Author Archives: Sam

Selling a house in the wintertime is never easy. Your garden is looking far from its best, dogs and children are wont to bring in mud and leaves, and everything looks so grey. I’ve put together a list of 10 Top Tips to help you market your home more successfully during a typical soggy English winter:

1. Have a strict rule with boots and shoes – off at the front door then away out of sight.

2. Have your carpets cleaned if necessary to make sure they are looking their best.

3. Keep muddy wet dogs out of the house – in the car or with a neighbour. A non-doggy lover will be very sensitive to any aromas of wet dog.

4. Have your outside hard areas professionally cleaned. Getting rid of leaves and debris, and power-washing any grubby areas will really help your garden look well cared for.

5. Put away your garden furniture if it is plastic or wood; if it’s metal, you can leave it out so long as it doesn’t look too forlorn. Make sure tables and chairs are arranged nicely, and store your parasol away for next year.

6. Place lots of bird feeders around your garden at strategic areas, outside windows. Your viewers will be enchanted to see all the wild birds feeding on them.

7. Keep your home warm and cosy at all times, ready for a viewing. If you have a real fire, keep it laid ready for lighting, and have all your side lamps lit throughout the house. Don’t shut your curtains until at least 8pm, to give any drive-by viewers the chance to see how welcoming your home looks from outside.

8. Stop all viewings over Christmas; your home never looks its best covered in Christmas decorations with your living room dominated by the tree. At the very least, it will give you a break whilst you’ve got so much to do.

9. Offer viewers a hot drink and a comforting treat, like a piece of homemade gingerbread.

10. If possible, dress beds with darker coloured bedding sets, and drape with blankets and quilts for a super cosy look.

Follow these ten tips and you could be moved by the time the snowdrops appear!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

I’ve sold my house. Not the one I live in, but a little cottage I bought, renovated, and then because of the banking crash in 2007, I had to rent out for a few years. When the tenant moved out last year, I took my chance, and prepared it for sale. Just as I advise my clients to do, I freshened up the paintwork, washed all the soft furnishings, and bought lots of lovely accessories to stage it. Then I had professional photographs taken and I wrote a great description, specifically designed to tempt viewings. Finally, I employed a designer to put together a beautiful brochure for me, together with a logo for the cottage, to add some brand appeal.

It all looked fantastic.

So which agent would be worthy of marketing such an easy-to-sell house? I looked at the local independents: too parochial. The big nationals: too impersonal. Really, I wanted to sell it myself, but the private seller sites, like Tepilo, just aren’t big enough yet. I know that buyers only look at the four big portals: Rightmove, Primelocation, FindaProperty and Zoopla – that’s where I needed to be, but they don’t accept private sellers.

The answer, was to use a ‘virtual agent’. If you don’t know what one of these is, you might be interested in reading my previous blog post on the subject, but briefly, it’s a no-frills agency that offers just enough of a service to comply with the property portals, but doesn’t offer viewings, or charge a commission. In addition, they don’t ‘value’ your home; you tell them what you want your asking price to be.

I tried several virtual agents before I found one good enough to sell my cottage; most of them don’t allow you to upload your own brochure, which was none-negotiable for me, as I know how important it is. Finally I found an up and coming online agent who was just right: right attitude, right approach, right skills, right price. (I’m not going to share with you on here who it is, but I can create for you a plan to help you sell with them, exactly as I did.)

Viewings to organise now; as I don’t live near to the cottage, I found a local lady who could do the viewings for me for a small fee, and who I trained in how to prepare the cottage, and how to show it to viewers. She called me after every viewing to give me feedback straight away, which was really helpful. No waiting for days for the agent to call with it.

This weekend, encouraged by my viewing lady, a buyer called me direct, and made an offer to me. I was able to explain my situation, and negotiate directly with him, and we settled on a price that suited us both, which was the 95% I was hoping for. Even better, there are no further agent fees to pay!

