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Guide t selling

your home

Guide to Selling

your Home

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Introduction

When to sell

Best Time of year to sell

Kerb appeal

Kerb appeal preparation

Declutter and Clean

Steps to decluttering

Cleaning before open house

Repair and Decorate

Pets

Photography

Checklist for property exterior

Checklist for cleaning your home

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S elling your home can be an extremely stressful life event. From

deciding on an estate agent to preparing your house for sale down to

packing and moving it can all be overwhelming. However it doesn’t have to

be. Deciding to sell is not a decision that you will not have made overnight.

You will have looked at all your options and decided that this is the right

move for you. So we’ve put this guide together to help make the whole

process that much easier

The ideal scenario is for your house to sell fast and at your top asking price

but this may not happen without you putting in the work to get your home

buyer-ready. Take the time to prepare before putting it on the market. Look

at the overall picture of your house, what work has to be done and what

work could be done to increase buyers interest in the house.

One of the main reasons people look to move house is because they need

more space than what their current living space can offer. Take advantage

of this fact and make sure that you stage your house to show off its ample

room. Don’t look like you have run out of space and this is why you are

moving as this wont appeal to buyers who are looking for more space

themselves.

This guide will give you some tips and ideas on what you need to do to

prepare your house for sale. Unfortunately it cant do the work for you but it

can help you get organised and ease your stress.

Best of Luck!

The Team at Nesta

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Start going through your house and decide what you are going to take with

you to your new house. Anything that doesn’t make the cut can be gotten rid

of now. If you don’t want to see it in your new house chances are buyers are

not going to want to see it either. You will be surprised how spacious your

home can look once your start clearing out.

One thing to note when potential buyers are viewing your home they will

open presses. Make sure everything is in order, have everything organised

and not overflowing. Show the potential of the storage space.

Declutter & Clean

A common reason people are looking to move house is due to lack of space

in their current house. They have outgrown their current living conditions so

the last thing they want to see when they come to view your house is a

space that is cluttered and running out of room.

It can be difficult to view your

house impartially, when you

look in each room you see the

memories behind everything.

Unfortunately this is not going to

help you sell your house and

get the best price possible for it.

You need to constantly put

yourself in the place of the

buyer, what do they want to

see.

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Steps to Decluttering

Pack up anything of value

Pack up anything of value that could go missing or get broken in an open

house. You don’t need the unnecessary stress of worrying about the valuables

in your house when you trying to sell it to a potential buyer.

Remove anything you don’t want

If you have items that you don’t want to bring with you to your new home then it

is time to get rid of them. Go through everything and donate or dump anything

that you no longer want or put things in storage until you move to your new

home.

Pare down everything on shelves

The idea is to show the usefulness of the space not the cluttered mess in your

home. Make sure to find a balance as you don’t want it to look too empty either.

Give buyers an idea of how their items will look there.

Clear out your wardrobes

Wardrobes look best when they are well organised and show the space inside.

Don’t have it overflowing with your clothes. Only have one or two items on the

top shelves, have the floor space clutter free. Show off the potential!

Pack up photographs and portraits

Your personal photos and portraits can be distracting to buyers. They will spend

more time looking at the photos than they will looking at your home.

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Overflowing toys

Confine toys to a child's bedroom, don’t have them scattered all over the

house. Of course your child will need toys to play with while you are waiting to

sell your house. The easiest way to keep them tidy is to give your child a

storage container that they can fill with the toys that they want now and then

the rest gets put away until you move to your new house.

Declutter the garage

Same rule applies when it comes to clearing out the garage as it does in the

house. If you don’t want to bring something to your new home then its time to

get rid of it or store rarely used items like gym equipment or furniture. Have

only garage appropriate items in the garage. You want to show the garage off

to its full potential just like your house.

Tidy out your kitchen and bathroom cabinets

Remove half of the items in your cabinets. The kitchen and bathrooms can

make or break a sale. Make sure buyers can clearly see the space your home

has to offer. Make it easy for them to visualize themselves in the house.

Find offsite storage

Find somewhere outside of your home to store all the items that you have

packed up while you’re trying to sell your house. The last thing a potential

buyer wants to see when they are viewing your house is a home full of boxes.

It makes them think of all the work they have to do to move. You want them to

have a clear open mind when looking at the house.

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When it comes time to sell your home you may need to decide what changes

will help sell your home quickly and increase the sale price and what changes

are a waste of time and money.

When deciding on what work to do to your house you should look at the current

market you are selling in. How quickly have similar properties been selling in

your area. Are people getting the asking price for them? Is there a lot of interest

at viewings? If so then minimal repairs should be enough for you to sell your

house.

However if the market is slow then more work may need to be carried out to

entice buyers. When there’s a lot of choice available to the buyer they can

afford to be selective about what they’re looking for and what they are willing to

pay.

