House viewings are vital to the successful sale of your property. Often, all that is needed to make your house look presentable is a quick clean and tidy. But what if that is not the case? Do you have concerns about whether your home is appealing to potential buyers? homebuddy is publishing a 3-part series of articles on how to get your home ready for viewings and in some cases, ready to market.

Our first recommendation would be to start from the outside….

1) Is the garden looking good?

Statistics show that most potential buyers would prefer a garden, with many seeking something low maintenance and not too time-consuming. It is certainly a bonus in our eyes.

Look out at your garden and consider:

• when did you last cut the lawn or dewed the flower beds?
• are those plants and shrubs looking healthy?
• is the garden furniture washed and neatly set out or is it piled up in the corner looking tatty and old?
• can you go further and add some new flowerpots, plants and fresh flowers?

These are all questions you should be asking.

Actioning the above may capture a potential buyers imagination by planting the seed in their heads (no pun intended) of warm summer evenings spent in a beautiful garden

2) Examine the exterior of your home

Remember first impressions count. The first impression that a potential buyer has of your property will likely be the exterior. Does your home have what is known as “kerb appeal”?

Ways to improve the kerb appeal could involve:

• giving the exterior a fresh coat of paint;
• making sure the windows look clean and sparkling;
• remove any rubbish or bin bags that may be on show;
• pick up any litter or rubbish that may have drifted onto your property;
• cut and dewed the front garden;
• if the driveway or brickwork is discoloured or covered in moss, give it a quick jet wash.

In general, have a walk around the exterior and look for anything that may appear out of place or appear to be off-putting.

3) Repairs and refilling

This follows closely on from “Point 2) Examine the exterior of your home” but focuses on the inside of your property.

Firstly, walk around your house and look for any minor repair work. Then take a step back and look again, but this time through the eyes of someone who doesn’t live there. It is very easy to become  accustomed to holes and stains, that are just part of its charm and character, but which may not be shared by others.

Do any obvious defects stand out?  For example a crack in the plaster. Some people see a crack in the plaster and think subsidence, when in fact it's more often caused by the house “settling” and isn’t linked to any sort of major structural problem (obviously we would always recommend you instruct a surveyor). It may not even be a crack, it could be flaking paint or a hole left over from where a mirror was once hung. If possible, fill them in with filler and paint over them.

In our experience, homes that have a bit of wear and tear or need some (often easily fixable) TLC cause concern with potential buyers and may even lead to a reduced offer due to the properties, condition. 

Now obviously fixing major issues may be out of your expertise or budget, but it is often worth getting a professional quote for any major works to see if it offsets the reduction in purchase price a buyer may want. Don’t try and hide major issues such as damp or subsidence as it will likely be picked up by a surveyor and could lead to the sale falling through.