So what did it cost in total? Here’s my spend to date:

Staging costs £ 1000

Photography £ 300

Brochure design £ 240

Viewings £ 200

Upfront fee to virtual agent £ 199

Energy Performance Certificate £ 60

For sale board £ 40

Completion fee to virtual agent £ 199

Total expenses £2238

I’ve saved a total of £2500 on agency fees, which basically has paid for me to prepare the cottage the way I wanted to, which in turn, has resulted in a much better offer than I would have received.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

I don’t know about you, but even if your lucky enough to be in an area of the UK that is seeing a rise in property prices, it’s easy to wonder why to bother styling a property when it’s hopefully going to be snapped up quicker than an an Ikea sofa in the sales….

Well, I hope that you, the reader, have already screamed at the screen “NO! This property is probably the biggest investment of a person’s life! Why WOULDN’T they want to show if to it’s full potential and maximise the selling price?” If this was your reaction, may I shake you by the hand and welcome you to the 21st Century ! If not, well, then you may have a little catching up to do.

Walking into this otherwise beautiful kitchen, the buyers first impression was a blank wall and a bin. Storage solutions were addressed and the space was styled to feel more welcoming, spacious and highlight the selling features of the room.

Regardless of whether you are in a region of experiencing a buyer’s or seller’s market, showing a property to it’s best advantage in the marketing photography and during viewings can only enhance the greatest profit for the owner and estate agent alike. Agents are starting to realise that by having a Home Stylist/Stager ready for referral brings a little added TLC and customer service, that goes a long way in these fiercely competitive times.

This eating area was very narrow and normally seated only 2. By adding an inexpensive table, chairs, and repurposing the existing furniture in other rooms, the buyer could now experience the advantages of the space and imagine having friends round for dinner.

There are a few myths and misconceptions about Home Styling or Home Staging: Yes, decluttering a space, painting everything White (this season’s ‘Magnolia’) and pushing all the furniture to the edges of the room CAN make a space feel bigger, but this is not what Home Styling is about…. where’s the wow factor? the USP? the thing that makes THIS property stand out from the the other terraced houses on the street and have the buyers springing off to secure their mortgage?

This small conservatory was previously just a passageway to the back door. It was transformed into another ‘room’ where fresh coffee and the beautiful garden could be enjoyed in the sunshine.

The small investment required in hiring a Home Stylist/Stager who can address those tricky features, storage or layout issues of the home while also enhancing the positive features, is a sure-fire way of reducing a buyer’s concerns and increase the perceived value of the property. It is all too easy to assume that the buyer has the same vision as the agent or seller. This is often NOT the case.

A cluttered office space that overlooked a tarmac driveway was transformed into a tranquil and spacious office/guest room.

Home Styling taps into the buyers aspirational requirements as well as their practical needs in order to secure the best possible price for the client and estate agent alike. It is an inexpensive service that is likely to pay for itself when clinching the deal… It’s a “Win-WIn” situation all round.

Catriona Archer offers Home & Retail Styling starting from £95 for a half day consultation and is based in Bath and the SW of England.

For more details, visit www.catrionaarcher.com, email [email protected]. or follow on twitter: @catrionaarcher.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

If your house has been on the market for more than three months, there are some questions you need to ask your estate agent to find out why it hasn’t sold so far, and what to do about it. A good agent will be able to answer all seven – let’s see how many your agent can answer…..

1. Who have you sent our brochure out to? – to what kind of buyers? How many had asked specifically for your property details, and how many had been sent out to their mailing list? How many did they print, and how many do they have left? Sometimes, agents won’t reprint when they run out, preferring instead to keep costs down by printing off the office printer – tacky!

2. Can you show me our Rightmove Performance Report and your analysis? – (see blog post Your Rightmove Property Performance Report). Most agents these days can provide you with one, but can they analyse it? If they can’t – send it to me! [email protected] – I’ll tell you what you need to know.

