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IS ONE OF your New Year’s Resolutions selling your home?
It can seem like a daunting task if you haven’t been through the process before – or even if you have. There’s a lot to organise and take into consideration before you take the plunge, but there’s no time like the present.
We’ve put together this handy primer to help you tackle the first major hurdles involved in selling your humble abode. As ever, if you have any valuable words of experience or advice, please don’t hesitate to leave them down below in the comments section.
Once you’ve made up your mind to sell and move on, start looking at your house with a critical eye – and put yourself in the position of prospective buyers seeing it for the first time.
Research by Rightmove found that dirty kitchens and bathrooms were the worst turn-offs to viewers, with more than half of the 4,000 respondents to the survey picking these as the biggest no-no.
These are not only some of the most-used rooms in a house, but also personal places that potential buyers will imagine themselves using. Make this easier for them by ensuring they are spick and span for viewings.
Ben Lillington Lester, Branch Manager of Savills Ireland in Blackrock, told TheJournal.ie:
Having the place clean and clear is an absolute must. I see some places up online with clothes on the floor and cornflakes in the sink. Presentation is key. For example, over 30 per cent of Savills clients are international buyers, they can’t just pop down in person that afternoon to see the place. If your photographs, brochures and internet links aren’t up to scratch, you aren’t going to generate interest and get those leads.
Other things that may rub buyers up the wrong way include:
Fix what is obviously damaged in your house, but don’t go gutting and refitting if it’s not completely key for your property. Focus on first impressions – for example, paint the front door, tidy the garden and make sure communal areas/entrance areas are in tip-top form.
‘Stage’ your home for when viewings and open houses are arranged – ie stow away clutter, make the beds, style the dining room table, arrange furniture well, and so on.
Also think about removing any interior design that detracts from the general feel of the house. You don’t have to depersonalise totally, but do bear in mind that the feature wall you love may in reality distract viewers.
Tim Wardley, regional managing director at estate agency Connells, told the Guardian:
“Purchasers are trying to picture themselves living in your home so minimise personal possessions such as photos.”
Consider what a buyer is looking for and what they want to see. Describe your assets well and understand what is attractive about your home. Make a list to bring with you to your estate agent – think transport links, schools, what the area is like, whether or not there is parking, levels of noise, etc.
For example, if you have good neighbours, make sure the estate agent knows this so that they can pass on this information to those interested in the house.
A crucial decision when it comes to sell is your choice of estate agent. This can hold potentially the biggest sway over whether or not your property goes for the right price.
Ben from Savills recommends seeing at least three agents in order to ensure a good range of skills and experience. “See a local agent who knows the area really well, then a large agent, then an international agent like us… They’ve all got something to bring to the table, they’ll all put a different spin on it.”
Haggling on fees with agents is something that comes up often when prospective sellers are considering putting their house on the market – but Ben warns against getting too bogged down in this issue.
“The most important thing is not the fee – it’s getting the best agent and the best price. Fees are flexible, and sensible discussions can be had about them, but you get what you pay for. Decide what you need and work from there.”
Ben’s other piece of insider advice is to ensure the agent you choose has the right team around them. For example, are the people answering phones in the office to set up viewings with prospective buyers as impressive as the agent you met when putting it on the market?
Ben advises setting a competitive asking price, while of course at the same time ensuring you aren’t under-valuing your home. He strongly warns against setting the asking price too high, explaining:
The first four to six weeks are the most important time, and setting the price too high can lead to little interest. Reducing the asking price later then creates a negative first impression.
Set an asking price instead, he advises, that will “generate interest and excitement. Buyers love hot and fresh properties that are new on the market. They don’t like houses that have been hanging around too long – they’ll worry there’s something the matter with it, or wonder if they’ll have problems selling it on themselves.”
The price has to be right in these early weeks on the market in order to generate competition and getting bidding going. Consider opting for a competitive price from the get-go and following it up with open houses and advertising, rather than scaring prospective bidders off at the first hurdle and having to play catch-up later.
