Whether you’re buying or selling, the process is always riddled with stress, anxieties and unanswered questions – especially in today’s housing market.
But help is at hand from Roger Punch of Marchand Petit in Devon who, with more than 50 years’ experience, is one of the South West’s most well-known agents. Here are his top tips for securing a sale – or buying at a bargain price.
Selling
- Interview several estate agencies before choosing the best. Ask if they have sold many other properties in the neighbourhood; how long did they take to sell? Be sure they’ll put an experienced negotiator in charge of your sale – not the new boy.
- Keep a parking space free for viewers. You don’t want a viewing to start on the wrong foot with your buyer having to thread his way into a parking space two streets away.
- First impressions count so make the outside look cherished with clean windows, walls, paths and driveways. A power wash can work wonders. Hide the wheelie bins.
- Get a friend to cast an objective eye and nose over your home. Are there any smells of damp dogs, nappies or worse that you’ll be immune to but which will have the buyer gasping for fresh air?
- Make sure every room has an obvious function, be it a kitchen, study, play room or home cinema.
With more than 50 years’ experience, Roger Punch of Marchand Petit in Devon is one of the South West’s most well-known estate agents
- If your house has an obvious flaw, such as a kitchen that is too small, call in a builder to give you an estimate for knocking through a wall or adding an extension. Show the written estimate to the buyer.
- Price the house accurately by checking the competition on the property portals. If you are asking more than the house down the road, have good reasons ready for prospective buyers, such as you have a larger garden, new kitchen, two bathrooms, a new en-suite. Be prepared to give a little. The average seller only gets about 92 per cent of the asking price.
- Reclaim your garage. If your garage is full of junk then it not only fails to fulfil its purpose, it’s a sign that the storage in your house is inadequate. Sort it out.
- Keep your neighbours informed about your sale. Then, if they see you conducting a viewing you can make the necessary introductions and the buyers will feel welcome. That sure beats them being glared at over next door’s fence.
- Not everybody likes animals so if you have a viewing, remove any cats, dogs, snakes, rats. Make sure your children are presentable. You may love him but the sight of a teenager grunting from his bed while listening to deafening music may put off a potential buyer.
When selling, do the basics well – fill vases, light fires and pay attention to lighting
- Tidy up your garden. Keep lawns trimmed, flower beds neat and patio furniture clean. But don’t over-complicate your planting and create such a gardener’s paradise that your buyer feels intimidated. Not everyone has green fingers.
- Some conservatories – notably the small lean-to variety – are a turn off to most buyers. If you have one of these then give it a proper function, perhaps as a ‘book nook’ or a mini-orangery. Do not let it be a shelter for your unused rowing machine or exercise bike.
- If you haven’t got a very good ‘eye’ for interiors, call in an expert home-stager. A one-day make-over may seem expensive but these people make their fees back by helping sell your home in double quick time.
- Do the basics well. Fill vases, light fires and pay attention to lighting. A few well-placed table lamps are visually soothing and they also get rid of dark corners.
- Selling a house is about selling a lifestyle. Give your buyers leaflets from the local council or tourist board showing colour pictures of the local parks, country walks and river views.
- Be friendly and welcoming to your viewers. Offer them coffee. Tell them about the local schools, nurseries, child-minders, sports and arts amenities and any coffee house and gastro pub nearby. But don’t give too much away. There’s no need to tell would be buyers how long the house has been for sale. Don’t let on if you are desperate to sell quickly to secure your own new home. Play your cards close to your chest. During a viewing, one former client painted a lovely word picture of her village as a country idyll with church bells on Sundays and the hunt passing by outside. When I phoned to ask the viewer what she made of her visit she said: ‘Lovely cottage but the village is not for us, I’m a hunt saboteur!’
Buying
- Don’t judge a building from the outside and don’t rely on Google earth or Street View, which are invariably historic.
- Visit the property several times before you make an offer. Ideally go there in the week and the weekend at different times. Look out for signs that you or your family may not feel safe there. Defaced signage, skid marks on the road, graffiti, litter and uncared for neighbouring properties should all flash up warning signs.
- Having roughly decided on the area you want to live in, focus on your favourite road. You can improve a property but you can’t change a neighbourhood – so don’t compromise. The best long-term buy is usually the worst property in the best street.
- Don’t put in a ‘silly’ offer to start negotiations. It will probably result in you annoying the seller and losing the deal.
- Make notes. You may later have trouble remembering everything about the house, especially if you have to see more properties on the same day. So jot down details such as the state of the window frames, the proximity of the main road, the distance from the shops.
Visit the property several times before you make an offer. Ideally go there in the week and the weekend at different times
- Make a wish list of what you need from the house. How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you want? Is a good size garden or home office important to you?
- Study plans for the local infrastructure. You may love the fact that your chosen house has country views across fields and valleys. Check there are no plans for suburban sprawl to wreck it all.
- Make sure the vendor is aware you know your stuff. I once had a buyer in Cornwall who asked ‘what time does the tide go out on a Saturday?’ Credibility blown!
- Don’t overestimate your own DIY skills. Installing a kitchen or a bathroom may look simple on television but it’s not that easy. If you are buying a house with a renovation project in mind get a tried and trusted builder to talk you through what is involved. Perhaps it would be best to leave it to him or her.
- Keep in mind the other members of your family. The stream at the bottom of the garden my look tranquil but could it be a danger to your toddlers? The steep staircase may be cute but could granny manage it if she came to stay?
- If the property has under gone building work recently then make sure the seller has a Building Control Certificate.
- Take care if you are moving to the countryside. You may be attracted to the bucolic Archers-style way of life but are you really happy to be woken up by chickens every day? Will smells from the pig farm add to the charm of your garden? If you share a country lane are you ready to be held up by cows coming back from milking? The country folk were there first and they’ll be there long after you leave.
- Be friendly but don’t give the seller too much information. If you say, ‘I’m desperate to move this month because my wife is evicting me,’ then the seller is likely to stick to his asking price.
- Never make an offer immediately. Remain flexible and negotiate on other terms such as closing dates or fixtures and fittings to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
