Spring into Action

If a new home is what you really want I agree with Fortanna you have to move on emotionally too, this not an easy thing to do. Looking objectivly is never easy when you are so close to the situation. So many people we see have not moved on. Bringing us in has typically been the first action that has helped people to do just that.

Do you really want to move?

When called in to help prepare a property for sale, especially properties that have "stuck" for a while, Fortanna has been struck by how often vendors seem not to have moved on from their current home. When we give advice, we are sometimes told, "No, I dont think I would like to do that here" or told the kind of people who, the vendor feels, would be most appropriate in the property.

It is hard to stop thinking about your house as your home and extension of your own personality. It is important to do this in order to sell however. The more the house feels like something you own, the harder it is for others to imagine living there. You might not be happy to have a higher fence between your garden and a busy road, for example, or some kind of screening between your lounge windows and traffic outside. However, the whole idea is that you are not going to be living there much longer.

Look pragmatically at your property. Do what it takes to sell it, even if it is not exactly to your taste. The idea is that you can exercise your own taste fully in your next property but you can only do that by moving on from your current one, physically but also emotionally.

The wrong kind of viewers

Looking round properties that wont sell, or talking to the owners of such properties, we are often informed: "We just need the right type of viewers. This house is ideal for (insert particular type of buyer eg a couple commuting into London who want an upmarket property) but the estate agent keeps sending us the wrong type of person".

We believe that it is highly risky to decide who the buyer of your property is going to be - possibly a clone of yourself ie people you believe have good taste - and to prepare it to appeal to that type of buyer only. Cutting edge designer or Japanese minimalism may in their way be as off-putting to genuine buyers as an outdated kitchen.

The best solution is to present your property to appeal to the maximum number and type of viewers. They should be able to project their own lifestyles and aspirations onto your property. It does not matter if you think this is tasteless, the intention is that it is not going to be your property for much longer. Around 90% of viewers can only visualise the property as you have presented it, so do not put them off.

The outside space is important in forming that opinion. Even if your property is beautifully presented inside, you have to persuade viewers to make an appointment and cross the threshold. Make the most of kerb appeal.

Any one who comes to view your property is a potential buyer. Make sure they see the benefits of living there.

A property presentation company specialises in this type of work, saving you money by making the biggest difference at the lowest cost.