Get ahead now with your 2023 home sale

If you’re planning to sell your home in 2023, remember that whatever the property market forecast may be telling us, there are always people in need of housing. Once Christmas celebrations are over, there will be buyers out there. So, if you’ve decided to sell, hit the ground running. Here’s what you can do to get your home ready.

Clean up and declutter

The first step toward getting your home ready for sale is to do a general clean-up and declutter. This means packing away personal items and mementos that may be cluttering up your rooms. You’ll have to pack them anyway when you’re ready to relocate so why not get started now?

This will give all your rooms a fresh look and also make them look more spacious. It’s also important to declutter your cupboards so that potential buyers can see that there’s plenty of storage space.

If there are items that you’ve just popped in a cupboard and haven’t used for some time, either donate them to charity or sell them on places like eBay or Facebook marketplace. Think of it as starting your moving process in advance and avoiding moving stress later on.

Also, remember to clean the exterior of your home by getting rid of cobwebs and using a pressure washer to clean the driveway and paths. Don’t forget your outdoor entertaining area.

Give your garden a general tidy-up by trimming overgrown trees and shrubs and maybe replace some of them with new ones that are low-maintenance but give your garden a fresh new look. Topping your garden beds with mulch will help to make them look clean and tidy.

That all-important first impression

Buyers tend to decide on a house very quickly, so once you’ve got the clutter out of the way, concentrate on creating a good first impression. A house that looks well-maintained and spotless will appeal to more buyers, which increases the competition and the ultimate sales price.

Take a critical look at both the inside and outside of your home and decide how best to freshen things up. This could include:

• Giving the walls a fresh coat of paint. Remember to stick to neutral colours that will appeal to most buyers.
• Removing worn and tired floor coverings and replacing them with new ones such as floating timber floors, low-pile carpets in neutral colours, or even tiles.
• Getting rid of heavy drapes that have seen better days and replacing them with clean-looking slimline blinds.
• Updating your kitchen cabinetry by giving the doors a coat of paint and replacing the handles with more modern-looking ones.
• Replacing the taps in your bathroom for a more modern look.
• Painting the guttering and downpipes if they have flaking paint and look a little tired.
• Replacing the letterbox with a nice new one.
• Putting in some funky solar lights beside your driveway and the path to your front door.
• Painting your front door a nice bright colour that complements the exterior of your home.

Consider styling your home

If interior design is not your strong point, why not consider engaging a stylist to really show off your home’s best features? This will put you one step ahead of all the other sellers in the market and discourage any low-ball offers, too.

A professional stylist can take a more critical look at your interiors and go about adding bits and pieces to really make your home shine. The stylist can also give you recommendations on how to arrange the furniture better or even suggest that you remove some pieces to open up the space.

A well-styled home really shines when it comes to the photographs that your real estate agent will be using to market your home – as most people will first see your home online, this is very important to get them through the door.

Talk to us about selling your home

Most importantly, talk to us first before you are ready to sell your home. We can come and have a look at your house and advise you on how to present it. We can even offer styling suggestions that will help to make all the difference in getting a quick sale at a great price.