If all of this seems too daunting, consider setting up a market appraisal with a few estate agents first. This will just be a cup of tea and a chat over the timeframes, the property itself and what you’re looking for. Ben says that most (if not all) estate agents should do this step for free – and this is crucial for advising people how to proceed.
“There’s no one size fits all when it comes to advice. You have to meet people and have a conversation and go from there.”
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Interesting language used in the article. Terrorists are called rebels. The Syrian government is called the Syrian regime. It’s always good to hear what the ‘independent’ British backed Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have to say. It would be interesting to see the reaction of the ‘West’ if the Russians/Chinese started labelling the protesters in Paris as ‘freedom fighters’, started supporting them directly/indirectly in order to disrupt/displace the Macron government, met with them on the streets shaking hands and spurring them on, protested aggressive government actions on ‘peaceful protests’, etc a la Maidan in Kiev.
@Conor Treacy: Nail on head,
But sure it is no wonder the language used in these articles when they are all copied and pasted from AFP which is a French Government controlled news association.
@Pixie McMullen: Oh look, someone else who thinks ‘state-owned’ and ‘state-controlled’ are the same thing. Just because the two are mutually inclusive where you’re concerted, it doesn’t mean the same applies everywhere else.
@Harry Whitehead: Leave Harry’s terrorists alone. Did u not read yesterday that the english don’t consider ISIS a major threat anymore. Russia is the big bad wolf now. Saudi Arabia having killed 48,000 children in Yemen year to date are considered Harry and englands ally.
@Cal Mooney: “The English”? There hasn’t been an English state since the 1700s. Try and keep up Wally. And I’m still waiting for your examples of my having defended the Saudo regime.
Who to believe??….the Russians or Al-Qaeda.
@Derek Durkin: Neither!
@Derek Durkin: Maybe if you and Charliegrl80 took your head out of the western media and read some other news sources you would both have a better understanding of what`s going on, but i won`t hold my breath on either of you bothering, keep drinking the Koolaid.
@Pixie McMullen: Bore off comrade. RT’s that way, you’re on the wrong site.
@Harry Whitehead: Ah, There you are Harry, throwing in your pearls of wisdom as always..
For a bloke with a bio saying he is interested in history, politics, linguistics and current affairs, It is pretty laughable when all your actions on this site are always just little wisecracks, insults or comments with no substance.
@Derek Durkin: President Assad used chlorine, bombing civilians. The Russians, Assad’s ally, then use this to justify attacking a rebel group.
@Pixie McMullen: “For a bloke with…” blah blah blah. Didn’t you say more or less exactly the same thing a while back, comrade?
@Ryan Dub: So you are telling me that the Syrian army moved into the terrorists positions, fired a load of chlorine filled missiles on their own civilians into an area they hold, then moved back out giving the positions back to the Jihadis who waited patiently for the Russian air force to show up?
Where do you buy your weed? It seems to be a lot better than anything i can get.
@Pixie McMullen: “read some other news sources”
Translation: read something which refuses to criticise our Glorious Leader or his Aliies under ANY circumstance.
@Harry Whitehead: You really should be put in between 2 fingers and squeezed………like any other whitehead
@Pixie McMullen: For a bloke who whines about “wisecracks, insults or comments with no substance” you sure have a funny knack for farting them out yourself. Making whitehead jokes though? That’s lame even by your pisspoor standards.
@Harry Whitehead: You triggered hon?
Not very nice when you slag someone off who turns out to be better at slagging than yourself, is it?
Go have a wee lie down and a good cry
@Pixie McMullen: “turns out to be better at slagging” no comrade, that’s kinda the whole point. Never mind though, you keep telling yourself you’re Oscar Wilde reborn. Attaboy.
@Harry Whitehead: Harry grow up and drop the comrade crap, you come across clueless
@Michael Eric Devine: “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now” Mighty fine coincidence there, wouldn’t you say?
