to arrange that children are neither eating nor engaged in any messy activities while viewers are in the house.
Back to the sales process...
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