3. Can you change our main image and test the results? – if your online activity is low, I’d suggest you change your main house shot. However, this is only useful to you if you can then measure the results. If it doesn’t improve your statistics, try another, and keep trying until you get the click-through rate you need (see post as above). Sometimes, a fresh new image improves your rate temporarily, so try changing it regularly to keep your results as high as possible.

4. What did our viewers buy? – this is a great one! Your agent should be keeping in touch with your viewers to discover what they eventually went on to buy. By doing this, you can build up a picture of the types of buyers looking at your house. For example, if they went on to buy a completely different style of property, it could be that your marketing is appealing to the wrong target market. If they bought somewhere very similar, you need to compete better. Even the best agents need nudging to find out this information, so nudge!

5. What’s happening on any comparable properties? – who is achieving viewings, and who isn’t? Which houses have been reduced in price, and has this made any difference? Which are under offer, after how long, and at what kind of value? If you aren’t getting viewings and everyone else is, ask why!

6. How do you think our marketing can be improved? – ask your agent for a marketing review, and analyse as dispassionately as you can, your brochure, photography and online advert. Identify areas that can be improved, and make sure they are acted upon.

7. Why hasn’t our house sold – other than the price? – I have often asked agents this question, and listened to them trying to come up with an answer. The truth is, there are often several reasons, and it’s highly likely that none of those reasons will be the asking price! Ask your agent for constructive ways you can help him to attract viewers, and make sure he knows he can be honest. If he can’t come up with anything, call me, and I’ll tell you!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

The UK housing market is at an all time high since 1998 and research by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) showed that on average, 22.700 homes were sold each month since the start 2014. People up and down the country are taking advantage of this “time to sell” and investing money back into their properties through redecorating and DIY.

It used to be that a lick of paint and a few nice light fittings were enough to generate interest in a house but people are getting savvy with their use of space, especially in the cities where converting an attic into a second or third bedroom could increase the average value of a house by 12.5%.

In order to entice people to buy, sellers are taking it one step further and totally revamping rooms in their houses.

Cellars, for example, if large enough can be converted into a second living room or entertainment room. This type of conversion is the most expensive however it yields the highest return on investment when it comes to adding value to a property.

As the “Help to Buy” Scheme increases in popularity more and more younger people are considering property as an investment so sellers need to provide the right incentive to cater for a younger audience in order to achieve a successful sale.

If there isn’t enough space to totally transform a cellar or loft then remodelling other rooms can also prove profitable in the long run.

This infographic by Evolution Money called “The Real Cost of Home Improvements” gives you an idea of what rooms can be renovated, how much you would expect to pay and what the average percentage of value you could expect to add to the asking price.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

Do you know what a Rightmove Property Performance Report is?

Well done those if you do! But if you think it sounds like an investor report, you may want to read on. Particularly if you’re trying to sell your house, and you’ve never been shown this very useful report.

The Rightmove Property Performance Report is available to all those estate agents who use Rightmove.co.uk to advertise their properties. What this report can show is:

How well your property is ‘performing’ in terms of the number of times it appears in a buyer’s search on Rightmove
How your property compares with the performance of similar properties on Rightmove
These statistics over the last week, fortnight or thirty days.

Statistically, there is a direct correlation between the number of times your property listing is clicked on, and the viewings generated on it. So it’s really important that you get as many clicks as possible.

First things first, ask your estate agent for your Rightmove Property Performance Report.

This is data your estate agent has access to, inside the Rightmove console. If they are not using Rightmove, they will be able to access similar statistics within Zoopla, On the Market or Prime Location. Property listings with images and floorplans, that are updated regularly, have the best performance metrics on Rightmove and the other portals. This Report also shows the number of times your property listing was clicked on over the last 7, 14 or 30 days, together with a comparable against the previous period. Additionally, this statistic can be compared against similar property listings on Rightmove, so you can see whether your property advert is competing well or not. A ‘similar’ listing is typically what a searcher would see alongside your property when they search on Rightmove, and therefore could be considered as your ‘competition’.