Where possible you should research houses for sale in your area. Look at

photos they have posted online or if possible attend open houses. Compare

your house to theirs, are they offering more for the same price you are asking

for? Is their house more up to date and in better condition? Take note of the

areas that you should focus on improving in your own home. Remember the

point of looking at other homes is to get an idea of what is on offer and how

you compare, it is not for you to turn your house into the same as everybody

else's.

A way to decide on what changes you should make is by working out the cost

of making repairs and updating your house. Then evaluate how much you

would need to reduce the selling price of your house by if you don’t make the

changes. If you sold it as a fixer upper, how long would it take to sell. Assess

both options and decide which is the best for you to decide if it’s worth making

the changes.

No matter what you decide a fresh coat of paint throughout the house can be a

quick and easy way to make positive changes. A neutral pallet can help buyers

see the full potential of the house. It can open up the space giving the illusion

of more room and increase the attractiveness of your house.

Repair and Decorate

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It’s amazing how dirty a home can become just from living in it. While you

probably clean your home regularly it’s not until you start to go through it

with a fine tooth comb that the dirt and unnecessary clutter will become

visible to you.

Of course before anyone comes to your house you will do the standard

clean of making sure rooms look tidy, that surfaces and floors are clean, that

your house has a fresh and tidy feel to it.

But a quick clean is not enough when it comes to selling your house. You

need to go through your house room by room and do a thorough clean. This

may seem like a lot of time-consuming work and you can just do it before

someone comes for a viewing or your house, but you shouldn’t wait. If you

do a big clean now when people do start to view your house you will be

ready and wont have to panic.

The better your house looks the better your chances are of receiving an

offer quickly. When someone comes to view your house they’re looking for it

to be in the best condition possible. They understand that someone lives

there but they don’t want to see the wear and tear in every room they look

at.

Cleaning before open house

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When you own a pet they become part of the family so it can be hard to see

the downfall of them when it comes time to selling your home. You need to

bear in mind that not everyone will share your love of animals and when it

comes to selling your house the aim is to appeal to as many potential buyers

as possible. You don’t want to alienate someone the second they arrive at

your house.

A side effect of owning a pet is the odour that comes along with them. You

may have become desensitised to it but a potential buyer definitely won’t. As

soon as they walk into your home they will be aware of the smell and

knowing how difficult it is to get rid of it they may immediately rule your

house out as a potential. You can avoid this by thoroughly washing floors

and deep cleaning carpets and curtains to give your home a fresh smell.

On the day of viewings try to minimise your pets impact on the house.

Where possible arrange to have your pet looked after offsite by a friend or

family member. This will avoid a potential buyer being distracted by your pet

and you wont have to worry about them during the viewing. Tidy away pets

food bowls, toys, beds etc. try to keep evidence of a pet to a minimum.

Pets

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First impressions are incredibly important, especially when it comes to

selling your house. Many people spend so much time preparing the

inside of their house, they forget to clean the outside too. The idea

behind creating kerb appeal is to give your house an inviting look that

makes the potential buyer want to stop and see the inside of your house.

Spending some time focusing on kerb appeal can really help you attract

more buyers—and sell your house faster.

People make snap judgements everyday just from looking at something.

This is no different when it comes to viewing a house. The first thing

people see is the outside of a house so this is where they will make a

snap decision on whether they like your home or not. If they do not get a

positive feel from the start it’s going to be a struggle to change this

opinion no matter how great the interior of your home is.

When preparing your home you need to think like the potential buyer.

Ignore the emotional attachment you have to the house and objectively

look at what needs to be done to improve the potential of your house.

Look at both the positives and the negatives. Consider what you are

looking for in your new home, would your current house appeal to you in

its current state?

There is no need to spend a fortune updating the outside of your house.

In most cases some simple tidying and repairing will greatly improve the

exterior of your home.

Kerb appeal

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Kerb appeal preparation Clear away any clutter you have lying around outside. Tidy away toys and

clear up any debris that has gathered around the house.

Look at doors, windows, footpaths and driveways. Make sure that they are

clean. A freshly power washed driveway can make the world of difference to

the outside of your house.

Weed the garden and sweep up any leaves lying around.

Look at the landscaping, could you benefit from some minor improvements.

You would be surprised how easy it is to brighten the outside of your home

with some fresh plants in the garden or flower pots. You don’t have to spend

a fortune just some minor improvements can really make a difference.

Is there someplace for potential buyers to park? Have room in the driveway

or a parking space ready that they can use. Remember you are trying to

show how wonderful it would be to live in your house. Don’t have them

stressed from trying to find parking before they even get to your house.

