Moving Home Mortgage Advice in York

Typically speaking, the majority of people looking at moving home in York, will need to sell their current home in order to do so. In selling your home, you will free up the equity within it (the amount at which you sell for minus your current mortgage balance), to use towards the deposit for your next purchase.

Despite this, many homeowners will not look to sell their property until they have found the new one they would like to buy. Once you have found that property, you will no doubt be looking to sell your home quickly.

It all comes back to the way a home is marketed and presented when it is listed for sale. This can have a big impact on your ability to sell your home quickly. Below are some key factors that can help to speed up the sale process when you are moving home in York.

Attractive Property Price

Although many are aware that selling your home over the price it is actually worth can be problematic, people will still often choose to go with the Estate Agents recommendation. They typically will suggest the highest potential sale price.

Through websites such as Zoopla and Rightmove becoming a dominant force in the property market, it has never been easier for buyers to find newly listed properties as favourable prices. As such, if you have no initial interest, then it is very likely your home has been overvalued.

Kerbside Appeal

In regards to your property viewings, you need to take a look around your own house as if you were viewing it for the first time yourself. It needs to have good “kerbside appeal”. This means that the first initial impression a viewer has, needs to be the best one.

As the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

Think about the little things such as a freshly jet-washed drive and neatly cut front garden. They won’t necessarily be the selling points of the property, but they will show a buyer that you have looked after this home.

It also is a good indicator that the inside will likely look just as nice as the outside does. If you’re going to be washing the drive and cut the garden, make sure to also have a good tidy. Remove anything left in the front of the property, such as bikes or toys.

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure your front door looks appealing and the doorbell works. In fact, treat yourself, buy a new doormat! After all, you really do want to make that first impression the best it can be, and this will be the first door they walk through.

Tidy Up The Indoors

Once you have tidied up the outside and put away anything that didn’t need to be out, you then need to inspect the inside of your house room by room, paying special attention to your kitchen and bathrooms.

Here are some important things to think about:

  • Cupboards and wardrobes should be neatly stacked and free of any mess.
  • If you are a smoker, give the house a good airing, so it smells more natural.
  • Interior doors should all be freshly painted.
  • Polish the brass fixtures and ensure all doors open and close nicely, with no broken locks.

The ultimate goal is for your buyer to feel welcome and at home in your home. So, to make them comfortable, try and avoid having pets or young children getting in their way as they are taking a look around.

Whilst that may benefit you with some property viewers, it may actually be worth keeping various items around if it’s a family home you’re selling. Things like family pictures can help them to create an image of potentially bringing up their family there.

Although you want them to feel at home, you need to keep a fine balance. Your bathroom should be spotless. Put away any items or cosmetics that aren’t in daily use, co-ordinate your towels and flannels to ensure nothing is mismatched and don’t leave items of clothing scattered around on the floor.

Things to Think About With Your Property

You’ll also want to make sure that the house is well-lit. Surprisingly, this is something people forget. If you have darker rooms, make sure to have the lights on in these rooms. Additionally make sure all the lightbulbs are working, as this can send the wrong message if not.

Having curtains and blinds open makes your home feel nice and warm, as well as cutting back any large interior plants that could potentially block out any natural sunlight to the room.

One absolute necessity is to ensure your home is immaculately clean. Wash your curtains, blinds, wipe down your walls and clean all your floors and windows. All repairs should definitely be up to date too and clean bedding on the beds. Windows should be sparkling clean both inside and out.

New carpets in smaller rooms can be a less expensive way of creating the impression that your house is welcoming and has been properly looked after. Plain painted walls create the idea of a “blank canvas” that the buyer can see their future in.

Despite any old wives tales that makes claims about the smell of baking bread, this is very much an old-fashioned perspective. It’s best to ensure there are no cooking smells lingering whatsoever, instead making everything smells fresh and clean.

Home buyers are also attracted by the idea of “space”. Therefore, if you have anything that you are storing outside of cupboards, pack it away, including anything on your kitchen tops. This will no doubt make rooms look bigger than they already are, a promising aspect to a buyer.

Preparing The Outside of Your Property

Next it’s time to look at your garden. You will definitely want to give that a good tidy up and remove all rubbish. The person viewing your home may want to look inside your shed or garage so don’t just throw everything in there. Instead give them a good tidy to make them look spacious.

As we suggested with the front of the house, cutting the grass can create a good impression, as well as trimming your overgrown bushes. Also, if you’ve got time, doing a bit of weeding along the paths and walkways can also go a long way.

Another area of the outside to think about is any fencing you have. If there are holes, for whatever reason, this can give a bad impression. So, make sure to get these fixed. It can also be a good idea to give them a fresh coat of paint.

The Personal Touch

People buy homes from people, so it can be better if you do the viewings in person, yourself. You will no doubt feel very passionate about your home, meaning you will be able to show it off in its best light.

You’ll also be able to be transparent and honest and pointing out any small issues that you have encountered over the years. This helps present a balanced view to the buyer.

If you are showing the buyer around yourself, be conscious not to overcrowd them, let them walk around on their own when appropriate. This is so that they can talk between themselves if there are two of them, reducing any pressure.

Finally, remember the emotions attached to buying a home. They may already have owned a home before so could be moving home in York themselves.

If you have a family it helps to accentuate it has been a happy home for you, as this is sure to rub off on the viewers if they are perhaps upsizing and thinking of raising a family themselves.

Our mortgage advisors in York hope these tips help you sell your home quickly.

Date Last Edited: December 19, 2023