If your home listing is not performing or competing well, it could be a strong indicator of the reason you’re not getting viewings on your house. Here’s my checklist to try, before you rush to reduce the price on a house that’s not getting interest:

Check your photographs – do they really show your home at its best, and are they up to date? If your outside images reflect a different season than the current one, ask your estate agent to re-photograph your house and garden. Then check your next performance report to see if your numbers have increased.
Revisit your property description. Firstly, draw up a profile of the kind of person you think is most likely to buy your home. Age, status, motivation for moving, and so on. Then write down a list of adjectives about your house that you think would most appeal to these target buyers. Look at your property description – does it need rewriting to incorporate these key words? Your agent can help you with this. I’ve changed property listings in the past to better appeal to a family, or to someone looking for a change in lifestyle. Words matter, so make sure your written description best sells the primary features of your home, to the person most likely to be attracted to those features.
Make sure your listing is complete – eg does it have a floorplan that can be viewed easily, even on a mobile? The best floorplans are colour-coded, able to zoom in on, and include a compass showing the direction of the sun on the house.

If these three steps still don’t improve your listing performance, try these tips:

Change the main listing property description to just one snappy headline. A question is always eye-catching: eg “wouldn’t you love to watch the sun go down sitting on this balcony?”
Change the main listing image for one which doesn’t show the property at all, but instead just the front door, or name plate.
Include some information in the front-page introduction, eg ‘The only home in the Lake District with a well in the downstairs toilet’ (probably best you make your statement truthful)

Before your agent makes any changes to your advert, ask them to produce a report as a benchmark, then compare it in say a week, with the new click-through rate to see if there’s been any improvement in it.

So, if you haven’t seen a Rightmove Property Performance Report before, call your agent right away and ask for yours. If they seem a bit clueless on the subject, you might want to think about finding a new agent. After all, this is the digital age, and informed sellers will always have the edge.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

Happy selling!

Sam

Many of our clients at HomeTruths are now downsizing from large homes with plenty of equity, into something smaller and more manageable, leaving them with cash to invest. If this is you, you may be considering becoming a landlord for the first time. In this post, we look at the considerations for new landlords and the types of property to consider. This article is courtesy of JustLandlords, who specialise in providing Landlord Insurance at competitive rates with exceptionally wide coverage.

It’s been a difficult time for landlords who own shared houses lately. The introduction of the bedroom tax, along with the continual tightening on HMO letting is making it more and more difficult to successfully let a shared house. For this reason it is possible that they will be selling their investment property and you might be purchasing it. If this is the case here are some top tips of what you should look out for.

One of the reasons that landlords opt for these types of properties is because of the high capital growth and the high yields associated with letting bedrooms individually. The nature of these properties means that they tend to attract young professionals or students. With this in mind the properties aren’t always taken care of as well as a family home, for example. The landlord will have visited the property and taken care of maintenance issues that have been highlighted by the tenant but being vigilant when looking around the property won’t hurt.

As mentioned, another typical arrangement for landlords has been the student lets which are still going strong in university towns over the country. With this in mind you need to consider, especially if you are a family, if a university town the best location for you. There are often a lot more facilities but it is a good idea to visit the town in the evening during the week and at the weekend to find out what the atmosphere is like when the sun goes down. You could also talk to your potential neighbours for some more information about the town.

There still a strong demand for student housing and while application numbers have decreased slightly since the rise in tuition fees, it’s not been significant enough to bring the student market into difficulty so you need to take this into account.

However, the student market is certainly going to be one to watch for the future. The UK’s new student loan system has not been as cost effective as it was hoped, and it’s likely that a revision could be made at the next general election. It’s a politically charged issue that will certainly impact upon the housing market. This means that properties could become more expensive in these areas if tuition fees are dropped so now would be a sensible time to buy.