@Harry Whitehead: He has the Idiot blocker activated on his Facebook profile, That`s why you can`t see it `arry
@Harry Whitehead: you are such a damn cliche. You have to be an especially arrogant and delusional person to believe Russian agents are being paid to argue against you (the hint is you don’t have an actual argument you’re just slinging shit)
The absolute neck on you telling someone who raised a valid point the ‘other side’ is that way. You may have picked your side and chosen to unquestionably swallow all it presents, that’s entirely on you.
You’re everything that’s wrong with debate in 2018
@Michael Eric Devine: “Cliche!” squawked someone from with a fake profile and a kneekerk defensive reaction to anyone dissing Uncle Vlad and his pet regimes. LOLz
@Harry Whitehead: Harry give up responding you really are just making a fool of yourself
@Ryan Dub: if chlorine was used why have loads of people moved back into east ghouta
when chlorine bombs are used it makes houses uninhabitable for years
Russia’s RT broadcast claims that French special forces were involved in the attact…
“French special forces on the ground from where the missiles were fired”
Now Russia, conviently, has Casus belli to begin it’s Idlib campaign.
@Ryan Dub: army of islam and hayat tahrir al sham
the media for some reason never mentions these terrorists groups names.
they also infight alot and regularly change their names
The last real legitimate rebel groups you could say, not the islamic jihad groups in idlib, surrendered under reconciliation agreements in june the only requirement was to hand over heavy weapons and ieds they were let keep their ak47s and mgs and most took the offer to integrate themselves in to a syrian army division as they weren’t active in fighting for 2 years.
@David Jordan: Conveniently???
They have held off for the last 2 months after a ceasefire was brokered, The headhackers haven`t lived up to their part of the ceasefire, firing indiscriminately and refusing to relinquish the heave weaponry and move out of the buffer zone Turkey helped set up.
Russia and the SAA have every right to go on the offensive, as they are the only 2 legitimate forces in this war, but of course, you know all this already
I can`t wait to see the French and US Tomahawk missiles to start raining down on these headhacking western backed terrorists over the use of chemical weapons…..
@Pixie McMullen: Russia’s RT broadcast claims that French special forces were involved in the attact. This is grade A conspiracy rubbish.
“French special forces on the ground from where the missiles were fired”
Now Russia the Syrian government, conviently, have Casus belli to begin it’s Idlib / West Aleppo campaign. Russia and Syrian government forces have started bombing West Aleppo, breaking a months long ceasefire.
https://youtu.be/ApIhgFVa6-A?t=78
https://twitter.com/dannymakkisyria/status/1066647370115571713?s=21
@David Jordan: And you know this to be rubbish because……
Russia warned of chemical weapon in the hands of jihadis time and again over the last few months, there are reports that one terrorist group attacked another and took 2 cannisters of Chlorine from them a few weeks back, there are reports of chemical weapons being smuggled in over the turkish border to be used…
It wouldn`t surprise me in the slightest if this report is true, UK, US and French ALL have special forces on the ground in Syria, and have done for quite a few years now
@Pixie McMullen: for what it’s worth, the syriancivilwar sub on reddit which is pro-Syrian government and pro-Russia, is very skeptical that an attack actually took place. West Aleppo has been bombed by Syrian government and Russia for the first time in 75 days in response.
@David Jordan: Odd then that “The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights”, which has been relentlessly on the side of the “rebels” are confirming the chlorine attack.
@brendan fitzsimons: They didn’t confirm a chlorine attack, they reported on claims of a chlorine attack. Anyway, here we are a few days later, and still no proof that a chlorine attack happened. No dead, no chlorine cannisters, no results of an independent investigation. 1the OPCW and UN have not been asked to investigate – Russia has gone quiet on the story, it’s now all forgotten about as if it didn’t happen. News later on suggests people panicked.
BBC and the Guardian still hold onto myth that these rebels are moderate and not Al Queada or IS….Within a few years of start of civil war the rebels became radical Sunni Jahadi backed by Saudi… Qatar and the US….
The Russian Federation is not the same as the Communist led USSR. Under Putin, Russia has reinvigorated her Christian soul. The Western democracies can’t handle that. Where we in the West are witnessing constant attacks on Christianity, the same cannot be said about Russia.
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