If you’re thinking about selling your home and taking the next step on your property journey, making your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers is key.
Impressing buyers from the get-go can help you secure the right price for your home and a fast sale.
In this guide, we’ll be providing some amazing tips to sell your house quickly – by making it more attractive to buyers.
How can I make my home irresistible to a buyer?
To make your home irresistible to a buyer, put yourself in their shoes and create an environment that works for them and attracts them to your property.
Ask yourself:
- Who are your potential buyers?
- What will they be looking for from their next property?
- What kind of décor will appeal to them?
- How will they use the space?
- Is a functional outdoor space important to them?
- Would they be looking for a home office?
Once you understand who your buyer is and what they’re looking for, you can make changes to your property that will appeal to them.
Here are 12 things you can do right away to make your more attractive and irresistible to property hunters…
1. Perfect kerb appeal
How your property looks from the street is hugely important.
It’s estimated that buyers make up their minds about a home within a few seconds of arriving for a viewing.
And if your property looks unappealing and unattractive from the outside, those buyers will assume it’s the same inside, too.
To boost your property’s kerb appeal, you could:
Paint or replace your front door
One of the simplest ways to give your property’s exterior an immediate lift is through a bright, clean, and appealing front door.
If your door is made from wood, but is showing its age, consider sanding it back and giving it a fresh coat of paint in a classic colour like navy or post box red.
If it’s beyond saving, consider replacing it with an energy-efficient composite door.
Polish up your door’s knocker and letterbox, too, and you’ll notice a real difference to how your home looks from the street
Jet wash your paths and driveway
Brick paving and concrete can become green and dirty over time, making your property’s driveway and paths look unkempt.
All you need to do to freshen things up is give your surfaces a quick jet wash, removing moss, dirt, and algae.
Remove any weeds that are poking through, too, and brush away the excess water.
Paint your boundary fences and gates
Over time, your fence panels and gates can become worn by the weather.
So, consider stripping back and varnishing wooden fences, seal and re-paint metal gates and lubricate any hinges.
If your boundary with a neighbouring property is defined by a hedge or tree line, make sure everything is neatly trimmed and looking pristine and cared-for.
Clean your windows
The condition of your windows is something potential buyers will always be on the lookout for when viewing your home.
If your frames are wooden and starting to show signs of weathering, consider stripping them back and re-painting.
For uPVC windows, make sure the frames and panes are clean, so plenty of light streams into your home during a buyer viewing.
When cleaning exterior windows, always wait for an overcast day if you can, as this will help to avoid leaving unsightly streaks behind.
Make sure your doorbell is working
It may seem like a minor issue, but a doorbell that doesn’t work can make an immediate bad impression on a potential buyer.
If something as simple as a doorbell isn’t working, buyers may be left wondering what other areas of your home have been neglected.
2. Complete minor repair work
All properties suffer wear and tear from normal living over time.
If you’ve been putting off all those little repair jobs, now’s the time to get them finished so potential buyers can see your property is loved and well maintained.
Unfinished minor repairs that can have a negative effect on buyers include:
- Holes in walls
- Broken door handles
- Cracked tiles
- Stained grouting
- Peeling wallpaper
- Marked walls or woodwork
- Loose or dripping taps
3. Make sure your property is clean
Buyers are likely to be immediately turned off your property if they walk in for a viewing and it’s not clean.
Make sure all the key areas of your home – such as your kitchen and bathrooms – are sparkling and smell clean and fresh.
Key cleaning jobs you should tackle ahead of viewings include:
- Removing limescale from taps, sinks, grout, and other surfaces
- Remove any grease and grime from your oven – because buyers always open the oven door on a viewing
- Clean out your fridge
- Clean bathtubs, showers, and toilets
- Dust all surfaces and light fittings
4. Remove off-putting odours
The scent of the previous night’s dinner or the family dog can be hugely off-putting for buyers when they arrive for a viewing.
Fragrance dispensers can help but pick a scent that’s subtle and not too overpowering.
Fresh air is often the best way to remove unwanted smells, so open your windows for an hour or two prior to a buyer’s arrival.
5. Go neutral with your décor
Your home will have far greater appeal to buyers if they’re able to imagine themselves living there.
