How to present your home for sale to potential purchasers

by Allison Thompson
You have decided to sell your home and you want to make sure that your house is what every potential purchaser who walks through the door wants. There are a number of ways in which you can help with making sure that your house is the right one for the potential buyer who comes to view and below are a number of items that should be considered to help you with getting that all important sale. The points shown below should help you in obtaining that all important sale and without too much effort or cost to yourself.
Firstly, I would look at decluttering your home as much as possible. This may seem a waste of time as you are still living in the property, but if you are able to depersonalize the property of you it will provide the potential buyer with an opportunity to see the property with their belongings in it. Also by only have a select number of items on view you are also giving the property a sense of space, into which the potential buyer can see their furniture and belongings being put into.
Next if possible make sure that you property smells nice, a tip I have often been told of when you have potential buyers viewing your property is to have the smell of either freshly baked bread or coffee that has just been made in the house. This gives the potential buyer that this a homely and well loved for house. However, if you don't have time to do this then just ensure that you make the rooms smell as nice as possible, there are number of good quality plug in air fresheners on the market that will provide a pleasant smell to the potential purchaser when entering your home.
The next thing to consider when selling your home is do you have pets (dogs, cats etc.,). If so then it may be an idea to remove them from the house whilst potential buyers are viewing the property, not all people like animals. Also ensure that you have removed the smell of your pets as much as possible, it may mean that you have to have the carpets cleaned prior to any viewings, but the smell of dog or cat odour can be quite off putting to some potential buyers, as they will see it as a cost they will have to incur for cleaning the carpets prior to taking possession of the property. Also remove any bedding that is used by your pets whilst viewings are taking place. As mentioned previously there are plenty of good quality air fresheners on the market that will help in eliminating such odours.
As mentioned above it may be an idea to arrange to have the carpets in the house cleaned, either professionally or you can hire a carpet cleaner yourself (these can be rented from most supermarkets and dry cleaners now days at a very reasonable cost).

We now need to look at the decoration of your property one of the first things potential buyers will be thinking about when purchasing a home is how much they may have to spend on the property getting it to a standard that they would be happy to live with.

Preferably where possible keep the colours of walls and all internal features as neutral as possible. By keeping the colours of the house as neutral as possible, it will help in making the rooms look both larger and brighter. Unfortunately bright colours and dark colours although may be too your taste may not be the preferred option of your potential buyer. By having a neutral colour scheme throughout your house you are able to give the potential buyer a blank canvas onto which they can stamp their own preferred styles.

When you have potential buyers coming to view your property always ensure that your house is as clean as possible. Some people when viewing a property have a habit of sometimes looking everywhere in the property (this includes cupboards, drawers, toilets and baths). Ensure that you toilet is clean and that if possible a toilet block has been placed in it, which will help in making sure that the toilet stays clean and the room smells fresh. If you find you have limescale around the taps, the bath and the toilet, make sure that this has been removed (there are a large number of products on the market which would be able to assist you with this matter). It also helps the potential buyer to see that you have maintained the property well.

Wherever possible ensure that any wood surfaces have either been wiped down with a damp cloth or polished to remove any dust from the surface. The same should also be done for any items such as TV's and Entertainment centers including the stands that they are sat on.

Windows should be cleaned and a good method for getting your windows clean if you can not find a window cleaner or do not want to pay for one is to fill a bucket with warm water and vinegar. Use a cloth to wash the windows in the water and vinegar and then use newspaper to wipe the water off. You will find that this leaves your windows streak free.

It should be remembered that first impressions are always the most important, therefore do not forget about the enterance to your home as one of the first things that a potential buyer will see is the approach to your property. Therefore ensure that you keep the front of the property clean and well maintained. The more kerb appeal your property has the more likely a potential buyer will be keen to enter the property to view it.

Here are a numer of points to consider:-

1. If you have any plants at the front, ensure that any dead ones have been removed, the lawn is kept neat and tidy and if you should have a driveway make sure it is in good repair, potential buyers will not be interested in a more if they have to consider further expense. This is also gives the potential buyer a chance of lowering the price they offer to you for your home.

2. You should also look at the garden at the rear of your property, make sure that the lawn is neat and well kept, and if you have a patio area keep it clean and tidy. Make sure that any pots that are broken have been removed and the same should be done with any dead plants. Also make sure that any fencing around your property is well maintained and if it is broken then replace it, a few pounds spent on keeping this in order could mean that extra money on the sale of the property.
I hope that you find the above to be of use to you when deciding to sell your property. For further information go to Inland Property Services.