News
How to get your home ready to sell 2023
How to get your home ready to sell
Thinking of moving this year? We saw a record number of people putting their homes up for sale this Boxing Day, with 46% more properties coming onto the market than on the same day in 2021.
And in line with the seasonal trends we usually see, home-moving activity is starting to pick up after Christmas, so now could be a good time to think about putting your home on the market.
Take a look at our top tips for making your sale as successful, quick, and hassle-free as possible.
Get the price right
Don’t be swayed by the agent promising the highest price for your home. It’s tempting, but if you end up over-pricing the property, it will only prolong the process, and you’ll have to reduce the price further down the line anyway. A study we carried out found that you were twice as likely to sell your home if it sold based on the first listed asking price.
Instead, ask the agent to provide evidence to support why they recommend that asking price. And again, look at their recent history in the area.
Have all documents ready
Your estate agent (us) and solicitor will ask for various bits of paperwork throughout the selling process, so if you can gather together all the relevant documents ahead of time, you should avoid delays further down the line.
Some of the paperwork to consider rounding up includes:
- HM Land Registry title documents
- Gas checks completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer (or Corgi-registered engineer prior to 2009)
- Electrical checks – an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or a NAPIT or NICEIC certificate/report from a registered electrical competent person
- Energy Performance Certificate - we can help you with this
- FENSA or CERTAS certificates for windows
- Planning permission for any major work carried out
- Building regulation completion certificates and builder’s guarantee certificates for alterations or additions
- Subsidence guarantees/warranties
- Damp guarantees/warranties
- Party wall agreements (if relevant)
- If a listed building, listed building consent for interior and exterior works
- If your home is in a conservation area, conservation area consent for works
- Any title insurance policies you may have taken out to solve title defects
Getting your home ready: decluttering and photography
You’ll want to spend some time de-cluttering and making your home look as presentable and attractive as possible, so that as soon as you’ve instructed your agent they can get straight to work.
The quality of the photos that appear on Rightmove play a big part in determining the level of interest the property will get. Low quality photos of cluttered and messy rooms put some people off, whilst high-resolution images of bright, tidy, well-presented homes are attention magnets.
An important note on photography – today’s technology can produce extremely high-resolution images, videos, and virtual tours, which is great. But be mindful that you don’t reveal more of your home than you should. Private documents, medical papers, financial information, or anything that reveals personal information about you should be kept out of view.
If you would like help organising and getting you home ready why not check out our
