How to increase the chances of selling your house

In my first article here on Casaiberia´ Blog I decided to follow up on the post "Polishing and presenting! How will I sell my property!", written by Paulo.

Since we are entering my universe, Interior Decoration, I would like to talk to you about some very important details to keep in mind when we decide to put a property up for sale, especially when it is the house we live in.

As Paulo said, small repairs are, without any doubt, essential. Most of the time we can fix them ourselves without too much difficulty. If this is not the case, or if you are not sure what the real issue could be and how to solve it, call in professionals to prevent further damage and greater expense in the future. Avoid hiding major problems and talk about them openly with prospective buyers if you are unable to fix them.

We all love our home - it is our nest that we have created little by little, surrounded by memories of moments, people and routines, which are reflected in objects we own such as photographs on the wall and pieces of decoration. But remember, what makes it our home may influence the buyer´s ability to view the property as his:

• A potential buyer is looking for a space where they can build their own Home. My first piece of advice is to depersonalise your home as much as possible. Hide objects that are undoubtedly very important to you, but which will not have the same meaning to others.

• Buyers want to see the areas, so show the spaces and not the things you have there. It will be easier for the future buyer to project themselves into those spaces as their own. Take advantage if you have a basement, a garage or a separate space where you can store some furniture and objects that visually overload the spaces, or even consider selling or donating some of those objects? Nowadays there are several online platforms where you can do it in a simple and fast way.

• Keep your home clean and tidy, and open the windows before your visit to freshen up if it is a nice sunny day, and/or the curtains to let in the light. Be ready to answer some questions that prospective buyers may have regarding sun exposure and brightness of different spaces.

• I would also like to underline the fact that it is very important to know your house and know how to talk about it. You can do this with your Real Estate Agent so that he/she can also argue with the future buyers, or if you are present at the time of the visits answer for yourself. Show that you know the areas of each space, and don´t hesitate to talk about improvements that you have made over time.

• Finally, if the occasion presents itself, do not hesitate to talk about moments that you have spent in your home such as "love to read a book by the fireplace" or "love to get together on Sunday as a family around the huge table in the dining room". If you are a couple with children, talk about the swing in the garden or the space you have for a pet. The aim is to create empathy as it adds value to the house (chimney = comfort, huge table = conviviality and space, swing=happy child, garden=happy dog).

In the next article I will tell you more in detail about Home Staging (modernization and remodeling of spaces), what it consists of, and how to do it. With some investment, we can add value to your home (before selling, or after buying).

Author: Dalila Silva