You should highlight your home’s greatest features to sell it for the highest feasible price.

How then can you increase viewings and offer it the advantage?

Three seasoned estate agents provide their best advice for closing a deal.

1. Make sure the garden is in excellent condition.

You have a clear advantage if you are selling a house with a garden. Private gardens rank highly on homebuyers’ lists of priorities, according to our research.

Green lawns and well-kept gardens brimming with flowers can encourage customers to linger longer and see themselves utilizing the area.

Purchase some pots and flowers from the garden center, fertilize the grass to make it seem healthier, and cover the flower beds with compost.

Large gardens may be divided up with garden furniture and creative planting, which can also show potential buyers how they could utilize the space throughout the day.

According to Chris Husson-Martin, assistant director of Hamptons International in Salisbury, “Since lockdown, purchasers want gardens, gardens, gardens.”

Making the yard as immaculate as you can prevent it from detracting from the inside of your property, advises Richard Page, marketing director of Dexters in London.

Weeds in your landscape should not be visible to potential purchasers. You do not want potential purchasers to even consider that the garden may have weeds, he advises.

2. Give your exterior a facelift

Always keep in mind that potential buyers will be evaluating your house as they approach your street. Making sure that your property presents well from the curbside thus helps.

James Forrester, managing director of Birmingham’s Barrows and Forrester, says that poor first impressions might cost you a customer.

As soon as visitors approach the entryway, they begin to judge the place, so make sure you clear away any trash there.

“A newly mowed grass at the rear looks nice, but do not overlook the front garden,” advises Husson-Martin. People will assume you do not take care of the home if it is messy. It could turn them away before they ever enter.

“If you are selling an apartment, especially in an older apartment building, then get in contact with the management firm about cleaning the exterior and public spaces,” continues Forrester.

“Get your driveway jet cleaned if you have a home. And clean the outside brickwork of any moss or debris.

3. Perform your repairs.

No house is ideal. Try to examine your house objectively to determine what needs to be done.

If any problems need to be resolved, check them off your list as soon as possible.

It is reasonably fast and simple to address minor issues like poor wear and tear, broken windows, peeling paint, and other aesthetic niggles.

Buyers will consider subsidence and structural problems as soon as they see a crack in the plaster, according to Husson-Martin.

“However, the structure of many homes, especially newer homes, will be settling and drying out, and a minor fracture does not always signal a structural concern.

“The issue will be resolved if you correctly patch the crack with filler and redecorate.

It is important taking care of any significant concerns with your house before the viewing day if your budget allows for their repair.

Even if they are unclear about what specifically needs to be done, homebuyers will see that a house needs some TLC. This can affect the number of offers that come in.

According to Forrester, it may seem paradoxical to invest some money to acquire your asking price if your house has significant flaws.

“If you have not repaired big issues, it is essential, to be honest, and transparent about any work that needs to be done. However, my advice would be to remedy anything serious before you sell.”

Once you accept an offer, a homebuyer’s survey will reveal structural flaws, subsidence, moisture, and other problems.

Buyers may use poor survey findings as leverage to reduce the asking price to account for the cost of repairs.

How to manage a bad house survey

According to Page, “If someone walks in and smells wet, it instantly puts them in the incorrect frame of mind, definitely not a purchasing state of mind.”

“Get things worked up as soon as possible, and before you start bringing in viewers.”

If you are unsure of what kinds of issues can arise, investing in your structural study before selling might provide you with important information.

Additionally, doing this could save you the hassle of dealing with purchasers who back out of the deal or demand a price reduction.

What kinds of surveys exist?

4. Do a deep clean

Everyone already knows this, but when it comes to first impressions, cleanliness is crucial.

Put on your marigolds and make your house sparkle if you want to improve your financial situation by getting your asking price.

Clear away any eye-catching clutter, clean the bathroom with bleach, polish the windows, wash down the skirting boards, and check that even the inside of the cabinets is clean.

Examine your house forensically to discover any embedded dirt you may have forgotten about. Consider a fresh coat of paint if the stain is too serious and will not come off.

Nobody likes to enter a home where the beds are unmade, the dishes are still in the sink, and the clothing is scattered about.

“People are examining your house to see how they may live there. They can not see it if it is too busy and untidy.

“Similarly, if it is too tidy and empty, people will not be able to perceive it.

“Find the perfect mix between lived-in and loved.

5. Reduce clutter as much as you can

Clearing away extra items can help your house look as roomy as feasible.

For any large furniture items, this could entail making a temporary storage facility investment. Move any bicycles that would make it difficult to traverse the corridor.

But the little things are also significant. Additionally, packing and storing items like additional books, winter clothing, and sporting goods will make moving days simpler.

According to Husson-Martin, “you want your rooms to seem as spacious as they can.” “Therefore, clear up as much clutter as you can. Clean everything up.

