tips on selling your house

Buying a house and the vendors want you to pay for their carpets

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:03:00 +0000

I'm of the opinion that carpets are something that you sell with your house. They're normally really well fixed down and will be a nightmare to get up.

So why do some vendors want you to pay for them?

It may be that they want to take you for every penny possible, or that they just really like their carpets and don't want to give them away.

This might be ok if they're new and in very good condition AND will match the decoration you want.

However if they insist on you paying for them you could
(a) insist on taking photos of them and the condition they're in when you agree to pay
(b) find out what sort they are
(c) find out how much carpet for the entire house would cost
(d) check under large items of furniture for any burn holes or rips.
(e) You could also refuse to pay for them and insist that any damage done in removing them is made good.

Removing carpets takes a lot of effort and is a dirty dusty job. If they're taking them to their new house then they have to have them refitted and recut so it's not quite a bargain solution for them - especially if it means them removing carpets that have been left. Taking carpets to the tips take s alot of trips for a full house as carpet is quite bulky.

If you love the carpets and don't want to have to fully recarpet then you might have to bite the bullet but insist on checking the quality of the carpet and insist that it's all removed if they take it up - else you'll end up with a house full of ripped up carpet!
Tell them you'll let them leave the carpets and dispose of them for them if they like but only if they leave them on the floors!

Insist on deducting the cost of a carpet clean if they make you buy them too!

Winter - a bad time to sell?

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:21:00 +0000

Winter is a traditional lull in the housing market.

Should you wait until Spring?

You could prepare your house for sale - and start spreading the word that you'll be putting iit up for sale in the Spring. Worth of mouth is sometimes a useful too and if you've found a buyer yourself you won't pay estate agent fees!

Cheering up the outside of your property on the cheap

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Ideally you don't want to spend loads of money doing up the house you're moving from.

Buy plants that can be put into pots and then you can take them with you. Don't include potted outdoor plants automatically. If the buyers want them, let them offer a few quid for them

Suggested plants include confiers (Dwarf ones) and winter bedding plants. These are very cheap and you get some pretty good colours too - look at these pansys from thompson and morgan.
They're ideal for flower beds or troughs outside your front door.
Very welcoming in winter, but not perhaops suitable for a swanky city centre flat where a palm might be more suited.

Keep them watered, fed and weeded too. Neglected plants look worse than no plants.

The house of my dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Has been reduced by £100,000.
Yup 100k. So it's still out of reach - but still my perfect dream house.

Ah well. I'll keep dreaming!

Books about selling houses

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Play.com (UK) - Free Delivery - Books - Search Results: selling your house

All with free delivery

How to be Your Own Estate Agent: Learn an Estate Agent's Secrets and Save Thousands Selling Your House Yourself

Selling Houses: How to Sell Your House as Quickly as You Can for as Much Money as You Can

Anthea Masey & Andrew Winter

Buying and Selling Your House

Adam Walker

Homeswapper

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Homeswapper

HomeSwapper is for social tenants (in rented property) who want a house swap (or flat swap). This is also called mutual exchange. If you live in a council house or housing association property you can swap. Join now and receive GREAT DISCOUNTS on membership - SAVE UP TO 30% when you register TODAY!

Want to move?

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:15:00 +0000

Just seen this ad elsewhere:

Are you fed up with your home? Would you like to move, but your partner doesn’t want to?

If you’re unhappy with your current home and would like to explore the options available to you, a new TV series may be able to help.

For further info, please contact:

Matt Kirkham
Hotbed Media
Tel: 0121-248 3905
Email: development @ hotbedmedia.co.uk

House web

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:11:00 +0000

HouseWeb

Advertise direct with HouseWeb, the UK's pioneer of property sales online. Packages start at £47,

New Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:33:00 +0000

Why not put a new bathroom in? Buyers like brand new bathrooms and kitchens and Wickes rangbe of bathroom suites is fantastic and they have up to 50% off

Locate TV - find tv shows you want to watch

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:01:00 +0000

This will take you to locate.tv which is an amazing site that shows you when your favourite TV shows are on next.
It's brilliant.

Identify each room

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:41:00 +0000

If you are marketing your home as a three bedroomed property make sure it has three bedrooms - you need to show each room can holld a bed, and ideally if it's a double bedroom you need to put a double bed in it.