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This can be one of your most valuable tools when it comes to selling your

home. Think of how a buyer considers which homes to view. They usually

start by searching property sites online. The only interaction they have with

your house initially are the photos that you post. People flick though

properties at such speed that there needs to be something about your photos

that makes them want to view more.

You can have an amazing description of your home and fabulous photos

inside but unless that cover shot stands out people will overlook it.

First thing you need to do is to stage your house and get it ready to be

photographed. Remove clutter from each room, anything that will distract in a

photo. The aim is to have rooms looking bright, airy and open. If needed

remove any furniture that is adding nothing to the room. Small touches like

setting the dining room table, fruit in the fruit bowl, a vase of flowers on the

hall table can all add to the finished photo. They will bring life to the room and

allow a potential buyer to envisage themselves living there.

Photography

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One option is to hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your house.

Their experience and knowledge will result in you getting great pictures to show

off your house. They can help you with staging, offer advice on how a room

should be dressed and help with the finishing touches. Many estate agents will

arrange an experienced photographer for you as part of their fee.

If you decide to take the photos yourself it can be helpful to look at photos online

of houses for sale. Get an idea of what works and what doesn’t. By reviewing

these you can have a better knowledge of the angles you should try to take your

photos from and what makes certain photos stand out from the rest.

When photographing your house look for the rooms best angles, take photos

from a doorway or corner to try and include as much of the room as possible. An

exterior shot taken at an angle can show the depth of the house. Look for an

angle that does not include telephone poles, wires or anything that can obscure

the house.

Try to have as much natural lighting as possible in your photos. In the interior

open the curtains and turn on all the lights to make the room look bright and

open. Avoid using the camera flash if possible as this can create shadows in the

room . When you are photographing the exterior look for an overcast day to

avoid dark shadows showing up on pictures.

One of the great things about a digital camera is you can take as many photos as

you want. Experiment with different angles, move furniture around in rooms and

see what works best. The more options of photos you have the better your

chance of finding the perfect photos to use is.

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Trying to decide when is the best time to sell your home can be stressful.

Your decision to sell your home is often based on your changing lifestyle,

like a growing family, new job or downsizing. You may find that your

need to sell your home does not coincide with the best property market

conditions, but it is worth noting that if property prices are low you may

not receive the asking price you were hoping for on your house. But in

turn the price you expect to pay for your new home can be less.

Its not possible to predict when is the perfect time to sell your home if it

was we would all be in the property market making money. You need to

evaluate when is the best time to suit your needs.

When you speak with estate agents they often suggest some seasons

being more popular that others to sell in.

When to sell

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Spring is often cited as the best time of year to sell. The weather is

improving and people’s homes are starting to look better with gardens

coming into bloom. People have gotten through the distraction of Christmas

and the summer holidays are still months away.

Summer - it has been suggested that during the summer people are not

looking to move. They are out enjoying the good weather, gone on holidays

or busy with children or family life as much.

Autumn can be a good time to sell. The exterior of peoples homes are still

looking well and the weather can be ideal during this time. People have

more time to move house and would hope to be in for Christmas. There are

no big holidays in Autumn to distract them.

Winter - during the winter your home does not look its best and the kerb

appeal is low. You’re relying on potential buyers to visualise how it can

look. Many people start getting prepared for the Christmas season so don’t

want the added stress of moving house.

However the reality is when you look at any time of year you can come up

with a list advantages and disadvantages of selling your home. If everyone

followed the above suggestions of when to sell your home there would be

an overcrowding of houses in the market during one particular season and

not many would see the benefits. You need to assess your own situation,

look at your needs and wants for buying and selling a house and pick a

time to sell that suits your situation.

Best time of year to sell

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Checklist for Cleaning your home

Remove all clutter from rooms

Wash down tiles and re-whiten grout if necessary

Hoover and wash all floors (deep clean carpets and curtains if

needed)

Wash all windows and window frames

Make sure all surfaces are clean and free from dust

Paint any room that is tired looking

Wash all kitchen appliances

Clean and remove pet litter boxes, toys and bedding

Make sure the house is smelling fresh

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Checklist for Cleaning Property Exterior

Clear away any clutter or debris in the garden

Make sure lawn and flower beds are neat and tidy

Wash windows inside and out

Tidy away children's toys

Repair any gates, fences/ or lights

Paint any area that looks tired and dated e.g. front door, fence

Tidy out the garden shed

On the day of viewing make sure there is somewhere for the

potential buyer to park

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Nesta Storage Vouchers

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4-5 Burton Hall Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18 • (01) 2907800

Old Airport Road, Swords Road, Dublin 9 • (01) 8468900

Kylemore Road, Dublin 10 • (01) 6426100

Deansgrange Business Park, Deansgrange, Co Dublin • (01) 2190214

Nesta.ie

1850 77 22 34