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Preparing your home for sale during COVID-19 lockdown

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

It’s quite easy to feel that the world has come to a stand-still during these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, but if you had been thinking about moving home before the pandemic positive thoughts and actions during this lockdown time can not only help to improve mental well-being, they can also get you and your property ready for sale for when life returns closer to normality.

Here’s a few of our top tips for preparing your home: 

Get in the garden
We are so lucky to have been experiencing some fantastic weather, so if you have a garden take this opportunity to get outside and get weeding! This is a great time to find old tins of paint in the shed (or you can order new colours online) and spruce up sheds, fences and hose exteriors. Obviously please be careful using any ladders, se don’t want any accidents! Clean patios, re-grout if needed, tidy and fill planters and get edging borders of the lawn.

Tackle those external projects to create a good impression
First impressions count. Take a look at the outside of your house through the eyes of a potential buyer. How does it look? Make sure it looks tidy, so clear gutters, clean windows and tidy the font driveway. Paint your front door. Front doors are the first thing potential buyers see and first impressions really do count. If your house needs professionally painting get quotes now and get the job booked in. 

Do a video tour of your home
These could be really useful to your estate agent and help prospective buyers take a look through your home from the comfort and safety of their own four walls. Make sure your rooms are ‘dressed’ to their best, beds are made, windowsills and sideboards are clutter free etc., turn lights on, add flowers and use neutral linens on the beds. 

Internal DIY jobs
All those jobs that you never have time for such as touching up scuff marks, cleaning carpets, fixing dripping taps, fixing broken handles, cleaning windows, repainting ceilings.

Clear out the clutter
Go through each room one at a time and clear out drawers and wardrobes. Make piles for the charity shop, recycling and the bin. It’s so beneficial when selling a property to make it look as if it has plenty of space and it also means that when you are ready to move you will have discarded your rubbish that you don’t need to take with you. 

Create a list of your home’s best selling points
Think of as much useful information for your Estate Agent to attract buyers when the restrictions are lifted. For instance, is there parking available? Is there potential in the future to extend the house or add a conservatory? Does the building have any period features? If you have a garden, what makes it special? What is great about the area you live in? Are you close to useful amenities? What do you love about your home?

By putting all this effort into preparing your home for sale now, you could jump-start the selling process when lockdown is lifted, and by using this ‘down-time’ to make your home look its best, it could also help boost the value of the property once the lockdown is over.