Tag Archives: seller

In a tricky market like this one, it’s difficult to keep up the momentum that perhaps you once felt when you first put your home on the market. Now, many months down the line and still no sale in sight, you may be losing heart. When once you might have changed the bedding, banished the dog and bought fresh flowers for each and every viewing, now it all seems like too much effort for what you’re sure will be another timewaster.

However, it’s not all about doing what you can to make your house look as appealing as possible, though obviously this is important; you also need the right mindset.

Think of something difficult you have tried to do: perhaps you’ve given up smoking, lost weight or passed an exam. Maybe you tried several times before you actually achieved your goal. If you look back on your previous attempts, why did they fail when achievement was clearly in your grasp?

It’s all to do with mindset; any dietician will tell you that you have to be in the right mindset to lose weight, otherwise you’ll keep failing. Those friends I know who have successfully given up smoking after many years of ‘trying’ tell me that eventually they just set their mind on their goal, and that made all the difference.

But when you’re selling your home, it’s not in your control whether your viewers actually offer or not, right? Wrong. Of course, you can’t force them to make an offer, but you can make sure that you are totally focused on your goal of selling.

When you are focused, you will call your agent more often, research the competition, keep your home looking beautiful, make suggestions to improve your marketing campaign; and all this because your mindset is that of a seller. When you give up, you lose the fight.

To help you get into the seller’s mindset, make a list of all the reasons you want to move. Write them in two columns: one list for your motivations to move out, and the other for all the reasons you want to move to the place or home you have chosen. Keep this list taped to the inside of a kitchen cupboard you use every day. Read it often, and use it to motivate you to get out the vacuum cleaner one more time for a viewing; or polish the bathroom taps, or clean the front door.

Stay focused, stay motivated, and the buyer will come. All because of your mindset.

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.

Are you thinking about moving house? Is your current home too big, too small, or just not quite right for you and your family? Maybe it’s a job move you’re considering, or you want to be closer to someone special.

Moving home is usually a complex decision, one that most people take a while to make.

Whatever your reason for moving house, your discussions about whether to stay or go will centre on costs, feasibility, timescales and return on your investment. And then of course there’s the emotional factor; perhaps you feel attached to your home, and it’ll be a wrench to leave it.

Some people (like me) thrive on moving home. Loving the thrill of packing up and starting a new chapter in a new home, and sometimes new place, is exciting. Others feel it’s a bit of a hassle, and can be tempted to overstay their welcome in their current home to avoid it.

Having worked with thousands of homeowners, I’ve distilled their many reasons for moving into these top twelve:

1. Money

Taking a good look at your current expenses is a first step when you’re considering a move. Yes, you may be able to extend, convert or add to your current home to fit your future needs, but will you see a return on your investment when it’s time to sell? Now is the time to examine your finances – try breaking down your options on a spreadsheet – and work out which is the best way forward for you and your wallet.

2. You’ve outgrown your storage space

There’s only so much de-cluttering and sorting you can do to make your storage fit your needs. At some point, you start to realise that your current space just isn’t working for you any more. If your cupboards, under beds and cubbyholes are full to bursting, and in danger of exploding every time you open a door, it may be time to accept you just need more space.

3. Your family is expanding

Maybe when you moved into your current home you were child-free, or you had just one tiny baby. But now a few years on, has your brood expanded? Maybe pets too? Moving to a bigger home may be the next logical step. Aside from needing more space, (bikes, toys, games kit, all takes up so much space) aspects you may have overlooked before — like good school catchment areas and local parks— may be a priority for you now.

4. Empty nester?

If however, you’re now or soon to be an empty nester, why waste money on space you don’t need? If it’s just you and your other half now, or perhaps just you, why not downsize to a smaller home or apartment to save not only on your mortgage but also on utilities, repairs, cleaning time, and more?

5. You have a dream your current place won’t support

Thinking of a change of lifestyle that will require extra space? Maybe you’d like to indulge in a hobby, go freelance or simply start working from home more. If your current home doesn’t allow for the extra space, perhaps it’s time to find one that will accommodate a home office, studio space or whatever your new life chapter needs.

