Want a quick house sale - Advice Needed

Rois

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I want to sell my house as quickly as possible in this current market. Having said that, I don't want to give it away below market value.

What should I do (without spending '000s) prior to putting it on the market so that it has a good chance of a quick sale.

All advice appreciated. Many thanks.
 
make sure there is nothing in the house outstanding eg no little paint jobs to be done, handles missing off a unit. Everything needs to be perfect. Just takes time to make sure they're done. Make a list and follow through on it. Declutter the house. Try and emotionally remove yourselves from YOUR house and look at it from fresh eyes. Simple is good. Have the place immaculate when viewing. Be as strict as you can to make sure its perfect. We sold ours in March, did all of the above and more and were sale agreed in 3 weeks. Very lucky but you definitely can make (help) your own luck. Good luck with it.
 
Thanks JPO - very sound advice! Well done on selling so quickly.
 
Yes, good post, JPO. Also Rois, (and I'm probably stating the obvious here), have an asking price that won't turn potential bidders off straight away. I know of someone who started by asking a little below what he was hoping to get and it generated enough bidding interest to bring it up roughly to what he was hoping to get for the house in the first place.
 
Ok thanks Lex - I have a good idea of what I would be willing to sell for and I think it's quite reasonable given that quotes I received from various estate agents had a variance of 75k!

Now one more thing - and it really is the biggest decorative issue in the house - all the wooden floor boards are scratched and/or damaged by the dogs and some water damage on 1 room. Should I replace these (I don't think some are repairable) - with new boards/carpet or tiles? This will be my biggest expense.
 
Personally - I wouldn't replace with anything - if the wife/gf is anything like my wife - she'll want to have or create rooms to her own taste upon moving in..(they may hate tiles/carpet or indeed wooden floors).
 
True in many cases bren, but even I can't stand the state of some of the floorboards at this stage, so imagine it would definitely put off potential buyers.
 
i suggest cheap, bright and neutral carpets from Bargaintown or the likes in the rooms with the worst floors... that way you can always suggest to perspective buyers that you had been intending to take up the carpet and get the floors sanded etc without them knowing what condition they are in... not the most honest approach I agree but that wasnt the question the OP asked!
 
Yes I think they can, there was a previous thread on this. But, apparently the room with the water damaged boards is a no go and unfortunately it opens into the lounge (as a dining room - though I dont use it for that).

Wondering if it would be ok just to sand the other floors and tile the dining room or would that look a bit odd?
 

If it looks like you have taken short cuts to cover problems, people will either investigate problems or run a mile. You need to sort the floor with water damage as it is an immediate turn off. The scratched floors can be sanded, but unless they are very bad they may not be an issue.
Price is your main issue, people won't see the inside if they are not attracted by price (generally).
 
I would personally be put off by someone trying to cover up problem floors with Rugs etc.

I would advise that you look at houses with a similar asking price on Daft.ie and myhome.ie, ideally in the same location as yours. This will give you a good idea of the general standards available in your area within your price range. With credit being hard to come by people may be less inclined to renovate when they move in due to cash constraints. So if at all possible make your house look like it is ready to move straight in to.

I would second all that JPO said in an earlier post
 
Found this for you, plenty of tips that should make a difference. LS

1. You need to present your house so that it will appeal to the broadest possible buying audience. The trick is to ensure that they can imagine themselves living there as soon as they walk in.

2. Clear the clutter. Mess all too easily becomes familiar junk which we are used to having around. It makes rooms look smaller and sends unhelpful messages to your buyers. Tidy away family photos and books. If you can't find space to store the less personal stuff, take as much as possible to the nearest dump.

3. Elbow grease can add more value to your house than almost anything else. Clean, clean and clean some more. The kitchen and bathroom are the two most important rooms, but don't stop there. Dust every surface, ornament and lampshade you possess.

4. Make sure all entrances are uncluttered, warm and welcoming. Mark the path to your front door with potted plants on either side. Make sure the doors open properly and aren't hampered by a row of coats or muddy boots behind. Check that furniture doesn't stop any of the internal doors from opening or shutting properly.

5. Potential buyers won't be able to visualise themselves living in your home if the walls are bright, patterned or just plain ugly. Paint them in light, neutral colours. You can introduce splashes of colour with rugs, cushions, throws, table runners and flowers.

6. You can make a world of difference to a dark entrance hall with a strategically placed mirror. Carefully positioned, it will add space and maximise the available light. Ensure that it is hung at eye level.

7. Do all those little jobs round the house that you've always meant to finish. If you don't know what you're doing, get someone in who does. Broken window catches, a front door bell that doesn't work or half-finished shelves convey an air of neglect and signal to a potential buyer that there may be other, more significant aspects of the house that have been left undone.

8. Ensure that every room has a clear function and purpose. Play up the existence of a dining room by clearing away all the children's homework and games. A third bedroom could be a bedroom, a study or a dressing room, but not all three at once. Organise some storage systems so that the principal function of the room they're in remains clearly defined.

9. A carpet that is dark or heavily patterned dominates a room and makes it seem smaller. Replace carpets that are old, worn or just dirty. This may seem an unnecessary expense, but it will lift the appearance of the room and your buyers won't be imagining the extra cost of replacing the carpet themselves.

10. Be ruthless when it comes to dealing with your pets. It's easy to get used to their smell - so ask a friend to be brutally honest with you. Does your house smell? Before each viewing eliminate unpleasant smells and banish pets to a willing friend's while you are showing people round. Get rid of pet hair too - brush and vacuum until you're sure it's gone.
 
You should also keep a close eye out for house sales in your estate/area. We sold 18months ago without ever putting a for sale sign up, basically the house across the road from us(which had a bigger back garden) was sold, we contacted the estate agent concerned and asked if there were under bidders, he said there was and sent them in our direction and we did a deal quite quickly. Also meant that we could do a deal between the estate agent, ourselves and our neighbour and he cut his normal fees to both of us by a third.
 
Thanks all - I'm getting the picture! Lots of stuff to store away in friends garage for now. Painter is organised for about 3 weeks time.

Still undecided about floor boards - had a look again and it's really only the water damaged boards that need resolving.

Are curtains a big issue - I only have them in upstairs bedrooms, none downstairs as I prefer to let light/sun in. Just a blind in front 2 rooms for privacy at night.

Dogs will have to go into foster care for a while!

Only 2 other houses for sale in estate, 1 is way over-priced and 2nd looks neglected and is also up for rent.
 
Personally - I wouldn't replace with anything - if the wife/gf is anything like my wife - she'll want to have or create rooms to her own taste upon moving in..(they may hate tiles/carpet or indeed wooden floors).

But she would probably be put off by shabby floors anyhow.

I'd clean the house within an inch of its life.
 

In other words "put them down"!.
 
Hi guys,

Similar situation - I'm thinking of putting my semi-detached house up for sale as I'm about to start building. Thing is I have renters in some of the rooms. The house is very well kept and there's very little personal items on display.
Considering the house could be on the market for some time, I was going to continue to rent rooms while its on the market.

Would this be a bad idea? Would it immediately put off buyers?

There's one other identical house up for sale in the estate. Its in mint condition - they seem to have followed all the steps on the list! But I would be willing to sell for a good bit less than their asking price...

Sorry to OP for hi-jacking...