Additionally, make the most of the storage you already have since potential buyers may open cabinet doors to see how you organize the space.

In the opinion of Forrester, “things should be stored where you may expect to find them, and if they will not fit, then move as much furniture and clutter out temporarily.”

6. Show where you work from home

These days, more of us are working from home. Additionally, a home office will be essential for homebuyers in 2022, even if the kitchen table would have been acceptable during the lockdown.

Create a workspace that will enable potential buyers to see themselves working at their best in the room, even if you are selling an open-plan apartment without any evident office space.

Put a laptop in a suitable location, advises Forrester. But make sure there is a plug outlet because if there isn’t, people will notice.

According to Page, “Buyers these days want a garden and a place to work from home, so a separate office area is essential.

The space may even be a corridor. Close all of the hallway doors, grab a drop-leaf table, and go. Show that it is possible.

7. Update the design

When potential buyers see your home, they will envision living there. Therefore, the decor must speak to them appropriately.

Do not forget to paint everything before you sell it. To make the walls lighter and brighter and to give the room a crisp, clean appearance, go with a neutral color scheme.

Play to your property’s advantages by picking the right hues and designs. Lighter colors may brighten gloomy corridors or nooks.

Create designated zones in an open-plan house to demonstrate how each room is used, such as a dining area, work area, or play area for children.

Give them plenty of space to move while they look around and picture their furnishings in the space.

According to Page, you want a buyer’s initial impression to be that the space is tidy, bright, and inviting. Make an effort to get your property up to home-showing standards.

8. To maximize impact, stage your home

Add some finishing touches to spruce up your house. When it comes to delivering the wow factor on viewing day, a few plush blankets, stylish couches, plants, and the occasional piece of striking furniture may assist.

For visual ideas, check out Instagram and Pinterest.

Every time, a combination of comfort, usefulness, and traditional style will prevail.

A luxurious couch, a mid-century modern sideboard, and a few strategically placed accents may highlight the room and indicate how others could use it.

People may, to some degree, see-through home dressing, but Page thinks finding the correct mix can be helpful.

Put a few chairs out on the terrace if it is sunny so that potential buyers might see themselves enjoying coffee there in the mornings.

If a house is cluttered with toys and other relics of family life, it may be difficult to make it appear fashionable. Forrester asserts that you may still make it seem your finest.

“Organize the rest of the toys, but leave the ones that look nice out. Make it seem lovely and livable, he advises.

You get to take all the gorgeous furniture with you when you move out, which is a benefit of staging your house for sale.

9. Sniff out potential problems

If your home smells awful, there is no nice way to mention it, but you probably do not notice it since you are accustomed to it.

If you have dogs, worn-out carpets, or persistent cooking odors, you should make your home more pleasant to enter via the nose.

Anyone entering the property will not be used to the stench, according to Forrester.

“My best advice is to get your carpets professionally cleaned. The £60 or so it will cost is definitely worth the difference in how a carpet looks and smells.

Making coffee and baking bread may have formerly been the tricks of the trade for selling houses, but according to Page, purchasers are aware of this and it is better to steer clear of them.

Husson-Martin advises opening all the windows before a showing.

“I work in a rural area where many people own dogs or horses.

“The scent of a horse may be rather unappealing if you are not a fan. Opening the windows and lighting a candle may also significantly improve the situation.”

10. Ship your pets out

Regardless of how adorable you find your cat, dog, or exotic reptile, not everyone enjoys having pets.

Some potential customers could be allergic to or afraid of your canine companion. Additionally, Rover could get aggressive and possessive if guests enter his home.

Giving your pet a break somewhere else while you continue to market your house is beneficial for everyone.

Before viewings, always get them out of the home. It is not worth the risk since you can never be sure whether your customers would appreciate dogs, according to Forrester.

11. Get the lighting right

Ensure that you present your property in the best possible way.

Make sure the windows are spotless, the light fixtures are all operational, and the proper wattage of bulbs is installed in each area to achieve this.

Even further, only plan viewings during the times of day that will best showcase your house.

“Light is quite significant. According to Husson-Martin, “We sell a lot of character homes, including thatched cottages, some of which have really little windows.

“Use as much natural light as you can in your home. Avoid holding any viewings in your living room if it faces north during very dark days.

Even turning on every artificial light source is not always effective.

“People are now aware that real estate salespeople enter homes and switch on every light. According to Husson-Martin, “sometimes they beg us to turn them off.

If you’re looking to sell or let your home with a Lee On the Solent Estate Agent, Stubbington Estate Agent, Gosport Estate Agent, Fareham Estate Agent, Portsmouth Estate Agent then please do no hesitate to email on info@gshomes.co.uk or call on 023 93 960 169.