Page 10 - The Local Eye - Issue 126 - April 2016

Derek J.Rolls

Top 10 Tips on How to Sell Your House This Summer
Property experts are, in general, predicting a bumper year in 2016 but it will be a bumpy ride for
the prime market with increased stamp duty levels hitting this sector the hardest.
Derek J Rolls, estate agent, suggests that vendors undertake an MOT on their property before
selling and here are their top 10 tips.
1. First Impression – This can be make or break. If a potential purchaser is put off before
entering the front door then we are doomed. So take a look at the outside of your home as a
stranger might see it. It might be winter and very wet out but for a small sum or some time and
energy you could tidy the garden and plant a pretty pot by your front door.
2. Odour – It may seem minor but the aroma of your house is really very important when you
are selling. A simple diffuser discreetly hidden in the lobby could do the trick. Some people
prefer the advice of coffee and home baked bread but we are realistic. It could take a few weeks
to sell your home and you cannot be there ready to turn on the bread maker at the drop of a hat.
3. Tidy – Be obsessive about this, as it may make or break to a prospective buyer. Our advice is
to have a seriously good clear out before you put the house on the market – even if you bundle
up your prized possessions and take them off site. Prospective buyers want to see clean lines and
uncluttered work surfaces that create a feeling of space.
4. Clean – Fresh, sparkling and inviting would be perfect. Hard to achieve when you have an
active life with pets and children running amuck we know but the cleaner your house is the
easier the easier it is to sell.
5. Temperature – Heating houses is an expensive business. However, taking a client into
a house that has sat empty for the weekend without the heating on is going to put them off
instantly – keep your house ticking over at a pleasant 15 C – it will stop your pipes bursting and
mean that we don’t shiver around the viewing!
6. Animals – People’s pets are loved by the owner but very often just the owner and not
necessarily by the person who is going to buy the house. Pets can also have a strong odour, not
to mention the litter trays, food bowls and paraphernalia that goes with having an animal in the
house. Try to keep evidence to a minimum.
7. Bathrooms – Generally we don’t advise sellers to refit a bathroom prior to sale – unless it
is really ghastly. Do the obvious instead – re-grout, re-silicon, fluffy towels, pleasant scent and
spotless please!
8. Kitchen – Spare a thought for the poor estate agent as you dash out of the house without
loading the dishwasher! We want to take pride in your house when we show prospective buyers
around and leftover breakfast is not the first thing they want to see as they enter the kitchen.
9. Problem Areas – It is possible that you have a part of your house that you would rather not
draw attention to, perhaps somewhere that is mid repair. Our recommendation: don’t put the
house on the market until it is in tiptop condition. Make it your problem, not the purchasers.
10. Brief The Agent –The more we are prepared to answer questions about the house the easier
it will be to sell it and allay any fears that the prospective buyers may have. As an estate agent,
we dislike not having the answers and we particularly dislike not knowing how your gadgetry
works so please do show us how to use the IPad entry system, the drop down cinema and the
fancy lighting system! If we make it look like it is easy to use the buyer will love it. If we don’t
know how it works then the buyer wont.
Independent Estate Agents & Valuers

To advertise <> 08000 430485 <> email: info@thelocaleye.com <> www.thelocaleye.com

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