Help! My House Won't SEll, What do I need to do?

You've made the decision that it's time to move, time to take your family (human or fur, or just yourself) and set up home somewhere new. It's exciting, and you've been hunting through properties for sale on the net, getting your head around what's out there in your budget. The agents have been round, valued your house, taken the photographs, written the blurb, sent around a few prospective buyers ... but nothing has happened. Months have gone by and you're getting frustrated that houses you like the look of are selling and you're just not getting a sniff with your house. Sound familiar? What on earth do you need to do to get that sale so that you can move?

There are 5 crucial steps you have to follow to get your house to sell - declutter, tidy up and clean, sell the dream.

1. Declutter - you want your house to look like there's enough space for the next family to live there comfortably. The last thing they need to see is that you have nowhere to store your 20 handbags and 60 pairs of shoes,  that your unit tops are overflowing with kitchen equipment that only gets used twice a year, and the lounge is lost under a sea of kids toys. So it's time to ask a relative to let you store things in their garage. This will include furniture, clothes, toys - anything you can do without for a few months, and some things you think you can't live without but you accept it's time to get with the programme!
2. Tidy up and clean - this isn't just a one off thing to do. You need to be ready for viewings any day of the week, so get into the habit of doing a quick tidy up before bed each day, and clean one room a day so that you keep the pressure off. Then when you get the call from the agents to say you've got a viewing you'll only need to do a quick clean of the toilets and sinks.
3. Style it up - pay attention to how you style your home for viewings. There's so much to styling, but here's a few tips. Bring in some fresh flowers, put cushions and throws onto your sofa and chairs, set the dining table for a dinner party, put fresh linen on the bed and clean towels in the bathroom ... and a pet hate of mine is leaving the loo seat up, so get into the habit of putting it down.
4. Sell the dream - what is it that you fell in love with when you bought your house? Was it how close it is to the schools? Or maybe it's the local community? If it's the room sizes, the high ceilings, the period features, the contemporary feel ... whatever it is, this is what you need to sell. Tell the agent to include it in the details, talk to buyers about what you've loved about living in this house. Sell them the dream.
5. Get new photographs - if your house has been on the market for more than 3 months, the chances are your photographs were taken in a different season, which tells people straight off that your house isn't selling. Tell your agent to take down your listing off the internet, and start again. Get your details refreshed, style your home, and invite the agent back to take new photographs that show your house off to its best. Incidentally, don't allow them to take photographs in the evening, and ensure that outside images are taken on a nice day. Some agents are not keen to renew photographs - but remember, you are paying them to sell your house. They've not sold it yet, so you need them to get on board with you. If they won't, it's time to change the agent you're using.

Not everyone can get their head around how to get a house ready for sale, and so if that's you, it's ok. Just get in touch and book the Style to Sell service starting from just £147 - worth every penny to get you moving.