Alex Phillips from fixed-fee estate agent YOPA explains how you can help speed up the sale of your home and hopefully make the whole process a little bit less stressful
For most people putting their home on the market, there are two things that are most important:
- Achieving the best possible price, and
- Selling as quickly as possible.
Whether you achieve the best price depends on many factors , including setting a reasonable valuation, timing, gauging demand, quality marketing materials, targeted use of marketing channels and expert management of prospective buyers. Quick sales make the house-moving process easier, allowing you to settle in with less stress – but what are the best tactics to ensure a quick sale?
Before we look at tactics, let’s talk strategy. When selling, people most commonly instruct with high street agents, which not only charge commission of typically between 1.5 and 3% of the sale price, but also tend to operate outside of traditional working hours. This can make the process especially hard for full-time professionals looking to sell.
It’s worth looking at alternatives. Online and fixed fee agencies are becoming common, but perhaps the most groundbreaking are hybrid estate agents. These give sellers the best of both worlds – the reassurance of a dedicated local estate agent to guide them through their sale, combined with the cost-saving efficiency of an online service. Sellers get the very best price for their home, at a fraction of the usual estate agency cost. Agents aren’t confined by traditional high street working hours, can arrange more flexible viewing times.
Hybrid estate agents offer online platforms for sellers to access round the clock, request an in-person valuation and manage their marketing, viewings and offers at times that suit them. Unlike online-only do-it-yourself models, a hybrid service also has local estate agents on the ground to take care of time-consuming details such as obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate, accompanying viewings and running background checks on potential buyers.
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One such hybrid estate agency, YOPA, also provides built-in support for the most unpleasant parts of the process: negotiation, mortgages, proof of financing, and legal admin, speeding up the sales process and on average finding a buyer for a home within 12 days.
Some of YOPA’s local property experts came together to give you these five tips for selling your home fast:
Use the Right Photos
Nearly all buyers (98%) nowadays begin their search online, and in light of this, choosing high quality images that reflect the property in a good light can have a huge impact on the number or viewing you get. Consider hiring a professional photographer, or ensuring that the staff at your chosen agency have formal photography training. If you prepare a selection of pictures of your home at different times of year, this can help potential buyers visualise themselves living there in the long term.
“At YOPA, we provide regular training sessions for our local agents to refine their photography skills and equip them to take beautiful photos of our sellers’ homes,” says founder Daniel Attia.
Be present for viewings
“The vendor being present at the viewings can also speed the process along,” says Ben Wiggins, YOPA’s local estate agent for Gloucestershire.
“They are the most knowledgeable about the property and questions can be answered on the spot.”
This personal touch can really help clinch a sale, too.
“Before someone commits to buying a property they naturally want to know about the neighbours and other little details that an estate agent might have to research or take some time to find out,” he adds.
Pay attention to the details
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that help to speed up the sale of a property. Moving the car away from the driveway ensures that the view of the property is unrestricted and viewers have somewhere to park. It is also important to make the place smell nice, but be wary of going overboard as some artificial scents can be off-putting for potential buyers. If you decide to buy air fresheners, choose subtle and natural scents such as cotton or vanilla. Air out the property ahead of the viewings and avoid cooking food with a strong odour.
Cleaning means more than polishing the taps and vacuuming the floor: check that the windows are free from grime and think of the garden as another room in the house – sweep up, weed and get rid of unsightly clothes lines.
Give it that warm feeling
Rachel Dickman, local estate agent for YOPA in Liverpool, says: “To prepare for viewings, and with our English weather so unreliable, it’s a good idea to turn the heating on in advance of the viewing.”
This is a must for vacant properties, but can also help with any home – due to the initial feeling a purchaser has when walking into a house.
“The warmth of the property is able to give a homely feeling rather than the shock of a cold house, which could potentially have an adverse effect on their view,” she adds.
Get ruthless with clutter
Naturally, every one of your little knick-knacks, mementoes, photographs and adorable children’s doodlings have a special significance for you, but unfortunately, they may just look like clutter to potential buyers.
“Declutter personal effects,” says Dickman. “It’s important for viewers to be able to see how their items will look in a property that is cleaner and free of too many items.”
This advice even extends to furniture. Do you really need both coffee tables in the living room? Could you manage without that extra armchair for a while?
“Remove unnecessary furniture in rooms that could make it appear smaller than it actually is,” says Dickman.
Remember – you’re not selling your home – you’re persuading the buyer to make it their home.
Thinking of selling up? Book a free face-to-face property valuation today to get the process rolling
