Lifestyle Selling your flat
selling with Flat Living’s top tips for a quick sale
Take the stress out of
andinterest ratesatanall timelow, experts report around a million newproperty transactions during the last 12months, with afifthofthose in theleaseholdsector. So if you are planning amove in 2014, howcan you make theprocessaspain free as possible?We allknowthatmovingisconsideredone of the most stressful events in
ourlives.Sohereare Flat Living’s top tips for selling success.
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Do your homework So you’ve
decidedtosellyourflat.Don’t simply rush to thenearest estateagent and ask themto bring round a sale board. Do your homework first.Whoislikelytobe interested in your flat? Thinkabout howyou usethe space in your homeandwhether or notyou need tomake afew changes before putting your flat on the market. If you use a bedroomas an office,createsomeworkspace elsewhere. It is worthinvestinginadesk or workstation in order to re-gain the value commanded by that additional bedroom. If your flathas twousablebedrooms, it will appeal to families as well as single peopleor couples.
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Are you thinking ofmoving homethis year?Ifsoyou’renot alone. With property prices going up by almost 4% in 2013
Al moves l the right
your space Potentialbuyersare interested in yourhome notyourlifestyle. Packaway allthequirky possessions, familyphotosandholiday souvenirsthatyoulove becausetheyreflect your personalityandcreateacalm,neutral environment so thatanyoneviewingtheflatcan imaginetheir picturesonthewallsnotyours. Clearkitchenworktops, ditchthehalf-used shampoo bottlesonthe bathroomwindowsill andthrowaway that pile ofunreadSunday
papers.Thinkof it as the first stage of packing.
De-clutter
Keep it clean and tidy There’s nothingmore off-puttingthan looking at someone else’s dirty bath, or evenworse, theirdirty
clothes.Arecentsurveycarried out byMove with Us polledmorethan100 estate agents andfoundthat nearly athird of homes areuntidywhenpotential buyers arrive fora
viewing.The researchalso shows thatalmost a fifthof us areput off by amessy or cluttered propertywhen searchingfor their next home, so alittleelbowgrease couldmakeall the difference.
A quick coat of paint If your decor is looking a little tired and your
Keep your flat cleanand tidy for viewings
children’s toys have takentheir toll on your paintwork, consider aquick facelift. You don’t need to spend a fortune tomake a real difference – a fresh coat of paint will give your flataliftand add to theimpressionthatyour homehas been wellmaintained.
Create kerb appeal Weallknowfrom experience thatwhen lookingfor anew homewe arelikelyto drivepastthe property before we decide to view,sofirst impressions really do count. When you live in a block of flats, you’re not always in control ofwhat your block lookslikefrom theoutside.Youmaybe luckyenoughtoliveinanimmaculate development but if yours is due for some externalmaintenanceinthe near future andlooks alittlesorry foritselfitmay be worthconsidering holdingoffyoursale until works are completed. If this isn’t possible,atthe very leastyou canensure that your frontdoorisfreshly paintedand the hallway free of clutter. If you have regulargardenmaintenancecarried out, make sure youknowwhenthe grassisdue to be cutand
thehedgestrimmed.Try and arrangeviewingsfor adaywhen your block looksatits best andnotwhen thebinsare due to beemptied.
Issue17 Flat Living
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