If your spare room is full of junk it won't hit the mark as a bedroom unless it has a bed in it. Sort out the junk!

If you use your spare room as a study then you should put a guest bed in too - some of the guest beds look nice with a few cushions as an attractive place to sit.

Pets or pests

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Lots of people don't like pets. Some people just don't like them, and some have a positive fear of them.
Remove as many traces of your pets as possible.

Get the dog out on a walk whilst people come and view.

Hide pet food dishes. Keep them in a sensible place if you have to have them out.

I've heard recently about someone viewing a house who was horrified to find pet dishes upstairs. It's not that horrific unless there are rotting bowls of cat food, but I spose if you don't like pets you'd fine them a bit repulsive!

So keep the pets out of the way!

The bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:44:00 +0000

when you sort out your bathroom throw out all the empty shampoo bottles you've been hoarding. If there's dribbles left in them empty them all into one and ditch the rest.
Wash soap dishes, and all shelves and surfaces. Tidy everything away apart from any glamourous bottles of expensive stuff. Put a plant in if you've got room.

Coordinate blinds, shower curtain and towers. Have a set of brand new fluffy towels you bring out just for viewings. This makes the bathroom look very luxurious.

Get any nasty pipework boxed in and hidden. This makes the bathroom look loads better and makes it easier to clean! Less pipes to dust!
Hide away the cleaning materials once you've finished cleaning.

Keep the seat and lid down. Keep the door pulled too.

Ditch nasty carpet or lino!

Cleaning the bathroom. As well as a thourough deep clean of the bath, toilet, basin and shower clean the grout between the tiles. Make it white and sparkly however you have to! You can get grout pens or get them regrouted.

Make sure there's a mirror and that it's sparkling clean.

If you've got an aging or coloured bathroom suite you might have to think that it might have to be replaced. Be prepared to negotiate on price if you don't want to replace it yourself.

Sweet smell of success

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Make sure your house smells sweet.

Pet smells, food smells, stinks and stenches will put people off.

Keep your house smelling nice. Keeping it clean is essential - wash out any bins, clean the bathroom, make sure dinner isn't cooking when people view.

Introduce nice smells. Freshly squeezed oranges smell amazing, bread baking is an old one - but risky if you let it burn, flowers are a nice though lilies can be operpowering.

Pot pourri is useful but not in excess,

Picking the right estate agent

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:22:00 +0000

Interview them for the job.
Do they offer you a copy of their contract of their terms and conditions?

Do any of them have an eye on the market, mentioning a quick sale price?

Ring them all up and ask them as if you were planning on buying in the area. How do they deal with you? (ok, get someone else to do it, or use a relatives address and name) - but this way you know how they deal with people. Doing this first might save you time interviewing them!

Ask them how many people they have on their books wanting houses like yours.

Chances are they all get the same customers - so you want someone who's efficient and easy to deal with.

What tie in did they all ask for? What fee? Will they negoiate?

Everything must have its place

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sun, 18 May 2008 18:32:00 +0000

Everything must go somewhere!

Hide the vacuum cleaner and the ironing board, but find room somewhere sensible for them! People want to know you've lots of useful storage available.

And viewers do open cupboards!

Radiators and heating

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:10:00 +0000

If you've got radiators then make sure they're sparkling clean. You can touch up old ones with radiator paint.

Get together the info on your boiler. How old it is, when its serviced, how much does the service cost, what life is left in it, how good it is.

Make sure you dust round the radiators as the can become dust traps.

Drive by viewings

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:55:00 +0000

People need to be drawn to your house as they drive or walk past. They need something to stand out and make them want to explore inside. They want the kerb appeal factor to be high.

Achieve good kerb appeal with

Fresh looking paintwork
Roof in good order
Garden neat and tidy
lawn mown
bins out of view
house number clearly displayed
paths clean and swept
hedges neatly trimmed
hanging baskets full of flowers
empty drive way

Once you've got them in the inside must live up to the same standards

Questions that might get asked on viewings

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:10:00 +0000

Any disputes or noise issues with the neighbours?

Why are you moving?

Have you ever been burgled?
Have you ever flooded?
Has anybody ever been murdered here?

When was property last rewired.
How old boiler & ch system, is it checked regularly by BGas or registered corgi guy.
How old is roof - does it have any problems?

How long they have lived there?

