Top 5 tips for selling your home in the new year
Is your New Year’s resolution to put your property on the market? Discover our top tips for getting your house in order before January.
13 November, 2024
In the run up to Christmas, potential buyers’ minds are firmly fixed on winding down from work, gift buying and social occasions - anything other than house viewings and home moving.
Activity in the sales market picks up in the new year and starts to spike from March, when the better weather and lighter days bring a sense of new beginnings and fresh starts. If you’re eager to put your house on the market, don’t be disheartened by winter’s low interest.
This is the perfect time to get your property in ship shape and ready for viewings in the new year. Get way ahead of the spring peak with our checklist for getting your home sale-ready in plenty of time.
Fix it
Are there any essential repairs that you’ve been putting off?
Now’s the time to get them sorted. Replace an old fuse box with modern circuit breakers, fix any faulty wiring, make sure the sockets, switches and lights are working properly, repair any plumbing leaks, and replace dripping taps. On the exterior, get the gutters cleared, replace missing roof tiles and reglaze cracked windows.
Cut the clutter
Potential buyers like to try and imagine themselves living in your home, and they can’t do that when it’s packed full of your personal possessions.
It’s a good idea to hide your photos and knick-knacks, file away paperwork, clear the kitchen surfaces, get rid of excessive toiletries in the bathroom, declutter your cabinets and put coats and shoes out of sight.
A decluttered home will increase the feeling of space and help to attract buyers.
Paperwork ready
Dig out essential paperwork now to avoid solicitor delays further down the line. For example, you’ll need things like:
- Property title deeds.
- A FENSA or CERTASS certificate for replaced windows.
- Leasehold documents if you’re selling a leasehold property.
- Evidence that your boiler has been safely fitted and regularly maintained. For example, a boiler installation certificate, up to date service records and preferably a Gas Safe Certificate from a Gas Safe-registered engineer.
- Warranties for electrical goods you’re leaving behind.
- An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
- Planning permission or building regulation certificates for any alterations carried out. Or Listed Building Consent for any work done to a listed property.
Perfectly presented
First impressions count, so look at your home with a stranger’s eye before you get it photo-ready. Does it look a bit tired around the edges? You don’t have to go overboard on large-scale renovations, but a refresh will go a long way to giving your home a bright, welcoming look.
Tidy up scuffed walls with a lick of paint in neutral colours. Freshen up discoloured grouting and replace mouldy sealant in kitchens and bathrooms. Add a throw to a sofa that’s past its best. And dial up your home’s kerb appeal by smartening up the front door, sprucing up the garden, clearing moss from patios, paths and driveways, and cleaning the windows.
Marketing matters
Choose a responsive and proactive estate agent who will give you invaluable advice on what to do to your home now to get it ready for marketing ahead of the competition in January.
As well as guiding you throughout the sales process, KFH Residential Sales are highly skilled in negotiating and know how to get your property noticed by the right audience.
Our teams are experts in the London market, with extensive local knowledge to ensure your property gets the maximum exposure online, through socials and through a network of 60 branches across the Capital.
Ready to sell your home?
Contact your local KFH branch for expert advice.