Right now with Coronavirus wreaking havoc across the globe and affecting all business in the UK you might not want to put your house on the market to sell. Estate agents will still be working away from the office and following social distancing rules set by Boris Johnson. Many can offer video, skype and Whatsapp virtual viewings.
If your home is not on the market currently, now is the perfect time to get it ready for when lockdown conditions are removed. You’ll be ahead of your competition and ready to get started straight away.
Why Now A Good Time To Prepare Your House
- spending more time at home. You won’t have the morning commute, school run and busy daily activities to worry about. Hopefully you can find some time each day over the coming weeks to dedicate to home improvements.
- The weather has been beautiful in recent days, so open all the windows, get some fresh air in and start a thorough spring clean. Do a deep clean on all rooms in the home and keep on top of it over the coming weeks.
- If you start now you’ll likely be able to spare some time each day rather than cramming it in over weekends when you’d prefer to spend time with your family.
- Get the kids to help. If you’re a home-schooling parent right now use this time to teach the kids about looking after a home, valuable life skills. They can learn how to clean the bathroom carefully and correctly. Let them have a big bowl of water to clean the windows outside in the sun or get them to help you weed the garden. Perhaps they can earn rewards for helping with these tasks. You can even use the time to practice maths or English. Get them to tody their room and count how many toys they put away, or unload the dishwasher and spell the names of the items taken out.
- Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
How to Prepare Your Home For Selling
- Declutter. To you all your belongings have meaning and purpose. To a potential buyer they can prevent them seeing how they can live in your house. A good declutter will create more space, which is always a plus for buyers. Buyers need to visualise living here so create the best space that lets them do this.
- Curb Appeal. Sort the garden out. When a buyer arrives to view your property a great first impression is vital. The garden should be well-kept, lawns neatly cut and weeds pulled up. Don’t forget to cut back hedges and check if the gate needs painting. This applies to the back garden as well as the front.
- Create a light airy space. Make sure you open all the curtains and blinds. Buyers love light and bright rooms and this is a simple trick to help. If any of your rooms don’t benefot from the sun and feel a little dark put the light on in advance.
- Repairs. Check thoroughly your home for minor repairs and get them fixed. These might be simple jobs that are fairly quick and inexpensive but it’s something less a buyer has to think about doing when they move in. Fix any wonky kitchen cupboard doors, does the bath need re-siliconing?
- Pets. If you have pets you should, if possible, ask a friend or family member to mind them whilst you have any viewings. Your potential buyer could be afraid of some animals or have allergies. It’s better that pets are not home when a buyer looks around.
If you were set on moving home soon and feel like the issues with COVID-19 have scuppered your plans, take stock and work out how you can use this time wisely. Get ahead of potential sellers in your area and know that when possible to actively sell you’re ahead of the curve. Many property experts believe that the property market will spring back given the extensive financial support the government have pledged in recent weeks.
It’s also a great time to start looking at quotes so you know exactly how much everything is going to cost. It will also give you relief from the news and something to concentrate your mind on. Preparation is key when selling your property so use your time wisely and take actions that will help in the long run. Conveyancing Store have many resources on buying and selling property which are available on our website.