If a flat, how much is service charge?

has the house suffered from any subsidence problems ?

What council tax band is it?

What did the previous owners do to the house? Is work under guarantee still?

Is there a good school near by?
Any good places for our kids to hang out--playground maybe? This might reveal it's a living hell if all the kids from miles around hang out near there

How are the neighbours? Are they nice? Do they have kids?

Is there anything really noisy nearby? (Pub, hotel, chippy, fire station, police station, motorway, industrial units)

Is the property on water meter?

What work have they had done? And when was it done, is it still under guarantee or warranty?

Put your coat away

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:56:00 +0000

Make your hall look spacious by simply putting virtually all coats (and scarves and bags) away upstairs and not have the coat rack overstuffed with coats!

Fruity ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Have a huge fruit dish packed with lovely clean fresh fruit in the kitchen. It can look amazing and better than art! It'll add scent too if you use some citrus!

It'll bring an air of health and good eating to the room!

Why are you selling

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:23:00 +0000

Buyers are trained to ask this question - why are you selling?

Good reasons

Moving for work
moving for family reasons

Bad reasons for moving

house too small
horrid neighbours
too noisy round here
no parking
Can't afford mortgage
Split up need to sell

If you tell your buyers you're desperate to sell, they'll put in a lower offer.

So give them positives for moving and tell them how lovely it is living round here and how much you'll miss it!

Spacious homes

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Do spacious homes sell quickly?

How can you make your home more spacious?

declutter
remove excess furniture
use smaller items of furniture,
have dining table for 4 if dining room is small
depersonalise the space by removing excessive photos and paintings from walls
paint throughout in a neutral colour
use same colour carpet throughout. This makes the spaces flow and feel bigger
Clean windows, pull back curtains completely
Remove items from windowsills
Declutter inside wardrobes
declutter under the stairs.
hide the vacuum cleaner
fold down clothes dryers in the garden, put them away if possible
Clean the garden of toys
Park the cars elsewhere (well up the street!)

Quick tidy up hints for viewings

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:07:00 +0000

Some emergency tidying up hints - when you're short of time before a viewing

1. Take the laundry basket and pick up the things that need to be put away. Don't put them away separately, keep them in the basket and hide the basket in a cupboard! Don't forget to sort stuff out after!

2. Next run the vacuum round the main areas.

3. Clean the bathroom. Quickly. You should have done a thorough clean at the start of the sale process so it shouldn't need much work

4. Boil the kettle. Make a cup of tea for yourself, pour another cup of boiling water and pop some scenty things in - a clove, some cinnamon, or a drop of essential oils (lavender perhaps)

5. Spray a quick squirt of furniture polish near the front door - not on slippy floors though!

6. Finish tea, rinse and hide cup, smile and read through the list of notes you've made about showing people round your home!

Dealing with half empty houses

noreply@blogger.com (Internet User) — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:49:00 +0000

I've just been looking at a case study of a couple who've split up and are trying to sell their home. However as she's moved out and took half the furniture with her the house looks decidely empty.

The dining room is a bit empty - and doesn't look appealing. There's a nice large table but it's only got a couple of chairs with it.
The lounge is almost full or a tired faded couch and chairs - but has a nice fireplace that needs to be made more of a feature. The house is in the country and should have it's cottage aspect emphasised.
The kitchen isn't too bad but is cluttered and needs some colour bringing in to it.

I'd recommend sorting out some more furniture - lay the table for perhaps a romantic meal for two, candles, flowers, plates and glasses out. Add some life into the old sofas with a smart throw and cushions, clean up the fireplace and make it so it's ready to light.

Tidy kitchen and add some colour using storage jars and matching accessories.

Tidy the garden too! It's inexcusable to have poor photos when you're desperate to sell your home. Estate agents should be prepared to tell you this when they come to take photos. You need to maximise people coming to see your home and if the images they see first are unappealing this does you the seller and the estate agent no good at all.

When no photos of bedrooms are shown I always wonder why - and when a house is a bit tired and faded in the other photos I always fear the worst! Even if you have to make a fake bed up out of packing boxes and bedcovers you need to show bedrooms as having room for beds!

It is hard when you're divorcing and sometimes you should think whether you should stay together a little longer just for the sake of the house sale!

Get photos taken when all furniture is in - before other partner takes half and leaves.