fbpx

Give Your Home The Visiblity it Deserves When Trying To Sell

As your house is one of the most financially important assets in your life, it also presents the opportunity for one of the best investments you’ll ever get. However, getting a return on that investment will depend on getting the best deal you can. To get that deal, you want more people interested in buying the home. Having a house that sells well means having a marketable house. However, it also means marketing it properly. So, here we’re going to look at how you use different marketing methods to the most effective degree.

selling your home - for sale image

Diana Parkhouse

Signage

You might not think it, but putting the for sale outside a home is tremendously effective if you have a home in a good area or with particularly strong curb appeal. Rarely should you skip putting up a sign, but if you belong to a homeowners association, you should check with them first. Some won’t allow you to put up any signage.

selling your home - nice house image

Allan Ferguson

Listings

The most common way of marketing the house is to get it up on a variety of listings, both online and in the real world. We will look into the details of what you should put on those listings. But just as important is making sure you’re using all the right listings you can access. One of the benefits of teaming up with a realtor is ensuring you give your house some advertising space in places you might not have otherwise thought off.

selling your home - pile of newspapers image

Jon S

Details

On those listings and on any other adverts, you should think more about how much detail you include about the home. The rooms, space and features like gardens are obvious. But you should also think about details that appeal to specific markets, including investors. Families, landlords and investors alike see potential in what is in the surrounding area, for instance. Spend some time finding out the most attractive details not only of the house but the area around it, too.

selling your home - classic camera image

SplitShire

Photography

When it comes to photography, you need to make sure the room is ready. Don’t just declutter, but try and depersonalize the home somewhat so that your personal tastes aren’t getting in the way of showing off the dimensions and qualities of the rooms. Make sure you photograph with the best possible light and a quality camera, too. Fuzzy and undetailed pictures do not make a home look attractive.

selling your home - declutter image

rob_alltimemedia

Tours

If people can get more in depth looks through the house, then that’s even better. For one, you can offer tours to agents in your area so they can report on your home to their clients. But you should also consider offering virtual tours so people can explore your home without having to come to a viewing. It assures them there are no aspects of the home you might be trying to hide.

Effectively marketing the house is how you get the best start to selling your home. Without getting more interest, you won’t get as many visitors, as many interested parties, and as many offers as you could. Meaning you’re missing out on the chance to get a better deal. Take the step of marketing the house seriously.

Top Things to Consider When Buying a Property

Buying a property is often one of the biggest decisions you can make in life, so it’s important to make the right choice. Christmas generally stalls the house-hunting process but now that 2014 has arrived you may be starting to think about recommencing your search. Here are a few top tips for choosing the perfect property.

Plan your budget

Once you start house hunting it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of finding your dream home.  You may love to be able to approach Mayfair estate agents or other exclusive areas but if the area is not within your budget then there’s no point in starting your search. It’s important to establish your budget before you do anything else. If you need to seek finance for your purchase, most banks will require a 10-15% deposit. You should also speak to your bank or a mortgage broker to find out how much you will be able to borrow. You need to take into account other expenses as well such as stamp duty, mortgage arrangement fees, the valuation, removal fees and the cost of furnishing or renovating your new home.

Think about the location

Location is everything when it comes to buying a home. You not only need to think about how suitable the location is for your needs (transport links, schools, local amenities etc) but also how the location may affect your property as an investment. Research up-and-coming areas which may give you a bigger return on your investment if you eventually come to sell.

Go on as many viewings as possible

Many people say that when they find their dream home they know as soon as they walk in through the door. Although house hunting can be exciting, it’s important not to rush into buying the first great house you see. Don’t feel pressurised by an estate agent telling you they’ve already had a lot of interest in the property. Move at your own pace so you can be sure you’re making the right decision.

Buying a new property can be a very fulfilling step to take but it can also be very stressful and be prepared for the fact that things might not move as quickly as you’d like. Complications can arise and you may be stuck in a chain which prevents the sale from moving forward. Remember to stay patient and make sure you go through all of the necessary protocols to ensure your sale goes through as smoothly as possible.

Are you one of the 7 million UK homeowners whose home needs repairs?

If you’ve been dragging your feet when it comes round to doing those home repairs – for whatever reason – you’re not alone.

Secured homeowner loans provider Ocean Finance recently did some research and found that 7 million homeowners in the UK admit their home is in need of some repairs, but haven’t got round to doing anything about it.

The biggest reason to delay home repairs is money. More than half (54%) of the people we asked can’t afford to pay for the necessary work. That means they run the risk of their home falling into further disrepair while they struggle to get the money together.

However, some people just haven’t got round to it (40%) or they need to find somebody else they trust to do the work for them (24%).

The most common repairs people needed were:

  • Repairs to fences and boundaries (32%)
  • Painting the outside of the house (30%)
  • Painting/repairing exterior windows (27%)
  • Sorting out damp or mould (26%)
  • Replastering certain areas (26%)
  • Cleaning or repairing blocked gutters (26%)
  • Sorting out an overgrown garden (23%)

Some of these may sound like small, aesthetic problems, but some of them could become very costly to fix if left for a long time. It could even be dangerous to leave some home repairs untouched. If you’re not sure about certain repair jobs, it’s worth asking a qualified expert their opinion.

And, it’s worth keeping up with your home repairs as Ian Williams from Ocean Finance said: “Keeping on top of maintenance around the home is vital to protect the value of your property.”