6. You’re ready for a new challenge

If you have spent a lot of time, effort and money on making your current home just right, it can be hard to walk away from it. But what if you’re just bored, and want to start again, putting your stamp on a new place? Maybe in hindsight you would have chosen a different kitchen, a bolder flooring, but it’s too expensive – and new – to replace? Moving to a new home and having a new blank slate to put your own creative mark on can be really exciting.

7. You’ve started cooking at home more

If you can’t get enough of MasterChef and Great British Bake-off, and your current kitchen is limiting your creative cooking, then perhaps moving to a home with a spacious, state-of-the-art kitchen would seem like a dream come true. All those big, shiny surfaces, built in appliances, space to move around…. culinary heaven.

8. Your children don’t invite their friends over

Are your children always going to their friends’ houses, but never invite them back home? Maybe Jack has more room, Rosie’s home has a den, and Ethan’s house has a massive garden with a tree house. Pester power can really make you think about your current home and whether it has everything the whole family needs.

9. You’re sick of sharing a bathroom

Do you crave a candlelit bath with a book, uninterrupted by someone needing the loo? Sick of there being no clean, dry towels left for your shower? You definitely need an ensuite. A space just for mum and dad (but mostly mum) to have some peace and quiet pamper time. Think of it – your own loo, clean hung towels, no empty toiletries’ containers. Bliss.

10. You’re not sure what interest rates are doing

With interest rates at rock-bottom, the only way is up. If you have an amazing mortgage deal, perhaps you’re reluctant to give it up, even if you really do need a bigger home. Whilst it’s true that interest rates are almost certainly set to rise, albeit moderately, the reality is that you can’t control all the factors. So if you’ve outgrown or just aren’t happy with your current home, there’s no reason not to at least explore your options. You might be surprised at what you can afford if you’ve built up enough equity in your current home.

11. You really want to cut the commute

Commuting to and from work can take hours out of your week. Just think, you could be doing much more important things, like spending time with your family, indulging in your hobby and just enjoying some quality after-work time.

Whether you’re starting a new job or keeping your current one, moving closer to work has a lot of benefits.

12. You’ve found love

Meeting that special someone doesn’t necessarily mean it’s suddenly time to pack up and move in. But if you’re seriously considering a permanent commitment, buying a new home you can enjoy together is the next logical step. And house hunting as a loved-up couple is just so romantic!

So, do any of these top twelve reasons for moving fit your move? Or do you have an entirely different motivation for wanting a new home? Drop me a line and let me know; I’d love to hear your moving story.

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.

Many of our HomeTruths’ clients come to us for help, as they have lost trust in their estate agent.

In order to sell your house successfully, it’s really important that you and your estate agent are on the same page, which means you may need to go through several different estate agents until you find the right one for you.

Here are some tips on how to survive in the property dating game:

Get prepared for selling your house – if you really want to succeed in the property dating game, you need to commit; going into half- heartedly will not work. Do some research and prepare for the worst; promise yourself you won’t give up, no matter what happens.
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Think about what you want to gain from selling your house and why you are selling. Consider the timeframes you expect and where you want to be in 1/3/6 months time. A good reason to sell will drive you to sell your house properly.
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Dress your house so that it is looking at its most attractive. Make sure that the photographs are taken professionally so that the house looks appealing and gets the most amount of viewings. If your house is professionally and stylishly marketed, your confidence in selling your house will improve.
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Target buyers who have a good chance of buying your house. When marketing your property you need to make sure it stands out to those who can afford your asking price, find the property attractive and are interested in what the property has to offer. Marketing includes price, photographs and the how stylish your property brochure looks.
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Take breaks from being on the market occasionally if it’s not going as well as you thought. Recharging your batteries and keeping confidence and optimism levels high in the dating game is an absolute must. Everybody hits rough patches but don’t let your search for your dream buyer become a dreaded nightmare.
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Never make yourself seem desperate. People like properties which other people also dream to have. The more somebody has to chase a property, the more likely the love will blossom. Keep confident about your price of your house; do not drop your asking price because if you do not feel confident about your price, nobody else will.

