The First Time Seller Guide to Moving House
For many first time sellers the process of selling your first home can be extremely stressful, even the most basic of things seem to be questioned time and time again. What do I need to do to the house? Who should I speak to? Do I need to decorate? Should I start moving possessions into storage?
Here are just a few steps prior twe recommend you take before putting the property on the market...
Work out your own timescales
If you have specific reasons for moving, such as a defined school intake or new job, you need to factor dates into the equation and work backwards from that point. It’s not uncommon for a sale to take up to sixteen weeks depending on any chain that you might find yourself involved with.
Check out the competition
This is a great way for vendors to see what is on the market in the local area and what they are likely to face as competition. There is a wealth of information that vendors can now access through sites such as Rightmove and Land Registry, vendors can almost draw their own conclusion as to what they feel they should realistically achieve when it comes to selling their own property.
De-clutter and freshen up
Creating space is probably the hardest job of all. Do you really use the Black & Decker Work Bench that was given to you five years ago that hasn’t moved from the same spot in the garage? Do you even know what possessions you have in the loft? This is a great opportunity to have a significant clear out as when the time then comes to moving it will make life a lot easier, even if it means utilising a skip or storage company for a few months.
The latter is a really good option as when your property goes on the market you may want to decorate, at least this way some of the furniture will be out of the way; making it easier to manoeuvre decorating equipment around the property. Any walls or doorframes can then be given a quick coat of paint – remember presentation is key! If it’s something that you are aware of that needs doing then the chances are any prospective buyer is also likely to notice.
Shop around
This applies to any potential estate agent and also financial services company that you are looking to utilise. Some companies will be able to offer you a full financial health check with a multitude of services such as mortgages, life insurance and pensions, this means that just one company deals with your move from start to finish.