Essential Tips for Anyone Thinking of Selling their House this Summer

No one ever said that selling a house would be easy. However, it’s hard to understate just how stressful an experience it can be. It seems slightly ridiculous given how many people buy and sell their homes every year. Surely we as a society should have figured out a way to remove at least some of the stress and time from the process after all these years. Well, the good news is that there are several things that you can do ahead of time which will help things go a little more smoothly.

Anyone who has been through this process before will be familiar with some of the points below, but they all bear repeating.

Be Aware of What the Market is Doing

The property market in the UK has been chaotic, to say the least over the last couple of years. You only need to have glanced in an estate agent’s window to see that prices were skyrocketing during the pandemic. They have been crashing back down to earth in recent months because of the cost-of-living crisis. There’s never going to be anything that you can do about the property market, but it pays to be aware of what’s going on. You might decide that the best thing to do is to hold off on an immediate sale and think about what you can do to boost the property’s value for when it recovers. It’s also important to stay positive. There will always be people out there looking to buy a new place.

Try and Stay Patient

Following on from the point above, rushing into a sale is rarely the best idea even when the market is behaving itself. You can do everything that you need to in order for your property to be appealing and ready to sell, but you cannot make someone sign on the dotted line. You might get all the way to the final stages with a buyer only to have them change their minds. Alternatively, you might find that your house is sitting on the market for months without anyone expressing any interest at all. You can only focus on your end so don’t pin all your hopes on a quick sale.

Pay for Inspections Ahead of Time

Anyone who’s thinking about buying a property is going to want to know that everything is up to scratch. That means that you are going to have surveys done on the house and you’re going to need independent firms signing off on safety. Electrical testing is one of the most important parts of this process. An expert technician will come to your property to perform a formal assessment of your home’s electrical safety, looking at your wiring, sockets, and switches. It’s absolutely essential and the good news is that it’s easy enough to do. If you’re looking for quick and thorough electrical safety testing, get in touch with the team at Hexo Electrical Testing. They use the latest equipment to ensure that everything is safe and certified.

Find an Estate Agent You Can Trust

Estate agents can get a bad rep sometimes. It doesn’t help that everyone has a nightmare story of a terrible estate agent trying to convince them that the flat they’re looking around isn’t actually in a state of disrepair. But you’re going to need a good one if you’re going to sell your house at a price that makes you happy so start doing your research now. Talk to any friends and family who have recently been through this process to see if there is anyone that they can recommend. Make sure you look for reviews for any estate agency that you’re looking at. You should also talk to them about their past experience in the local area, and what kind of services they can offer. It pays to be wary about any promises that seem too good to be true but don’t lose hope! There are good ones out there who can help you to find the right buyer.

Think about Essential Upgrades

There are always going to be key areas that prospective buyers look at in a potential new home. You’ll remember this from when you looked around the property for the first time. They’re going to want to know that the bathroom looks nice and dry and that there are no signs of mould. They’re going to want to know about insulation. They are going to want to see that the window frames have been fitted recently. And there are so many other small superficial things that can give someone a bad vibe around the house. It’s really important that you take action now instead of waiting for a potential buyer to ask if there’s always been that crack in the wall, or if the guttering is something that they need to worry about. Start working on these fixes as soon as you know that you’re going to put your property on the market. Not only will this help you to get your house up to scratch more quickly, but it will also help you to spread out the cost of these improvements. However, it’s important to think carefully about any major projects. You don’t want to be showing your house when it’s looking like a bomb site. You need to be confident that you can have any renovations or new installations completed before you start showing it.

Watch Your Budget

It might seem counter-intuitive to tell you to watch your pennies when you’re looking to make some money selling your home. But the process of getting everything ready for sale can be surprisingly expensive. Any repairs that you need to do will have to be budgeted for carefully. There may also be some improvements that you’ll want to make. Things will definitely get a lot more complicated if you’re trying to buy a new house while making the sale of the old one. Sit down with your finances with your partner and figure out exactly how much money you have to spend on this. You might find that you need to spread the cost over a longer period than you thought given how expensive things are right now. You should also be very careful about taking out any loans during this time, especially if you’re going to need to take a mortgage out on a new property. New loan applications can be a negative mark on your credit score.

Don’t Neglect Curb Appeal

This one sounds a little simplistic but let’s face it: first impressions do make a difference. A lot of people are prepared to be wowed and surprised by what’s waiting inside a property but think about how many homes potential buyers are going to be looking at. Everyone wants to find that house that makes their jaw drop (in a good way). It’s well worth thinking about what you can do to make the exterior of your house pop. You can start by tidying up the front lawn and adding some flowers (this sounds simple, but it works!). It might also be worth fixing up your driveway if it’s looking a bit messy. Check your front door and window frames to see if they could use a fresh coat of paint and clean the gutters too.