Make sure you follow these 6 tips in the property dating game and you will have people falling in love with your property in no time. If you want any other tips in the property dating game or you are ready to use us as cupid, do not hesitate to pick up the phone.

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.

Estate agents have it bad these days, (you ask them). Not enough houses coming to the market; not enough buyers registering; over-optimistic sellers; over-cautious buyers. They’re competing for the best properties, and slashing fees to secure the instruction. Where 2% was once achieveable in most areas, even the better agents are reluctantly shaking vendor’s hands at 1.25% to list a £500,000 property. But then what happens? They can’t afford to produce one of their lovely, ‘Country Life’ style brochures – the client gets four fuzzy sheets from the office printer. That fabulous professional photographer is ditched in favour of ‘Sean our junior negotiator who got a nice little camera for Christmas’. And print advertising? Forgot it – way too expensive.

Before you start feeling sorry for our hard-up estate agent in his two-year-old BMW 7 Series. He’s doing ok – it’s the admin lady, and the viewing reps that’ll really feel the knife. And not to mention the vendor, unable to attract even investors with his sorry excuse for a marketing campaign, if you can even call it that.

Stop! It doesn’t have to be like that! Our first rule at HomeTruths, is pay the agent what he’s worth. If we’ve selected the agency, I can tell you that he’ll be worth every penny of the 1.75% or more, he’ll be charging you. And for that, you’ll get stunning professional photography, a gorgeous glossy brochure with detailed (and accurate) floorplan, his best attention including, where possible, accompanied viewings by one of the partners or senior managers. After all, you’ll be paying for it in commission, and we’re going to make sure that you get the best service possible.

So, before you jump in to hard-nosed negotations with your potential agent, stop and think. Then call Sam. Because our agents don’t cut corners, at least, not on my watch.

Kitchen image courtesy of www.homesandgardens.com

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.

“Why do you have so many hairbrushes?”, asked our good family friend yesterday, who is stopping with us for three weeks. I turned around to check what he was talking about and my eyes landed on a familiar yellow glass jug filled with at least 6 hairbrushes.

“Oh, we outgrew this house long time ago!”, was my reply. I think I proceeded by elaborating on when exactly we began to feel the lack of the living space…

Later that evening, when I was passing the ‘famous’ jug of brushes for a hundredth time, I suddenly paused recalling the earlier conversation.

That’s what came out of my introspection on this subject:

It is a weird place to keep the brushes! It makes perfect sense to us to have everyone’s hairbrush stored in the corridor, so that you can get a final ‘hairdo check’ on your way out of the house.

Until recently, it was six of us sharing our well outgrown 3-bedroom house and I believe I started this jug purely for practical reasons: my daughters kept misplacing their brushes and we were getting out of the door later than we should be doing on most mornings.

Now, this jug is not a pretty and exciting décor piece. It is, however, a very noticeable piece upon entering our house. I would not go as far as saying that it creates a focal point, but it definitely cannot go unnoticed.

Except that we don’t notice it anymore. We reach for it and use it every single day. But the truth is…we only notice it when it’s no longer there.

Our homes are full of these ‘jugs’: objects and scenes that are there for practical and habitual reasons. We are using them almost on autopilot. We are immune to them and hardly notice them. Having them where they are now makes perfect sense for us!

But what if a fresh pair of eyes catches the glimpse of these items? Would it make sense to them or puzzle and confuse them?

If it’s your home, you are free to have whatever you like wherever you like décor-wise. That’s your right! Use and enjoy it!

However, if you are trying to sell your property, you need to shuffle your stuff around to make sense (logical, aesthetical, emotional, etc.) for your potential buyer.

Just remember to be savvy about who to ask for feedback and how to approach the whole process of preparing your house for sale.

Let me give you my best tip:

Borrow a fresh pair of eyes! Professional home stagers are great. However, anyone with a flair for interior decorating who is open, honest, opinionated and is totally new to your house would be your second best choice (e.g. a work colleague you trust).

Even if your house has been on a market for a while, it’s not too late to get busy and creative to attract more viewings. If you don’t know where to start or simply don’t have time to do it yourself, consider inviting us to help 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.