Ten Weeks to Sell Your Home
This schedule will have you and your property ready to go before you even hit the market. We’re not promising that you’ll have a sale and be ready to move in ten weeks, but you’ll be optimising your chances and staying in control, avoiding last-minute panics and pitfalls.
Ten weeks to go – sort out finances and mortgage
Examine your finances and be honest about how much you can spend on the move itself and also how much you can realistically borrow – and from whom.
Nine weeks to go – value yourself
Check out recent selling prices in your area to get an idea of your asking price. Ask friends for their honest opinions and imagine you’re viewing your place with a view to buying it – what puts you off?
Eight weeks to go – get competitive
Watch out for properties similar to yours coming up for sale. Set up notifications on RightMove so you can see competition ASAP.
Seven weeks to go – get an independent valuation
Get a few local estate agents in for a market appraisal. Popular wisdom says three agents, but we say five or six. Look for agents that seem to specialise in your type of property.
Six weeks to go – bust out the paint
Tidy up the garden, paint tired-looking walls, replace carpets, re-grout the bathroom. Whatever minor work needs doing, do as much as possible.
Five weeks to go – select an agent
You should have chosen your ideal agent by now.
Four weeks to go – the legal side
Make sure you’re legally ready and able to sell your property. We’re talking EPC ratings, choosing your solicitor, making sure you have all your building regs to hand and so on.
Three weeks to go – finishing touches
Get your property photo-ready by de-cluttering, changing light shades, curtains and so forth.
Two weeks to go – snap happy
Choose a good time of day so the light is at its best and make sure that toys are out of sight.
One week to go – review yourself
Do an honest appraisal of how your place looks compared to others in its bracket, and how it’ll look online. Does it stand apart? If not, what’s lacking?
D-Day – you’re up for sale
Your listing should now be as good as it can be, so good luck!