The prospect of selling your home can seem daunting, especially if you need to do it in a hurry. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when it comes to selling a property, but there are a few steps you can take to convince a potential buyer that your house is the one they want.
How to Win Over Buyers in The First Three Minutes
A potential buyer’s first impression of your property is very important. Buyers typically make up their minds about a house within a few minutes of arriving. This means that those first few steps up the driveway are enormously important.
Leeds-based Zoom Property sales manager, Katy Lawrence, says she has observed, “Buyers making up their minds within about 3 minutes of arriving”. Within this time they have only seen, “The gardens and driveway, the facade — in particular, the front door — and the hallway or reception.”
It is therefore very important to ensure these parts of your home are up to scratch and properly prepared before a viewing. The best things to do, according to Lawrence, are “mowing the lawn, raking and weeding the driveway, clean the windows, and give the front door a fresh coat.”
And once a potential buyer opens your front door you’ll want to give them an immediate good impression of your the interior of your house. Keep the entrance clean and free from mess. Put away extra boots, shoes, coats, etc. and remove anything that is not decorative from the hallway.
How to Show Off the Interior of your Home
As you or an estate agent shows a potential buyer around the property you’ll want to give them a sense of the amount of space available. To do this, remove things from shelves and cupboards and make sure everything is very clean.
Empty cupboards look a lot bigger than full ones and the sight of an empty cupboard allows any potential buyer to properly visualize the space they will have for their own possessions.
Lawrence also suggests taking down most of your family photos because this will remove the sense of “being in someone else’s home” and lets the buyer imagine how their own life will look while living there.
For daytime viewings, it’s essential to open all the curtains and let as much light in as possible. However, for viewings during the evening, it is better to use low lighting that makes the place feel cozy.
Sealing the Deal
Buying a house can be a big deal so don’t give buyers any reason to dislike your property. If you follow the advice outlined above you will have a better chance of finding a buyer for your house. Keeping it clean, neat, and tidy will go a long way towards sealing the deal.
