8 key steps for pre-sale home preparation

The season from September to November is generally the most popular time to sell a home. This has a number of advantages for sellers, but it is essential to start preparing your house for sale early if you want it to stand out from the many other properties on the market.

Here’s everything you need to know about getting your home ready.

Why getting your home ready for the spring market matters

Spring is an ideal time to sell your home, for a couple of reasons:

• Your home will be shown in its best light, as the weather is better and the flowers are starting to bloom.
• Potential buyers often want to move into a new property before Christmas.

However, generally speaking, this does result in more properties on the market than at any other time of year, so it is important to know how to prepare your home for spring if you want it to set the property apart from the competition.

Preparing your home for sale checklist

By taking care of every little detail and getting your spring cleaning right, you can improve your chances of selling your property quickly and achieving the best possible sale price.

Here are our eight essential tips for preparing a house for sale:

1. Sale plan

Planning ahead is extremely important, and starting in autumn can vastly increase your chances of a spring sale. There are a number of factors you need to work out before you start preparing your home for sale:

• Make sure all necessary paperwork is completed.
• Know where you’ll move to if you are selling your home.
• Work out when you need the property to be sold by.
• If the property is an investment, and currently rented, it can help to have an idea of what you will use the money for if you are not purchasing another property.

Having everything in place early will leave you free to concentrate on the finer details later.

2. Property appraisal

You need to have your property appraised by an experienced real estate agent. This price guide will help you work out approximately how much money you will be able to spend on your next property purchase.

3. Decluttering

Home buying is an aspirational process – buyers want to imagine themselves living in your property. For this reason, it is extremely important to declutter every room. All personal items such as photographs should be removed (so the prospective buyer can imagine themselves in your home, rather than you). You need to make sure the cupboards, drawers and bathroom vanities are cleared out and reorganised, as buyers always look! You should also remove all clutter from the shed and garage, so the buyer can imagine the potential of the space.

4. Facelift

Your property needs to look well-maintained, cared for and modern. There are a number of things you can do to help tidy it up:

• Painting: Just one coat can really freshen up your home. Neutral colours are best as they offer a blank canvas on which viewers can project their vision.
• Floors: Install new floor coverings if yours are worn. Have the carpets deep-cleaned to remove any stains and odours. Preparing the floors doesn’t have to be expensive; they just need to look and smell good.
• Replace: Cupboard doors, handles, bathroom fittings, to make everything look sparkling and new.

The most important thing to do here is to deep clean every room. If you can’t face the thought of doing it yourself, there are cleaning services that will do this for you.  

5. Home maintenance

Make sure all the minor fixes are taken care of, such as installing new washers in dripping taps and unsticking any stubborn cupboards or drawers. If any major work needs doing, such as installing a new kitchen, make sure you don’t go overboard on the spending, as you want to see a good return on your investment.

6. Garden

If you have a garden, it needs to look as well-maintained as the rest of your property. Weeding and removing dead plants are essential. It is also worth getting a team in to trim shrubs, mulch garden beds and keep the lawn mowed.

7. Street/ kerb appeal

Think about what potential buyers will see when they drive by your home. Does the letterbox need replacing or the fence need fixing? You can also consider hiring a pressure-washing team to clean the walls, windows and roof.

8. Home styling

Home styling is an important part of creating the right impression. A good real estate agent will be able to recommend a home stager who can style your home in a way that buyers will fall in love with.

Find out more about preparing your property for sale

By following these tips and starting early, you can save yourself a lot of stress when it comes to the spring season. You also need to speak to a good agent – they know what buyers in your area are looking for, and will be able to advise you on all the steps you need to take for the best possible chance of a sale.