Prepare your home for viewing

When you sell your home, there are many critical components in the sales process. You need to ensure people look at your listing, you need to have priced your home appropriately, and you want to make sure people arrange a viewing. Of course, the viewing stage is hugely important, because even if everything has run smoothly to this point, if a viewing goes badly, you won’t receive an offer from the prospective buyer.

If you have a lot of time to prepare for viewings, you can ensure your home looks fantastic. However, you don't always have a lot of time to prepare for viewings. You may receive a call from an agent from a likely buyer, couple or family who wishes to look at the property, but they only time they can do so is within the next couple of hours.

Try to maintain a reasonable standard at your home

To achieve this, you need to ensure your home is in a reasonably good condition. Selling your home is difficult, but when you live in the house during the sales process, as most vendors do, the process becomes more challenging. You need to maintain a reasonable standard of cleanliness throughout the sales process to enable you to achieve a great looking home at short notice.

Of course, a liveable home is very different from the sort of property you want to present during a viewing. Here are the areas you want to focus on if you are looking to prepare for viewings in two hours:

Declutter your home - allowing for thirty minutes

Clean your kitchen and bathroom - allowing for thirty minutes

Vacuum carpets - allow for twenty minutes

Swap your bedding for new and fresh linen - allow for twenty minutes

Add some final flourishes - allow for ten minutes

Compose yourself - make the most of the last ten minutes (or give yourself some leeway in case they are early)

It is vital you declutter your property before guests arrive. A decluttered home is more spacious, and it allows prospective buyers to picture themselves living in the house. If the property is filled with pictures of you and your loved ones, it will look like your home, and this creates a barrier for some buyers.

Your kitchen and bathroom should be spotless

You should ensure each room is clean and tidy, but there is a need to offer a clean kitchen and bathroom. Allocate additional time to make sure these rooms are spotless and presenting the best impression of your home.

If you have carpets, make sure they are cleaned to a high standard. Any homeowner who has pets or children running around knows carpets can become messy very quickly. A quick vacuum of your home creates a more appealing floor, and it can help improve the air in your home, which is always sensible when welcoming guests.

Fresh bedding is an appealing touch, and this step will ensure all focus on your bedroom is on the bed. If it is possible to make your bed look like a hotel bedroom, you'll create the best impression.

With what time remains, add some finishing touches like flowers, scented candles and then compose yourself. If you can reel off facts about the home or local area, you can assist in making the best impression on prospective buyers.

If you're looking to sell your West Midlands home, contact Innovate, and we’ll do our best to assist you.