Having moved house recently, moving home resonates with me. Moving from one rented property – An apartment into a bigger flat I only really experienced the physical stress of moving home rather than the full spectrum of emotions relating to buying and selling a property. Needless to say, buying or renting, its hard work and so after a bit of research, We’ve put together some tips for those buying, selling or renting a new property.
Preparing the property to sell, well preparation full stop
Of course, first impressions count. Give yourself a fighting chance by clearing any rubbish in the front garden, clear any pathways and if you can give the front door a spruce up with some paint. Plants can add some colour. The entrance is also important – a mirror in the hallway is a simple way to give the impression of more space.
After reading various articles and filtering through resources, giving each room in your property identity is clearly very important. Whilst potential buyers are capable of forming an idea of what they want to do with the property its always good to give them a helping hand by defining a use for each room and resisting the temptation to simply load all of your moving out stuff into one room for convenience.
It goes without saying, although this still pops up as a major influence for potential buyers but simply clearing all clutter and cleaning thoroughly, helping those to picture what the property will look like when they move in. Get rid of all those trinkets and toys and keep it clean and simple.
Simple natural colours compared to bold tones can make a room feel brighter and more spacious. It also gives the buyer a blank canvas to work from. Using some colour is encouraged using accessories and the right lighting and scented candles can also help to enhance the space.
Get round to those DIY jobs you’ve been meaning to for such a long time! One at a time work through them, things to consider – dripping taps, broken blinds, peeling paint and squeaky hinges are all off-putting to buyers and can be fixed quickly and easily.
When moving home – be organised!
It is worth picking up some good boxes, they can be used over and over again anyway. Loading up individual items into the boot of your car is incredibly time-consuming, getting them all back out again at the other end is even more so. Supermarkets have these available for people to take away, look for strong boxes but not too big, you won’t be able to lift them when they are full.
Similarly, bags and lots of them – for all those awkward items and soft toys, teddies, bedding can all go into bin bags. Top tip for clothes, keep all of your clothes on their hangers, place a tie bin bag over the bottom. Then you can then tie the tops around the hangers and your clothes are ready to be hung up as soon as you arrive in your new house….after you have built the wardrobe again.
Things might not go smoothly, in fact it is pretty likely that holdups will be caused, think about putting the essentials to one side, maybe even using a clear box to keep toothbrushes, kettle, mugs and teabags in – you can tell what my priorities are! But having easy access to these things will help – especially when all you need is a good cup of tea.
I’m a bit of an organised freak – And so I find labelling to help, increasingly so if you have an awful lot of stuff to transport. I didn’t and am still finding things in boxes in my new flat that I really needed when I moved in. Go crazy for it – label every box, make a note the room it goes in, even a small list of what in said box…You can also use labels on chargers and cables. I love the label!
Help! Get it if you need it
Accept help from those around you, it literally makes the job half as difficult for a multitude of reasons. Apart from the physical impact of having someone to help with those big items, it will help soften the mood and maybe even make it fun. Bribe them with a takeaway to top off a hard days work!
Don’t forget your pets!
And if you want a great deal on your home insurance, at a price you’ll love – get a quote