A clean, crisp, and neutral décor can help here, so consider:
- Repainting your walls with a soft, neutral tone
- Removing heavily patterned wallpaper
- Replacing extravagant fixtures and fittings with simple alternatives
- Replacing old, patterned carpets
“Neutral décor is always a winner when you are looking for a quick sell,” advises Parkers Managing Director Rob Smith.
“It is an easy way to appeal to the masses, so get painting those walls!
“Consider replacing old carpets or modernising fixtures and fittings, too – anything to give your home a little facelift.”
6. Be clever with lighting
All properties get an immediate uplift when they’re well lit.
For rooms that get the sun all day, open shutters and blinds and let the light in – this will help those rooms feel airy and spacious when buyers are viewing them.
For rooms that are darker, switch on lamps to eradicate dark corners and make sure all blinds, shutters or curtains are open and letting in as much natural light as possible.
7. Remove clutter
Your property’s square footage may be set in stone, but there are steps you can take to make your home feel more spacious than it actually is.
Clutter can have a huge impact how a property feels, so if your rooms are packed with furniture and the walls are covered in pictures or artwork, consider removing some of these items.
By removing certain items, you’ll be able to show off the floor space in your rooms and buyers will be able to easily walk around during viewings.
Taking down some pictures or art can also make a room feel less enclosed.
Don’t remove everything, though, or your rooms will feel soulless.
8. Reorganise your space and add storage
How your furniture is arranged can have a huge effect on how spacious your home feels.
With how your potential buyer would use the space in mind, try arranging your furniture in different ways, creating clear sight lines and a larger look and feel.
Buyers can equally be put off by a perceived lack of storage, so think about how you can improve this without cluttering your home.
Great storage options include shelving that uses a room’s height or built-in units in recesses.
9. Staging your house for sale
Staging your home means preparing it so potential buyers can see themselves living there.
Think of all the pictures of amazing properties you’ve seen on interior design websites or in magazines – they’re all staged so they’re seen in the best possible light and spark an emotional reaction in the people viewing them.
Kitchen staging tips
- Add a bowl of fruit
- Display a vase of fresh flowers
- Bake some fresh bread and display on a chopping board
Living room staging tips
- Remove or hide wires and cables
- Light a fragranced candle
- Add new cushions and soft furnishings
Bedroom staging tips
- Add fresh bedding and layer a throw
- Plump up pillows and cushions on bed
- Tidy away any personal items and clothing
10. Organise your things
Buyers will often open kitchen cupboards and drawers or built-in wardrobes to assess how much storage space is on offer at your home.
By organising your things, you’ll be able show this off and even create an illusion of more space.
Ideally, your cupboards and built-in units should only be around 75% full.
But at the very least, make sure your things are neatly organised and not tightly packed in, as this will indicate to buyers that your property lacks storage space.
11. Showcase your outdoor space
A functional and attractive outdoor space is a huge selling point for any property – and definitely something buyers are drawn to.
To make your property more attractive to those buyers, make sure you’re showing off its outdoor space and how those buyers could use it.
You should:
- Ensure your outdoor space is clean and tidy by raking away leaves, removing weeds and jet washing hard standing areas
- Mow lawns and remove dead flowers, replacing them with new blooms
- Put your garden furniture out alongside a barbecue, showing how the space can be used socially
- Create ‘zones’ showing how your garden can be divided up for different uses
12. Get planning permission
More and more people are choosing to extend their homes and create spaces that work for them in the long term.
So, one great way to immediately make your home more appealing to buyers is to obtain planning permission so they don’t have to.
Many extensions fall under permitted development, so won’t require planning consent.
But if your property has space for a larger development, or it’s in a conservation area and requires permission for work that would normally fall under permitted development, consider getting outline planning consent.
This then gives potential buyers the option of completing the work without the hassle of planning permission – a very attractive bonus indeed.
How many viewings does it take to sell a house?
On average, it takes 10 viewings to secure an offer on a property.
That means based on an average of two viewings per week, your property could have an acceptable offer within four to six weeks of going on the market.
However, this can vary hugely depending on the pace of the market and demand for the type of property you’re selling.
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