Attracting your Buyer

When it comes to selling your property, it is down to you to present your house as one that appeals to prospective buyers. There are several small precautions you can take to ensure that the snapshot of your home that is seen by buyers is one that entices them towards the property.

Repairs and maintenance:

In order to sell your property for the best price possible it is advisable that the house is presented as unblemished as possible. However, before any renovation is undertaken, it is worth calculating the maximum potential value of your property. It is senseless to spend £20,000 on property improvements just to add £10,000 on the sale price. Research through property papers and liaise with estate agents to work out asking prices for similar properties.

Several maintenance tips when selling your property include:

Finish off small DIY jobs – touch-up chipped woodwork and replace washers on dripping taps.

A well-kept garden, pathway and fence are immediately appealing.

Water can cause major problems in unwanted places. Check your roof and guttering and replace broken tiles. It’s worth casting an eye over the drains too. A drain cleared before a blockage occurs is easier on the nose and the wallet!

A regular lick of paint will keep a property looking good and keep deterioration at bay. A newly-painted front door with shiny brass fittings always creates a good impression. When selling, a surveyor will be able to spot if attempts at ‘sprucing up’ your property are simply quick fixes – he’ll be much more impressed by ongoing maintenance.

Cutting the lawn can be a last-minute pick-me-up. Feeding it a couple of weeks beforehand will brighten it up and make it look healthy.

If your fitted kitchen units look tired, simply replace or paint and varnish the doors. This will be much cheaper than buying a new kitchen. If the units are in fairly good condition and only look dated, just replace the doorknobs, handles and taps. Another economical trick is to fit good, solid worktops on to existing units.

How Much Is Your Home Worth?

Request a Free Valuation >

Look and feel:

When selling your property a lot can be achieved by transforming the personal aspects of the house. The potential buyer wants to envisage them and their family living in the property, so create a warm and positive atmosphere to your home to help them along with the process.

Several tips for this include:

  • Paint walls – a pale, plain shade maximises the feeling of light and space and enables buyers to imagine their possessions in the property. Research shows that most buyers prefer natural, earthy colours to bright, bold shades. Although there’s a wide range of paint colours available, magnolia is still the top-selling colour.
  • De-personalise your rooms by removing personal items such as family photographs and children’s drawings which may distract potential buyers. Buyers should be looking at the property, not the owner’s possessions. Removing clutter makes it easier for buyers to imagine their own belongings in a room.
  • Plant pots can provide colour in your garden. If you don’t have the time to fill your own, you can always get some ready-made.
  • Flowers and a bowl of fruit will brighten up a room and provide a pleasant smell.
  • Organise rooms – a property will be more appealing if rooms have a specific purpose and this allows buyers to see the full potential of the property.
  • Revitalise a bathroom with a green leafy plant, new taps, a shower curtain and a light pull. All these items can be picked up cheaply from DIY warehouses.
  • Coloured bathroom suites are out and old-fashioned white is back in vogue. If you’ve got an avocado or pink bathroom, consider investing in a white suite. It will add value to your property.
  • Restoring fireplaces and period features, such as ceiling roses and cornices, can add thousands of pounds to a property. If you don’t have a fireplace, a striking picture can work equally well. If you decide to install a fireplace, look for an original period grate and surround in reclamation yards.
  • Pick up more ideas in Homes DIY and Design Inspiration sections.

Other additional hints when selling your property:

Avoid strong food odours – don’t cook food such as fish or curry before a viewing as the smell will linger. The smell of freshly-baked bread or fresh coffee is said to provide a welcoming feel to a home.

Ask friends or family to look after any pets during viewings.

Try and make viewers feel comfortable. Offer them a coffee and ask them if they need any further information about bills or local amenities.

  • Thanks for the Tenancy agreement today and all the hard work you have put into finding the tenant's for me, they seem like a lovely couple starting out and very excited, hopefully they will turn out to be trustworthy and reliable.

    Mr Peter Bradley

  • Thank you all so much for all your help.

    Natasha Hopwood

  • Thanks for all your help in renting my property.

    Gemma Wright

  • Wish you could manage all my properties

    Tony Mothershaw

  • Thanks for the super service my other house is at Bridgfords but will definitely be coming to you cheers

    Jeremy Crowther

  • Thanks for your work on sorting this out so quickly, and dealing with the tenants! Much appreciated

    Kath Armitage

  • Thanks as always for the first rate job you do for us!

    Michael Warren

  • Thanks very much Diane, fingers crossed! Thank you for your help with everything, much appreciated

    Christine Thompson

  • Have just seen this, You have made it look amazing thank you so much. Have shared on Facebook.

    Sky Bendelow

  • Excellent to work with as a contractor. Great communication, updates and responses. From my ongoing relationship and experience FSL come highly recommended.

    Carl Thornley

  • Thankful for the speedy sale on my mum's property. The staff remained in constant contact with us with updates regarding the sale. Went above and beyond couldn't praise them enough.

    Susan Johnson

  • The most professional letting agency I've used. Always get back to you quickly as a tenant if you have an issue and are as focused on the tenant as the landlord, again a rarity with letting agencies in my experience.

    Ian Wilson

  • An extremely professional organisation who very swiftly and efficiently found us our new tenants within 24 hours of our ad going live. Communications between tenants and landlord through fsl are excellent. I can fully recommend fsl estate agents.

    Jill Brookling

  • I have used FSL for a Tenant Find Service for a number of years and have always been pleased with the service.

    Betty Christie

  • cannot fault them, they got us into our home quickly and efficiently and have managed the property well. they handled the bond via escrow much better than my last experience with whitegates. i even got a free mug and pen on move in date. thank you.

    Richard Taylor

  • My partner and I rented our first property together throughout FSL, quick, easy and so friendly. Answered every question with ease and made us both feel very comfortable. Thank you!

    Jordan Walton

  • FSL provide a curteous, efficient, friendly service and gets results.

    john richardson

  • The staff at FSL, especially Amy, have gone above and beyond in helping to secure a new 6 year lease on our retail unit in Wakefield city center.

    Andrew Smith

  • Fantasic estate agent and great staff! Highly recommend.

    Tom Avery

  • Fantastic landlords. East to approach and deal with and were quick to repair a couple of problems when reported. Lovely people and goid company. Would whole heartedly recommend.

    Stephen Parsonage

  • I am renting my very first property with FSL; after struggling with so many others, I am finally glad to have found the most helpful, caring and informative estate agents who put the client first no matter what. Diane was extremely attentive to our needs and even managed to push the moving in date forward so that it would work better for us all. Moving in was straight forward, simple, and not a daunting experience at all.. I highly recommend FSL to anybody looking for a new property: excellent service and a great team.

    Jess Miree

  • After dealing with several (stressful) agencies in the Wakefield and Leeds area, we decided to go through FSL to rent our new home. Diane was absolutely lovely, it's refreshing to have someone so helpful and organised dealing with our move. FSL have raised the bar in the Wakefield area and I would recommend them to anyone!

    Jackson Beckett

  • As a first time commercial property leaser i was very anxious about the whole process but Amy was very helpful & we completed really quickly & easily. Id definitely recommend. But i would of liked to have known about when id have to start paying rent as i was caught out by not realising that it should of been written into the lease. My mistake as a novice.

    Beverley Hirst

Need More Information On Our Services?

Contact FSL Today

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Your Home

The ultimate guide to selling your home in 30 days or less. It’s honest, realistic and full of little tips and tricks that homebuyers will absolutely love. A homebuyers first impression is essential.

Download our step
by step guide now!