Tips for presenting your property

Remember first impressions start at the kerb

Kerb appeal matters. It’s your first chance to make a great impression, and it can be the difference between a relaxed, positive viewing and the opposite. So:

• Tidy the garden
• If you tend to leave the wheelie bins halfway down the drive, or if the kids leave their bikes by the gate, store them in their proper home
• Repaint flaking doors or gates. Give squeaky hinges a blast of WD40
• Polish door furniture, lanterns etc
• Clean the windows (which will also help with the internal viewing)
• Tidy any vehicles on the drive

Depersonalise

It’s important for potential buyers of your Bradford property to be able to see themselves in your home. That becomes more difficult when you have personal photos, art and objet d’art displayed throughout the house. Until your property is sold, store your personal objects and trinkets away.

The same depersonalisation rules apply to décor too. You may love avocado and aubergine, and your potential buyers might do too. But it’s more likely that house viewers will appreciate neutral tones that make it easier to envision what their own style and taste might look like.

Let there be light

We’re not necessarily suggesting you should be adding windows and skylights to your property to create a better impression (although if there are rooms that feel more like a cave it may well be worth considering it) – but there are simple things you can do to make every room feel lighter, brighter and more spacious:

• Open windows on warm days
• Ensure curtains (especially heavy, blackout drapes) are pulled back. If you have tiebacks use them. For particularly dark or heavy curtains, consider replacing them with something lighter and neutral
• Use mirrors strategically. They can be an excellent way of reflecting light from well-lit areas into darker corners

Declutter

It’s easy to forget just how much ‘stuff’ a home can accumulate. Now is the time to reassess. Be ruthless, jettison anything you don’t need, and store everything else away in drawers and cupboards. If you don’t have enough storage space, consider putting rarely used items into an external storage facility until the property is sold.

Not only will a clutter-free property make it far more attractive to viewers; it will also make the process of moving much easier.

“I’ve been meaning to get round to that…”

You’ve been planning to repaint the shed, fix the leaky gutter and change the lightbulbs in the outdoor lights for the past 5 years. Now’s the time to finally get all the minor DIY tasks done.

That’s not because a leaky gutter will reduce your Bradford property’s value; it’s more a case of putting a viewer’s mind at ease. After all, if you were viewing a house with lots of DIY tasks left unfinished, wouldn’t you suspect that bigger problems might be lurking elsewhere?

If you need a hand completing the DIY tasks, we can help.

Remember the power of smell

Smells can be a positive or negative influence on a viewing experience. Mustiness, mould, smoke, pet smells and more can be off-putting. Fresh bedding, a not too intrusive air freshener or freshly brewed coffee can all help create a much more positive and homely picture.

Open the windows well ahead of a viewing to let the air circulate, make wise use of the Febreeze, and if there are more serious underlying issues, consider a…

Deep clean

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much you dust, wipe and vacuum, the oven still looks grimy, the sofa still has pet hairs on it and the carpets still look dirty.

A deep clean can make ovens gleam, and return carpets to (almost) their original condition. If you need help, ask us about our cleaning services.