How to sell a house in the UK

How to sell a house in the UK

The time has gone so quickly, I can’t believe how much we have done and how knackered we are.

We invited the estate agent around to give advice on the house as we were planning on a new bathroom and possibly a new kitchen.

But after having a big discussion and a look around the house, the agent recommended that we did very little other than clean and decorate. This left us in a bit of a quandary as we had planned to remove the carpets to expose the original wooden floorboards. Again the agent said that these were not really necessary for a sale as there was a ceiling limit on the price of houses in this area.

As the agent left we sat and discussed his advice. We are so glad we asked him to call around, this is the biggest piece of advice we can give if you are selling in the UK, get a reliable estate agent to come and appraise your property, ours lived in the area, knew the area and sold plenty of houses in the area.

His advice was invaluable, but we did not go along with leave the carpets as he was not aware of Johns abilities or our dedication to getting a job completed, the agent thought it would take far too long and cost too much, it was neither.

But as long as your agent knows your area he will be able to  advice you what is necessary and as such may save you a lot of time and money.

The whole house was cleaned and decorated; we used a magnolia colour that is neutral, warm and clean. We left feature walls in the living room and the dining room which were just a slightly darker colour, these walls had been decorated and were much darker or patterned, this was to much.

dining room before

dining room after

dining room different angle

living room that had been used as a dining room

living room, redecorated and new fire surround installed

living room from different angle

The bedrooms we left as the wallpaper was still in good condition and it would have taken far longer to strip and redecorate. 

bedroom before

bedroom after, cleared and decorated

small bedroom 

The biggest changes were in the bathroom and the kitchen, again these rooms were just cleaned and decorated. John did some extra boxing in to cover pipes etc. But after just a couple of weeks the house looks so different.

bathroom before, with a personal choice colour

bathroom neutralised with a clean colour

kitchen before, 

kitchen after with neutral colour and some simple boxing in covering the boiler

It is amazing how much difference a good clean and redecoration can make, you really do not need to spend a fortune getting a house ready for the market. ensuring that the property is neutral and inviting is far more important. Remember that just because you like a particular colour (I love lime green!) not everybody else will and some people can not see past the furniture and decor.

Top tips

• Always get an agent to appraise your house that knows your area.
• Follow most of the advice that your agent gives you, they know how much your house will sell for, but you will know how much work you can complete
• Do not spend too much on the house; you may not get it back.
• Putting a new kitchen in, may not be the best use of your money, as the new owners may not necessarily like your choice.
• Try to keep every as neutral as possible, you are selling a house for somebody else to live in, you are not selling your personality