How to Sell your Home Quickly in Essex

Mortgage Advice in Essex For People Moving House

Once you are ready to move home in Essex and progress further up the property ladder, you need to start thinking about selling your existing home on the property market. The amount of equity in your home (the amount it sells for minus your current mortgage balance) post-sale, can be put towards your deposit for your next property purchase.

You will have the ability to top up your deposit of course, through a variety of different means, including the use of your personal savings, as well as a gifted deposit from a family member or friend. The latter is an incredibly popular way for many first time buyers in Essex to get onto the property ladder, though it’s still acceptable for homeowners looking to move house in Essex.

A seller will always have an idea of the lowest asking price they’re willing to accept, though a lot of them keep an open mind and are willing to at least entertain other offers. The way that you market and present your home to potential buyers will play a big factor in the speed of sale.

From both a buyer and sellers viewpoint, you’re going to need to do some research to be prepared for this process. Let’s start with a look at how to sell your home quickly:

A Look at How to Prepare for Home Viewers?

How to decide on your asking price?

When figuring out what your asking price is going to be, you need to make sure that you’re not going far over what the average price is nearby. Try not to be unreasonable; just because the estate agent has told you that the property could possibly sell for this crazy amount, doesn’t mean that it will actually get sold at that price.

Within the initial few weeks of your listing, you ideally want to draw in as much attention as you possibly can. If you are struggling to get a lot of viewings for your property, it might be worthwhile dropping your asking price.

If you have already found a home that you have now set your heart on, whilst still living at your current house, you need to try and sell it as quick as you can. That is the benefit of a fair asking price, as you are more likely to attract a potential sale early on into listing it on the market.

How does your house look from the outside?

Our experience as a fast & friendly mortgage broker in Essex spans over 20 years. When looking at properties, the primary feature that always stands out, is the exterior of the property (generally the front).

Making sure your home looks easy on the eyes from the outside is your best bet for getting buyers interested in your home. This is all about nailing that first impression, so you need to be aware of how your home would look to someone not accustomed to their surroundings like you no doubt will be.

Sometimes, it’ll be as simple as having a driveway nicely jet-washed and a front lawn that is well kept and neatly mowed. This shows the buyer that you have taken good care of your home and you genuinely want people to be impressed by the way it looks.

This also creates intrigue with the person viewing your home. If the outside is this good, what might the inside be like? this creates a good feeling on their journey around, which could be enough to encourage a sale.

Remember, nobody ever gets a second chance to make a first impression on someone. Ensure your house has a great “kerbside appeal” in order to make the most out of each viewing you receive.

How does it look from the inside?

Although it’s always a chore to do, the first key step in trying to impress your viewer is to tidy everything up! This will help them feel welcome and comfortable when walking around your own home.

Remove anything that is unnecessarily cluttering the place, especially from the front area of the property. When your viewer walks in, you want them to get a sense that you’ve really looked after this home. Anything from a new doorbell to a new doormat can make a big difference.

Once you have sorted out your hallway, you should look around and clean your house room by room. Always take extra care when cleaning your kitchen and bathroom as these are some of the most important parts of a house. Cupboards and wardrobes should have everything neatly arranged within them.

If you are a smoker, the smell of smoke can often linger around the home, so it may be worth your time giving the house a good airing before any viewers show up. Anything that smells smokey and can be removed, take it out of the property.

All interior doors should be painted, clean all the brass fixtures and make sure all the doors can open as close as they are supposed to.

Make sure that each room has good lighting, preferably natural light if you can. Open all curtains and blinds in any of your darker rooms. Your home should feel nice and warm but not too hot that it makes the viewer uncomfortable.

All lightbulbs should be tested before the viewing to be certain that they are working properly. Despite what people claim about “baking bread” smells, this is an old-fashioned approach and could be detrimental to your viewings, so ensure there are no cooking smells around your home at all.

Let the viewer feel at home

Although you may find doing so difficult, it’s important to try and avoid having your children or pets getting in the way whilst your viewers are taking a look around the property. Your goal is to make them to feel as relaxed as possible and not be stressed out, tripping over small children and animals.

It has to be said though, that it’s not inherently a bad thing to have them around, especially if the people looking around are considering starting their own family. It’s all about finding that balance between cute and homey, to annoying.

Another helpful tip in trying to help them feel at home, is to display any family pictures or paintings that you have laying around to decorate the house. It provides them with another friendly reminder that it is a cherished family home with lots of fond memories attached to it.

Definitely let your home viewer explore on their own and don’t crowd them too much. If they are a couple, they will likely want to discuss between themselves at various points throughout their look around.

Make sure the house is clean

As touched upon previously, your kitchen and bathroom should be impeccably cleaned and presented. Anything that isn’t in daily use should be put away into storage containers or cupboards. Your towels should be neatly stacked away as well and not left dangling on hooks or piled on the floor. The same goes for your clothes.

Consider washing your curtains and blinds, wiping your walls down and cleaning your floors and windows. On the topic of windows, they should be shining inside and out. Replace old bedding with fresh, new bedding and also carry out any repairs that need to be done.

Investing in new carpets for smaller rooms can be a cheaper alternative route for impressing your viewer. Carpets make rooms feel like they are welcoming and can show your viewer that you have truly taken care of the place.

Make space for them to visualise a future

A lot of homeowners who are selling their home often don’t realise that creating some open space can actually be rather helpful during viewings. The reason for this is because it allows your viewer to get mentally creative and consider the potential inside the property.

Anything currently being stored outside of cupboards should be put away or thrown away if it doesn’t need to be out. This can also be quite handy for moving, as anything that doesn’t immediately need to be out, can be packed away ready to be transported to your own new home.

Make lots of room on your kitchen worktops too and ensure that you haven’t left any pots out and about.

Have a presentable garden

The type of garden attached to a property can often be the deciding factor for lots of people viewing a property. This is especially important as it’s generally the last thing they will see when touring your home.

Remove any excess rubbish outside and put away anything that is cluttering the view. Don’t take this as a call to stuff the shed though, as homebuyers will likely want to see inside that too.

Make sure that your fences have their slats properly in place and are given a fresh coat of paint or are creosoted. People really enjoy looking around colourful gardens, so adding some bright flowers (blues, pinks, yellows etc.) could lighten the place up and appeal to the viewer.

Anything you can do to liven up your garden could really give you the edge in pushing for a potential sale. Removing weeds and dead flowers, cutting the grass, removing grass clippings are all tasks you should definitely do to present it in it’s best light!

Be yourself with the home viewer

The truth is, people love other people, they like things that are relatable. You’ve got to make a good impression on your viewers too, so remember to be welcoming, honest and most importantly, be authentically yourself. At the end of the day, each viewer is just one of hopefully many, so where one declines to offer, another might.

Create a balanced perspective on every problem going on within your home. For example on this, if you had a problem with a leak in the past, say how you easily fixed it and that it’s not likely to happen again any time soon.

If you’re working with an estate agent, they will want to earn their commission by talking to the property viewers as much as possible. Always remember though, that no one knows as much about the house as you do… You lived there yourself! So don’t be afraid to jump in and give out more information to the viewer.

Last of all, remember the emotions attached to buying a home, especially if you’re dealing with a first time buyer in Essex. If you have a family, make sure you let them know how important and memorable this home has been during your tenure, as this is sure to leave an impression on any viewers who already have a family or are looking to start their own.

Home Mover Mortgage Advice in Essex

Date Last Edited: December 6, 2023