How to Really Sell Your Apartment
So you've made the decision to sell up and move on to pastures new, or perhaps you're staying where you are but upgrading to a bigger place ' but one thing's for certain, you'll need to sell your apartment. Here are a few tips from my experience.
Selling your home can be one of the most stressful experiences in life according to many life trainers, and after doing it over 4 times already, I can certainly attest to the fact that it's no walk in the park. If you're buying a property within a chain, often you depend on so many external factors even if you do everything right on your end of the bargain that sometimes it doesn't matter. However, let's assume you're only concerned with selling your own property ' in this case any typical city centre apartment.
Many of my hints and tips will depend on if you're living in the apartment whilst you have it on the market or not, which can have a huge influence, as you'll read on. I'll assume for the most part that you will be still living there. Perhaps the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to try and disassociate yourself with the apartment. You've probably had endless fantastic nights and forged many memories in your apartment, but you need to detach yourself now, and think about the new dream to follow.
Especially when thinking about selling an apartment in a built up area, try and plan any visits at the time of day you know to be optimum for the natural sunlight coming into the apartment. This is not always possible as viewings are often arranged around working hours, but if at all possible, this is a good tip. Also, if you are asked to provide photographs ' this is a good time to take them. Again, obvious things sometimes need mentioning such as any neighbours who tend to play loud music when they get home, avoid these times. Some estate agents have suggested making fresh coffee or having freshly cut flowers, etc. although I have no personal experience with this, I can see the reasoning and it may have an effect.
Now this next piece of advice may not always be possible, depending on how you're your apartment may be on the market, and how much clutter you have in the apartment, but the idea of a clean canvas makes things much easier for people to imagine themselves living in your home. Some people suggest whitewashing the walls, as plain does not distract as much as some of the colours you may have chosen, but this can be an expensive option that not everyone is prepared to invest in. Another suggestion is to Take away personal photos, nick knacks and portraits, for example, as this makes for a more 'homely' feel ' people don't want to see how happy to are in the apartment, rather imagine themselves there. If possible, don't make it look 'lived in' too much. Often an empty apartment sells a lot quicker than an apartment which is being lived in.
Look at your property from an outsider's point of view. Those little jobs that you've been putting off need fixing. Try to brighten up the place which often doesn't necessarily mean buying new things ' rather throwing out clutter or old items of furniture which tend to get in the way. Keep things in order, especially for visits, even if you're an untidy person. Make it look like you look after the place, and it will sell quickly.
