Making home look inviting

Nicki

We've decided recently to look for a new house as the one we have is getting a bit small for the family as they grow up. We had an estate agent round this morning, and are happy with his valuation, but would obviously like to be able to sell with as little hassle as possible, and ideally without having to show too many refuseniks around! We do live in a reasonably popular area, so most houses do seem to go quite quickly provided there is nothing much wrong with them.

Does anyone have any top tips for making the house look as inviting as possible with a view to securing a quick sale, other than making sure I've run the hoover round, made the beds and put the dirty knickers in the laundry bin of course :rotfl:

On a similar theme I suppose, any top tips of things to look for when looking at a new house? What things did you not think of when you were viewing, but realised you couldn't live with after you moved in!

redballoon_2

this is what i can think of at the moment, it's the things i would think about.

think about how you would live in the house you are viewing. is there enough room in the kitchen for all your activities such as bread making etc? and is there enough cupboard space etc...

Where will you put your dishwasher/washing machine/tumble dryer etc...

is there enoough storage room for house things like broom, vaccum, coat rack?

is there a seperate dining room or is the space for a dining table or table and chairs?

is there any potential to the property like extension or loft conversion?

are all the windows double glazed and plenty of insulation?

write a list of the things you do in the house and imagine you doing them in the house you are viewing.

is there enough room in the garden for a vegetable plot?


to make your house inviting i always think of lighting. subtle lighting makes it look cosy and warming so use lamps (or hide the lamps if you dont like the look of them)

3urchins

Hi Nicki,
Really feel for you, its hugely stressfull trying to keep life normal yet in a way that makes no mess!! I think smell is a big factor when viewing a house, if I feel we need a fragrant boost ( having a dog and 3 kids!) I slice an old orange, sprinkle some spices on the slices, cinnamon, ginger, mixed, whatever you have , then pop them on a tray in the bottom of a low oven. The smell is really homely without being too obvious. Hide loads of stuff in the loft, especially toys and maybe invest in some nice towels and duvet covers if you have a cheap place near you, you can always use them when you move. Flowers are fab and daffs are quite cheap at the moment.
Good luck with the sale.Bribe the kids to be tidy if necessary.

li'l_p

Anne Maurice, the hosue doctor woman seems to talk a lot of sense. I;ve personally never sold a house, but I lived with my parents when they sold theirs.

Anne Maurice always ggets people to de-clutter, packing away most of their personal belongings into boxes (after all, you are moving so you're only doing now what you'll have to do anyway) and keep the rooms minimalistic.

If you've got bold colours on walls, consider keying them down to more neutral colours. I know it sounds boring having magnolia walls, but its all about de-personalising the space and allowing the prospective buyers to see a blank canvas that they can then adapt. Plus, if you're concerned about paying out for paint, try asking around family and friends for oddments that they may be able to spare, just to lift dull rooms without the need for shelling out too much.

Watch the House Doctor programmes for some hints, usually on Channel 5 or the Home & Leisure type channels. If you can get to a library, try and get hold of a copy of her book. Absolutely invaluable! I can't stand it when the people moan about the stuff she's done because it's not to their taste, when after all the whole reason she's there is to help them sell their house, so they don't have to put up with it for long anyway!

beachbeth

If you watch the house doctor, as said before, she has lots of tips to sell a house. You must declutter every room and also get rid of anything personal, such as family photos. People who view need to be able to imagine their stuff in your house so it needs to be as free from normal household rubbish as possible. No horrible smells, as mentioned before - I viewed a nice house once but the lady was stewing some fruit in the kitchen and it smelt horrible! Really put me off!

Look around each room critically and see all faults and fix them if you can, ie painting a wall that has gone grubby, putting some new, cheap curtains up that make the room look less tired. If its a dining room, make it look like a dining room and not the junk room, if its a bedroom make it look like somewhere you would want to sleep etc.

Good luck!

SnowyOwl_2

Make all worktops, shelves, tables, bedside tables, tops of wardrobes etc etc as clear as possible. Everything on view should be sparkly clean and not in need of repair or attention eg no hanging curtain hems etc. Windows should be clean and windowsills have little or nothing on them.

If possible thin out your personal items on view - make space for people to imagine their own things on the walls or on the shelves.

My last flat was v.colourful and viewers liked it to the point I got two offers at the asking price on the day it went on sale. As long as your colour scheme is attractive and doesn't make the place look dark it should be ok (be honest in your assessment of it).

An hour before people are due open the windows and get some clean air in. Then shut the windows and get the heating going through the entire house so that it is fresh but warm.

Close the lid on the toilet and fold back the shower screen/curtain if it's over the bath. Remove/fix anything that people could trip over or otherwise injure themselves on.

If you are showing people around close all the doors before they get there. Show them into a room by opening the door and saying "after you". Then they are looking at the space without you blocking the view - stand behind them at the door. Think about the "wow" factor so show them into the best room first. Then at the end of the showing try and steer people back to that room for the friendly chat bit. Your manner, BTW, will be important too, as people if they have a choice would rather deal with someone who they think is nice rather than someone grumpy and who might be trouble.

exlibris

When we were looking to buy, we drove past the houses first. Some we did not even go to the agents for. We had in mind things like parking, tidy front, access and egress from the street. Our main priority though was very personal to us. Where would we put the caravan?

I believe the House Doctor calls this kerb appeal.

Clean windows are also a help.

HTH

tanith

Sparkly windows inside and out.... let people wander around on their own so they can talk without feeling you are eavesdropping....

Sarahsaver

Even something like a dodgy pair of curtains or sofa will put people off although these do not affect the quality of the property. People can be very shallow and not see past the mustard coloured dralon suite;)

comping_cat

Make sure the house smells nice - i went to see a house, and as soon as we walked in, all i could smell was 'dog'. Now i love dogs and cats, but this was horrible, put me off before i had seen any of the house.

bonvonnie

tanith wrote:

Sparkly windows inside and out.... let people wander around on their own so they can talk without feeling you are eavesdropping....

i'd never let them wander around on their own, what if they nicked something!!! i'm abit wary like that