Despite the fact that Winter is Coming to Winterfell in the popular Sky Atlantic show, Game of Thrones, the school holidays are upon us, we’re well and truly into summer.
Maybe you’ve booked a holiday abroad, a trip to the UK to see family and friends or perhaps you’re taking a week or two off to enjoy a ’stay-cation’ here on our beautiful island; either way, we should all be looking forward to six weeks of family bliss (and good weather!)
The summer holidays allow us all ’time’ – that precious commodity we all yearn for more of.
But the break should give us all time to think, take stock and decide, perhaps, about moving house.
The summer holidays give us all time to start thinking about what we might need to do to our properties before we look to market them in early September which is, traditionally one of the very best times of year to sell (and buy) a new home.
So whilst the sun is shining, I thought it might help you if I share my thoughts and advice on the best ways to prepare your home for sale this summer.
In my opinion, it all starts with your front door.
How does your house look?
What makes it stand out from the many others for sale today? It’s about ’kerb appeal’.
Paint it, replace the door furniture – replace the whole door even! Then add in some attractive planters to frame it.
In short, do whatever you have to do to make it shine.
This is the first thing people see and first impressions count – for everything.
Please don’t underestimate this.
Then try to make any general repairs to the exterior that you’ve been putting off because you haven’t had the time.
It might include repairs to the windows, gutters and fascias, the back gate or leaning/loose fencing, or the uneven path around the side of the house.
All equally as important as each other.
Make a conscious effort to tidy up the garden, trim hedges, prune overgrown bushes and if you have a dog, try to reseed any bald patches to the lawn.
Varnish the decking and/or jet-wash the patio. Learn to love your garden because if you do, the chances are your buyer will too.
If we have a more traditional Manx summer then I expect there will be plenty of jobs to do indoors such as deep cleaning carpets, cleaning any scuff marks off walls, skirting boards and doors and general de-cluttering.
Perhaps some decoration is long overdue? Do your white goods, oven or hob need replacing?
Are the light fittings a little dated?
Maybe your kitchen has seen better days and could do with a little spruce up?
If so, decide on your priorities, budget accordingly and get it done. Look at replacing handles and doors on the carcasses instead of the whole kitchen.
Maybe a new sink unit and kitchen worktop would help.
I hope in writing this I’ve managed to give you all some useful tips to take with you into the summer break.
What remains is for me to wish you all a happy holiday, enjoy your time off and relax!
But if you’re thinking about a possible house move once the kids have gone back for the new term in early September, choose wisely, use your time sensibly and budget accordingly.
Remember, for comparatively little, you can reinvigorate any room which may well make the difference to achieving a successful sale.
Tim Groves
Black Grace Cowley
tim@blackgracecowley.com
(01624) 645555