One thing you should be confident about is the price growth on bigger houses. Properties in good locations with four or more bedrooms are amongst the top growing properties in terms of capital growth in the country. City townhouses in particular are extremely desirable at the moment. A benefit to you is to know that the owners of these properties will be covered by landlord insurance which means that they can cover the time between their tenants leaving and the time you move in. This will give them time to make improvements and thoroughly clean the property ready for your moving day.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

Today’s guest post is by Tom Wills of City Home, the buying and renting property specialists based in Leeds. When Tom isn’t writing about all things property related he enjoys renovating his own home: his first!

Although the housing market is slowly improving, in many places, it’s still a fragile state of affairs. Those who are looking to sell might still find it isn’t as easy to find a buyer as they had hoped.

Renting a property can be a sound financial investment. If it’s possible and you can afford a new place without having to sell, then renting is great for supplementing your income, alongside having other inherent advantages. Such as:

Income – this is one of the main reasons that people get into the property renting market. As a long-term investment, property has always been a good field to get into. Over time, you can really begin to see the advantages. For example, increasing the rental price (competitively of course) means you can continue to pay for the mortgage, whilst potentially being able to make a small profit.

Capital growth – if you’ve had your mortgage for some time (say a few years), then more payments can be applied to the principal amount, allowing your overall amount to be paid back quickly. You might find that you could end up owning your property outright faster than you originally planned.

Tax benefits – as a landlord, you are eligible for several tax deductions. Things like repairs, interest, expenses, and depreciation of items used for the property can theoretically fall under deductible tax.

Of course, there are several factors that must also be taken into consideration:

Empty Property – if for some reason the property is unoccupied, say due to having to evict problem tenants, you may find yourself paying mortgage on an empty property.

Maintenance – as the owner, you are responsible for ensuring the property is liveable. This means regular maintenance and upkeep. Repairs might have to be made from time to time, adding to your outgoings.

Problem Tenants – you might find there are issues with tenants. They may start to refuse paying rent or cause avoidable damage to your property. Unpaid rent, fees and repair costs will of course have an adverse effect on your income and perhaps even the value of the property. This disadvantage can be avoided however with a proper and in-depth screening process when it comes to choosing your tenants.

If you feel that the advantages outweigh the negatives then renting out your property might be just right for you.

Visit the City Home website here: https://www.cityhome.co.uk/

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

Your home probably feels comfortable to you on some level, no matter how tidy or well-presented it may be. But when you’re showing it off to prospective buyers, it needs to reach a different level of clean, comfortable, and appealing.

Making this happen goes well beyond tidying up before the prospective buyer arrive. Here are eight specific tips to prep your home for a fantastic viewing:

1. Let The Light In

Light equals space. Houses that look gloomy tend to also look small, so by letting natural light flood in wherever possible, your home will look spacious to a buyer. Clean windows and mirrors so they sparkle, remove items from windowsills, and pull curtains back as far as you can. Net curtains also need to go, so the result is a light-filled home that your buyers will enjoy viewing.

2. Define “Clutter” Carefully

De-cluttering doesn’t mean removing everything that’s not absolutely essential from your home. Houses still need to look lived-in but moving extra items from floors and surfaces will allow your buyers to see your home at its best, and not get distracted by too many ‘things’ to look at. I have a ‘rule of three’, which is to not allow any more than three items to remain on each surface, so that ceramic cat collection probably needs boxing up, ready for your move.

3. Clear Out Closets

There’s a temptation when cleaning for a viewing to shove everything into a closet to “clean up.” But remember that most buyers – especially interested ones – will want to peer inside your cupboards and wardrobes! Time for a clear-out, taking extra clothes, shoes and coats to charity, selling on eBay or giving away. If you really can’t bear to part with something, box it up ready to take to your new home.

4. Remove Pet Paraphernalia

Not everyone is an animal lover, so best remove dog beds, cat litter trays and animal hutches before the viewing. If you can, take dogs out of the house before your viewers arrive, so they can focus on your home, not your cute dog.

