BSPC Expert Property Advice - Moving Home in 2014?

Moving Home in 2014?

Beverley Brown highlights the importance of advance planning and preparation – and putting your home in the safe hands of a true property professional

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THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / WWW.BSPC.CO.UK

Having made the decision to move home, every seller hopes their sale will achieve the best price as quickly as possible, a goal that’s not down to luck but careful preparation, planning and choosing the most reliable and best qualified person for the job.

Using the professional services of your local BSPC member firm, which conveniently combines estate agency and legal service under one roof, is the most important decision of all. But just as important is presenting your home in the best possible light and give it that essential ‘must have’ factor.

It sounds obvious, but perhaps a good starting point is to remember why you bought the house in the first place – and then go all out to emphasise it. That said, the decision to buy a house is very often not tangible.

In either case, it pays to step back and scrutinise your home with the impartiality and objectivity of a prospective buyer.

Viewers need to be able to imagine themselves living in the property, which is made easier if you de-personalise as much of your home’s interior as possible.

Packing up personal photographs, ornaments and other personal knick-knacks enables viewers to be able to imagine their own things in the room and they can’t do that if yours are there.

Aim to create as much space as possible by freeing up shelf and worktop areas to enable viewers to imagine each room filled with their furniture and possessions.

De-clutter the whole house and be as ruthless as possible. If you haven’t used something for over a year, do you really need to keep it? Keep essential items, pack up and store non-essentials - invest in clever storage using under-bed space, drawer organisers, decorative baskets and boxes etc - and either give/throw away or donate to charity everything else.

Having a whole house clear out is amazingly cathartic, both physically and psychologically and will also make it much easier when it comes to the actual removal.

Include bedroom furniture, cupboards and kitchen cabinets in the clear out, as viewers are not averse to opening cupboard doors. If what they see is neat and well organised they will be more likely to assume you take equally good care of the rest of the house.

Most homes look better with less furniture so remove smaller non-essential items like occasional tables, plant stands and bookcases, even if it means renting a storage unit or friend’s garage short term. Leave just enough furniture in a room to showcase the room’s purpose and enable viewers to move around the space.

Having cleared space and scrutinised the interior, it’s time to take a long hard look the outside of your home.

Pre-empt the Seller’s Survey - a major element in the Home Report that will be compiled on your behalf by your BSPC firm prior to your property going on the market - and attend to minor repairs, eg leaky taps and doors and windows that don’t open or close properly.

Check the condition of the decor and re-paint if necessary, preferably in neutral shades. Stand in the doorway of every room and imagine how it will look to a buyer and, where possible, emphasise anything that gives a room wow factor, be it a particularly attractive window or fireplace or a vase of striking-looking fresh flowers. And always ensure any original features /period details are visible and, where possible, highlighted.

Look at the floors. Swirly patterned carpets, regardless of quality, are dated. If you can’t afford to re-carpet a room, pull back the carpet and check if the floorboards underneath are in good condition. If so, it could be well worth the time and effort to hire a sander and strip and polish them. Add a rug and you’ll have given the room a modern look that is more likely to appeal to potential buyers.

Television property expert Martin Roberts, who presents Homes Under the Hammer on BBC1, believes that every £1,000 spent preparing your home for the market, could put up to £10,000 on the price.

Creating the right first impression is vital, so pay particular attention to the outside of your home and check its ‘kerb appeal’. Many viewers and potential buyers will drive off without setting foot inside if the first things they see are an untidy garden and a property with peeling paintwork and grass growing out of the gutters.

Tidy the garden, mow the lawn, trim hedges, give the front door a fresh coat of paint and make good any external repairs. Pot plants are portable and as they do not form part of the property you can take them with you when you go, so buying one or two decorative planters for the front entrance will make your home appear more welcoming and attractive.

Finally, regardless of the time of year, embark on a spring clean and make sure your home is spotless.

This can be even more important during the spring and summer months when bright sunlight can emphasise cobwebs and dirty windows. And as kitchens and bathrooms sell houses, these rooms in particular need to be uncluttered, neutral and pristine.

Having got your home in a state of viewer readiness, all you then have to do is add finishing touches as and when required, such as vases of fresh flowers and/or plants.

For winter viewings make sure your home is well lit, but never harshly lit – opt for softer table lamps or wall lights in preference to overhead ceiling lights and make sure the house looks and feels warm and welcoming by turning on external porch lights and lighting any fires.

In summer, pull back the curtains and let the light make the most the interior.

Preparing your home in this way is the first step to a successful sale. The good news is that having laid the groundwork, you can now relax in the knowledge that selling with a BSPC member firm gives you a number of exclusive advantages, like having your property advertised in the BSPC Property Guide, the largest free publication of its kind in the Borders, and having your full property details included on the BSPC website: www.bspc.co.uk

THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / WWW.BSPC.CO.UK

BSPC also offers free high-tech added value extras, such as having Google’s Street View service integrated into the BSPC’s website, state-of-the-art search facilities including draw-a-search, social media links, mobile phone text marketing and a dedicated mobile website. These and many more valuable additional services are all part of the BSPC’s commitment to make buying and selling property as stress-free and cost-effective as possible.

Selling your home with a BSPC member firm ensures you have a combined estate agency and conveyancing service that includes everything from pre-sale advice and market valuation – based on experience and knowledge of the supply and demand in your area as opposed to less relevant national statistics and trends – to photography, choice of property schedule styles, advertising, arranging viewings (or providing accompanied viewings), and negotiating with potential buyers and all other interested parties while keeping you fully aware of progress at every stage of the proceedings until the missives are signed and the conveyancing is finally concluded.

It’s a service consistent with the integrity and standards expected from legal professionals, standards governed by a strict Code of Conduct that makes solicitors ultimately answerable to the Law Society of Scotland.

Ultimately, it’s a service that gets results and gives you the reassurance and peace of mind that comes from knowing your home is in safe hands. And that’s what every home deserves.

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