Cooke & Co

Selling your Home

Quality and Targeted Marketing

If you are considering selling your home or property then let our local expertise and knowledge work in your favour. We will work with you to agree on a marketing plan to help get your property noticed and create a sense of urgency which is designed to help you receive the best possible price for your home. When selling your house, we will consider every aspect of the transaction, working within the timescale given and in relation to the market conditions in the area. One of the main benefits of selling your property through our agency is that the details of your home will be published online reaching not only local buyers but also potential buyers across the region and the country.

We are fully committed to providing you with the best-selling service in the property market. We provide this at competitive commission rates, delivered on a no sale, no fee basis. Please do not hesitate to contact us via phone, fax or email so we can contact you without delay to assist in the selling of your property.

Appealing to a Potential Buyer

When it comes to selling your property, it is down to you to present your house in an appealing and provocative manner to potential buyers. There are several small steps you can take to ensure that the snapshot of your home that is seen by buyers is one that entices them towards your property.

Repairs and Maintenance

In order to sell your property for the best price possible, it is advisable that the house is presented as unblemished as possible. However, before any renovation is undertaken, it is worth calculating the maximum potential value of your property. It makes no sense to spend £20,000 on property improvements just to add £10,000 to the sale price. You should conduct thorough research using property papers and estate agents to work out asking prices for similar properties to ensure you get the best possible price for your property and don't overspend on Repairs and Maintenance.

Several maintenance tips when selling your property include:

  • Finish off small DIY jobs - touch-up chipped woodwork and replace washers on dripping taps.
  • A well-kept garden, pathway and fence are immediately appealing.
  • Water can cause major problems in unwanted places.
  • Check your roof and guttering and replace broken tiles. It's worth casting an eye over the drains too. A drain cleared before a blockage occurs is easier on the nose and the wallet!
  • A regular lick of paint will keep a property looking good and keep deterioration at bay.
  • A newly-painted front door with shiny brass fittings always creates a good impression.
  • When selling, a surveyor will be able to spot if attempts at 'sprucing up' your property are simply quick fixes - he'll be much more impressed by ongoing maintenance.
  • Cutting the lawn can be a last-minute pick-me-up. Feeding it a couple of weeks beforehand will brighten it up and make it look healthy.
  • If your fitted kitchen units look tired, simply replace or paint and varnish the doors. This will be much cheaper than buying a new kitchen.
  • If the units are in fairly good condition and only look dated, just replace the doorknobs, handles and taps. Another economical trick is to fit good, solid worktops on to existing units.

Look and Feel

When selling your property, a lot can be achieved by transforming the personal aspects of the house. The potential buyer wants to envisage them and their family living in the property, so create a warm and positive atmosphere to your home to show them what a perfect family home it can be. If they imagine it, they are more likely to put an offer in.

Several tips for this include:

  • Paint walls - a pale, plain shade maximises the feeling of light and space and enables buyers to imagine their possessions in the property.
  • Research shows that most buyers prefer natural, earthy colours to bright, bold shades. Although there's a wide range of paint colours available, magnolia is still the top-selling colour.
  • De-personalise your rooms by removing personal items such as family photographs and children's drawings which may distract potential buyers. Buyers should be looking at the property, not the owner's possessions. Removing clutter makes it easier for buyers to imagine their own belongings in a room.
  • Plant pots can provide colour in your garden. If you don't have the time to fill your own, you can always get some ready-made.
  • Flowers and a bowl of fruit will brighten up a room and provide a pleasant smell.
  • Organise rooms - a property will be more appealing if rooms have a specific purpose and this allows buyers to see the full potential of the property.
  • Revitalise a bathroom with a green leafy plant, new taps, a shower curtain and a light pull. All these items can be picked up cheaply from DIY warehouses.
  • Coloured bathroom suites are out and old-fashioned, white is back in vogue. If you've got an avocado or pink bathroom, consider investing in a white suite. It will add value to your property.
  • Restoring fireplaces and period features, such as ceilings, roses and cornices, can add thousands of pounds to a property. If you don't have a fireplace, a striking picture can work equally well. If you decide to install a fireplace, look for an original period grate and surround in reclamation yards.

Other additional Tips when selling your property:

  • Avoid strong food odours - don't cook food such as fish or curry before a viewing as the smell will linger. The smell of freshly-baked bread or fresh coffee is said to provide a welcoming feel to a home.
  • Ask friends or family to look after any pets during viewings.
  • Try and make viewers feel comfortable. Offer them a coffee and ask them if they need any further information about bills or local amenities.

BEST TIMES TO SELL

The importance of pricing your property competitively.

As we are all aware, the property market has faced much uncertainty over the past couple of years. We are no longer in a period where any house on the market, at practically any price, will sell.

This is why it is vital that each property on the market is priced realistically and accurately. This does not mean selling a property at an undervalued price, it simply means that if you wish to sell your house then it must be priced correctly and competitively. Any unprofessional agent can quote you high valuations and misguided figures, but achieving the sale in this climate is another matter altogether.

When selling your house, it is imperative that the final valuation figure that you receive is based on experience and knowledge of the area by highly trained local agents. A useful exercise would be to ask for the values of comparable properties, just so you can get a realistic sale value in your head. The last thing that anyone wants is for your property to sit there stagnating on the market for months with little to no interest because an agent has overinflated its value just to get you on board.

Selling your home is as important and complicated as purchasing a new property. At Cooke & Co we are here to ensure that the valuation of your property is correct so that you don't have to worry about a thing. We will take the stress out of selling your home.

Seasonal change influences house sales

As with many different markets, seasonal changes greatly influence the sale of a property. For instance, Spring is a good time to sell your house as this is the time period that many people use to purchase so that they can get their children into new schools by September. If you wish to capture these Spring home movers, then you should be looking to put your house on the market by the end of February, ready for an active period close to May and June. The advantage of a Spring sale is that you have longer days to fill up your home with as many viewings as possible.

Another season ideal for selling your property is Autumn. Putting your house on the market in early September means you will appeal to buyers hoping to move in before the Christmas period. However, beware, the Autumn selling window is short and the best prospect for selling your home would be in the months of September and October as these offer enough time for the sale to complete before Christmas.

If you are still searching for a buyer after the Autumn selling window, then the prospect will usually be in a stronger position, as post-Christmas signals a traditional market slowdown.

In spite of all these factors, it ultimately comes down to you. If you are motivated and prepared to market your house correctly then selling your property becomes a much easier task. In the end, you are the determining factor in how and when your house gets sold.