7 Golden rules to follow when selling your home

With all this time spent at home it goes without saying that we have cleaned, polished and scrubbed every inch of the house. We’ve put together some handy tips to make sure your home is looking tip top for expectant viewings as soon as we are out of lockdown. Follow these 7 golden rules and you could be in your new Nicholas King Home sooner than you think! Good Luck and Happy Cleaning!

1. Declutter

The first and hardest step in the entire process. If you don’t like a decoration or if you have an outfit that you haven’t worn since 2010, just throw them away or donate them. Don’t just focus on one room – ensure you search every part of your house, especially in rooms like the kitchen and bedrooms where clutter can quickly get out of hand.

2. The First Impression

The first impression isn’t when potential buyers walk through the door, but the photos that are seen online, so make sure that before the photographs are taken you do a thorough clean, declutter any unnecessary foods off the kitchen counters – no one needs to see what cereal you have for breakfast! Pick up the children’s toys and make the bed.

3. Outside

As the saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but unfortunately people do – so make sure the outside of your house is looking as good as the inside, weed, freshly cut the grass and perhaps even plant some pots with in-season flowers to make your house ooze ‘kerb appeal’.

4. A Fresh Lick of Paint

Homes should be repainted every 2-3 years. This might sound excessive, but it makes a huge difference to the appearance of a home. If painting the entire house might seem like a daunting and expensive task, why not touch up those shrinkage cracks that have been creeping into every corner of the house. Newly painted homes make people say ‘ we could move in tomorrow!’ Top tip: opt for neutral colours if repainting.

5. Do it Yourself

Now is the time to do those niggling jobs around the house that you’ve been meaning to get done for months – sometimes even years!  We are all guilty of turning a blind eye to them in our homes but this won’t wash with a potential buyer and could put them off. Make your house 'buyer-friendly' and get your DIY toolkit out!

6. Make Every Room Work

Every room needs to have a purpose – function and space is key. For example, spare bedrooms that have become a dumping ground…declutter! Kitchen work surfaces that are taken up with herbs and spices, pots and pans…hide them away! This will maximise the space you have and help potential buyers visualise their own items in your home.

7. Use Every Sense

House too cold? – Turn the heating up. House dark? – Clean the windows and pull back the curtains. Does it…smell? Don’t try and mask it, clean every surface, drain and bin, open the windows and last resort purchase online or in store some subtle fragrant reed diffusers, wax melts or candles…nothing too overpowering though, subtle and fresh scents are perfect!