For some people, moving house can have a lot in common with Halloween - the whole process can be a nightmare, the initial pictures feeling like a trick, the survey gives you chills, and you’re left with a haunted expression doubting whether they’ll be any treat at the end.
If you’re selling your house, there's plenty you can do to help ease the fears and help make sure you’re not ghosted by any potential buyers and that your home doesn't turn into a house of horrors.
Don’t get stung by hidden surprises.
You might think that everything is spick and span and in good order in your home, but try and see it through the eyes of someone wanting to buy it - maybe even get a trusted friend round to help and ask for their honest opinion. Are there any maintenance jobs you’ve not tended to recently?
When were the gutters last checked?
When did you last bleed your radiators?
Have you flushed out your internal pipes?
Have you checked about the attic recently for slipped tiles?
Earlier this year, we had a delay with the sale of a house when the chimney was checked only to find a beehive in there! Not only did this incur an unexpected cost of over £1000, but it also meant an unavoidable delay and some added stress for both my client and the buyer.
Another delay was caused by a boundary issue so make sure you check the deeds to your property and whether there are any shared fences etc with neighbours. It might not be an issue for you - “oh they don’t mind, we park there all the time”; but it can certainly be an issue when the solicitors go through the details
Don’t forget the paperwork.
There are plenty of tasks you can take to make your home more marketable in terms of from considering the layout and staging, to maybe making some cosmetic changes. Sometimes these might be vaguely enjoyable tasks such as a bit of painting or gardening. However, there are plenty of chores that you might not look forward to, whether that’s sorting out the spare room that’s become a bit of an ad-hoc storage space, or having to clear the garage.
One task that can seem not only distinctly “un-fun”, but also time consuming is getting all the paperwork and admin’ in place. I think every household has a junk drawer and a folder of documents where we tend to “file” receipts, but for some bizarre reason, when the boiler breaks down the only warranty you can’t find is the one for the boiler!
This is where I would recommend setting up and using a digital property logbook. I’ve been helping my clients set up theirs and encouraging them to keep it up to date and without a doubt it has helped negotiate a better offer with potential buyers as it adds another level of confidence. (If you’re unsure what these are, they’re essentially like the logbook you would have for your car, but for your house, and online. Feel free to contact me if you want to know more.)
Making sure you have any dates and receipts for maintenance or work on the house can save a lot of time and hassle - and avoiding something and just hoping no one will notice or ask is a recipe for Happy Homes to become a Haunted House. So avoid being spooked by the surveyors, exorcise those paperwork demons, and don’t let your dream house become a nightmare.
If the spectre of moving home is proving too much, feel free to get in touch and we can have a chat about how I might help with selling your current home, or finding a new one.
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