5. Work on Temperature Control

Your viewers need to feel warm in your home, but not too warm. In the winter months, put the heating on, but leave some windows ajar, so the air flow keeps your home fresh. In the summer, check the temperature before your viewers arrive; around 20-22 degrees is about right for most homes.

6. Make the Outdoors Appealing

From the teeniest patio, to the rolling grounds, your outside space is an important part of your home. Treat it like an extra room, or rooms, and style each area for your viewing. Flowers on tables and cushions on chairs and benches will make your outside areas feel used, and will add to the appeal of your house. Also make sure parasols are up, and if you have a dog, your lawn is clean.

7. Showcase your Kitchen

The kitchen is often the deal-breaker on a viewing. Whilst I don’t recommend changing your kitchen, or even investing in any significant improvements before you sell, it is worth tackling the cosmetic elements to make sure your buyer falls in love with it. So start with a deep clean until everything shines. Then clear all your surfaces of anything functional, including rarely-used appliances, like food mixers. Add in some decorative items, like flowers, plants and a vase of fruit, and your kitchen is ready to be shown.

8. Bathrooms Buyers will Love

Buyers don’t like carpets in bathrooms, so if you have a carpet, or if your flooring in your bathroom is past its best, it’s time to renew it. Bathroom floors are usually relatively small and therefore fairly inexpensive to replace, but worth the spend. Towels and bathmats are best shown brand-new and unused, so they haven’t had time to trap odours. Remove your regular toiletries and cleaning products and add in some special toiletries instead, and ta-da – your bathroom will look like a brochure!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

Hello, Happy New Year and welcome back!

Have you resolved to sell your home this year? The market is certainly hotting up, and for the first time since the last peak, we’ve been reading headlines about gazumping. However, this activity is not widespread, and as so often is the case, seems to be confined to popular property hotspots. If you’re living in a more rural area, or a non-so-popular town, you may find that for sale boards go up then hang around for months, if not longer.

If you’re really dedicated to selling your house this year, you need to take decisive action. Here’s my quick guide to selling before Christmas comes round again:

1. Rest from the market

If you’ve been trying to sell for quite a while without a break, do make sure you take one now. As a general rule, I would withdraw from the market for a month every three months or so. For example, market from January to April, then rest for a month. This can help prevent your house from becoming stale and also helps protect your property value, as properties generally lose up to 1% of their value for each month they spend on the market.

2. Change your estate agent

This simple change can make all the difference. Sometimes just a new approach is enough to refresh your marketing and target new buyers.

3. Stage your home

Ask family and friends for their honest opinions on the way your house is being presented. Scour current home magazines for trends and accessory ideas, and if necessary, commission a home stager.

4. Commission a professional photographer

One of the most important, yet underused steps in property marketing. A professional photographer can make your house look fantastic, and sometimes all it takes is getting people across the door. A great image can do that for you.

5. Only accept a brochure that does your home justice

It’s tempting to allow your agent to produce an ‘information leaflet’ on his desktop, but this will not put you above the competition. To really stand out and tempt a buyer to view your home, your brochure needs to really showcase your home. Photography, design, description and paper quality – they all matter enormously.

6. Prepare a viewing plan

Take a trusted friend around your home and write up a viewing plan. This is a simple written list of what rooms to show in which order, and any comments or details about each room or feature you feel deserving of mention. Type this up and give it to your estate agent, if they are doing the viewings. If you are doing your own viewings, practice, preferably with a friend who doesn’t know your home well. Even if you are required to show your home yourself to viewers, your agent should give you some help and guidance in this aspect, so get them involved too.

7. Time your re-launch carefully

There are some times of the year when activity is traditionally higher, though this does depend on the market for your home. This post will give you more information, but in general, focus on selling in Spring, early Summer or early Autumn for the best results.

8. Ask for help

If all else fails, why not give me a call? Ten minutes on the phone may just help you to understand what the issues are, and whether or not you can do something to improve the situation. Let’s make sure you keep to your New Year’s Resolution and sell your home!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.