The holiday season is typically quiet for the Scottish housing market. People are so busy with Christmas festivities that both buyers and seller take a break, leading to fewer sales. There’s an incentive, therefore, to get the sale out of the way right now, rather than waiting for the New Year to roll around.
The trick to a quick sale is to ensure that your house is presentable. You want potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves living in your home as if it was new.
It’s hard for many sellers to see how they have put their mark on their property – after all, it’s their day-to-day environment – but homes that are too quirky tend not to sell as well.
So what tips and tricks can help you sell your Paisley based house quickly? Here’s what the quick house buyer expert Susan Jones at Ask Susan Scotland have to say on the matter.
Hire A Storage Unit
When it comes to selling a home quickly, clutter is your number one enemy. You might think that enlightened buyers would see past the mess that will be gone by the time they move it, but it can make a profound difference.
The temptation is to cram all your excess possessions into cupboards and closets, but this only creates more problems when buyers start snooping. Cabinets bursting with stuff reminds them that your home probably doesn’t have enough space and that they should look elsewhere.
Try hiring a storage unit instead. Not only can you avoid the embarrassment of cluttered storage areas, but you also have space to remove excess furniture, giving you more options when it comes to staging your home.
Upgrade On A Budget
Some sellers believe that they have to spend £20,000 on a new kitchen or bathroom to make their home more appealing to buyers. But these kinds of investment rarely generate positive returns. Often sellers are better off doing nothing.
However, this isn’t always the case, especially when it comes to minor upgrades. Swapping out dull lighting for cheap LED bulbs, recovering kitchen cabinets, and installing high-quality door fittings can all make a difference and can be done on a budget for less than £1,000.
Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal
First impressions matter. They colour buyers’ perceptions of your home, affecting how they perceive issues as they explore your property. Buyers view well-presented homes more favourably, making a sale more likely.
Boosting curb appeal is easy: make sure that the front door has a fresh lick of paint, trim your hedges, and make sure that your driveway and walkways are clean and free of rubbish. Small changes can make a big difference.
Promote Your Home On Social Media
Your agent has an incentive to sell your home quickly: they want commission. But you don’t just have to rely on them to promote your home. Advertise your home for sale on social media and get in touch with old friends to see whether anybody is interested.
Use A Professional Home Stager
Home staging is the art of arranging furniture and other features in such a way that maximises the chances of making a sale. Although you’ll have to pay a home stager to stage your interiors (and possibly exteriors), it usually pays for itself. Staged homes, especially those photographed professionally, tend to get much more attention on property listing websites. Studies show that properties with more than six photos tend to receive more views online than those with fewer.
Can’t afford to hire a professional? No problem. Just ask a friend to give your home a look over with a fresh perspective. Ask them what would put them off buying your house and then do something about it.
Create Airy Interiors
It will come as no surprise to many homeowners that buyers do not like dark, dingy rooms. They feel depressed and uninviting. But owners can do a great deal to improve lighting in their homes.
First off, swap out low-powered bulbs for those with higher wattages, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. When showcasing bedrooms, make sure to switch dimmers to full brightness. And do the basics, such as drawing and tying back curtains and opening blinds.
A fresh coat of light grey paint can also help rooms appear brighter, as well as clearing scuff marks of white-painted doors and skirting boards.
Finally, make sure that there is room to walk behind all the seating in your home, especially sofas, if you have the option. Furniture pushed up against the wall gives the impression of a lack of space and can make a room feel cramped.