Twelve Top Tips To Sell Your Home

If you want to obtain the best possible price when selling your home, then these dozen ideas should help.

Although house prices continue to hit all-time highs, the UK's mortgage and property markets are still very lively. Indeed, as I revealed in Let's Party Like It's 1988, the number of housing transactions is at its highest level since 1988, at the peak of the Eighties property boom.

On the other hand, what are your options if your property refuses to sell and your particulars start gathering dust in the estate agent's window? Of course, your first move should be to check whether your price is right, so visit local estate agents to study asking prices for similar properties. Also, find out how much other houses sold for by visiting one of the free house-sale websites listed in Find Out How Much Your House Is Worth.

Your research may lead you to conclude that your house is priced to sell and, therefore, you don't need to reduce your asking price. In which case, perhaps the problem is the property itself -- quite simply, it may not be appealing enough to tempt viewers into making offers. To show you where to look for drawbacks and difficulties, here are twelve tips, courtesy of recent research from the UK's biggest building society, Nationwide BS, and Fool.co.uk:

1. Tidy up! This may sound obvious, but clearing the clutter can make a big difference. Over half (55%) of potential buyers say they find an untidy house a major turn-off.

2. Be polite. Nearly seven in ten buyers (70%) are likely to be put off by a rude seller or estate agent.

3. Stamp out smells. Three-quarters of people (75%) are put off by strong household smells, such as those made by pets or cigarettes.

4. Deal with DIY disasters. Poor building work or DIY is a big switch-off for nine-tenths (90%) of potential homebuyers.

5. Fix faulty fence panels. Four in five viewers (80%) would think twice about making an offer for a house with a garden that lacks privacy. With storms lashing the UK right now, this is a crucial tip...

6. Go 'green'. Given the choice of two properties of a similar size and value, the more than eight in ten homebuyers (82%) claim a house with environmentally friendly features (such as solar panels) has more of an influence on their decision to buy than an attic room (68%), period features (63%) or walk-in wardrobes (62%).

7. Be keen in the kitchen. When making a buying decision, the kitchen is the most influential room for over half (54%) of potential buyers.

8. Dump the decking. Together with Jacuzzis, decking is one of the features least likely to tempt a potential buyer into making an offer.

9. Choose your time to sell carefully. Some periods are 'hotter' than others; for instance, there is normally a summer 'drought' for selling houses, because people take off on holiday. Then again, given that this summer is likely to be one of the wettest on record, then perhaps the rain will play into sellers' hands!

10. Santa stops sales. Another 'dead zone' for sellers is November and December, when potential buyers are usually too busy preparing for Christmas to think seriously about moving home. Conversely, sales pick up in January, thanks to the 'New Year' effect.

11. Get HIP. This is one to watch out for: from 1 August, it will be a legal obligation for some sellers (those with larger homes) to prepare a home information pack.

12. Ask around. If your house isn't selling, then perhaps you can't see the wood for the trees. To get an honest opinion on the pros and cons of your property, ask your neighbours for their advice -- and be prepared for some plain speaking!

Finally, rising interest rates and falling affordability has caused a recent drop in the number of buyers visiting estate agents, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This will intensify competition among sellers, so be sure to stay one step ahead of the competition if you want to achieve the best possible price!

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