Opting to sell a period home is one of the biggest decisions most people take in their lives. And whilst period property in Edinburgh tends to be highly sought after and relatively easy to sell, it’s always worth going the extra mile in preparing the sale. Spending the time and putting in the effort to make your home sales-ready will raise interest, generate more offers, and – eventually – a higher-value sale.
Because selling your period home is a big step, we’re devoting several blog posts to the topic. Here is the first one, discussing when to start preparing and what to consider.
When to Start Preparing
Put simply, you can’t start preparing early enough. Even if you haven’t fully committed to selling your home yet, start looking at it as if you’re seeing it for the first time. Little imperfections that you may be happy to overlook every day could be off-putting to a potential buyer. Make a note of the things that may need to be attended to when you do decide to sell.
Once You’ve Made the Decision to Sell
Once you’ve decided to sell, it’s important to establish a baseline for your sale. That means commissioning a home report – it’s the seller’s responsibility to pay for this and make it available to all prospective buyers. The home report includes a single survey, an energy performance certificate (EPC), and a property questionnaire. Home reports were introduced by the Scottish Government in 2008 to improve the quality of the information available to buyers and sellers.
Both the single survey and the EPC are of particular interest to anyone selling a period property. In this blog, we’ll focus on the single survey and how it relates to selling your period home. Our next blog will home in on improving EPC scores.
What a Single Survey Can Tell You
Single surveys need to be completed by a surveyor that is registered with and authorized to practise by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). They need to be no older than 12 weeks when we start marketing your property. If you don’t have an established relationship with a surveyor, we’re happy to recommend a trusted colleague. Its purpose is to provide objective information to sellers and buyers as well as guide the property’s marketing by including a valuation.
Condition ratings assigned to the property are among the key parts of the single survey. They fall into three categories, numbered from one to three, one being the best. Category one scores mean that there is no immediate action required to fix any defects. Those with category two and three scores can diminish buyer interest. Category two of a single survey refers to repairs and replacements that need to be attended to in the future. They are not urgent now, but they were noticeable enough to be recorded in the survey. And those with category three ratings will affect the value of your home. They refer to urgent replacements or repairs that can no longer be postponed or left unattended without leading to additional issues or even creating safety hazards. These might be structural defects or other elements that could compromise the health and safety of future occupants.
What to do About Category Three Ratings
Ignoring category three ratings in a survey can seriously impact the successful sale of your period home. Many buyers will be comfortable with category two ratings indicating the need for future repairs. But numerous buyers will reconsider if they feel the property is unsafe or there’s lots of expensive work required to bring the property up to scratch.
We advise, if it’s possible and costs are reasonable, you consider making repairs and improvements that resolve category three ratings before the property goes on the market. An improved survey will greatly increase buyer interest and have a positive effect on the valuation of your property. This is important in a slower market.
First Impressions Matter
With serious concerns and structural repairs completed, it is time to start thinking about the first impression you want to make on prospective buyers.
Most buyers will get their first impression of your home online, by reviewing images or videos on listings. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of those first impressions. Once made, they are hard to alter. Here are four things to help you make a lasting, positive impression:
- Declutter every room
- Prepare for photography and videography
- Attend to obvious repairs
- Deep clean your home
1. Declutter your hHome
We’ll let you in on a secret – no matter how hard you try, every home accumulates clutter over time. You and your family may not notice it day-to-day, but we all live in cluttered rooms.
Clutter can make rooms appear smaller, and it makes it harder for prospective buyers to imagine themselves in the home. So, what can you do? The best solution would be a thorough decluttering of your period property. If that’s not an option, consider hiding your clutter in drawers or storage boxes, for example.
2. Prepare for photography and videography
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. That is never truer than when prospective buyers look at period property listings. Pictures and videos will catch buyers’ attention and have a huge influence on whether they decide to view your home.
Decluttering is essential, and it is worth spending some time setting up your home to convey the best possible impression. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of taking images and videos of your home for you, and we’ll work with you to decide how to present your home. If you’re selling during the winter months, it’s worth taking images during the middle part of the day to make the most of natural light.
3. Attend to obvious repairs
Is your period property suffering from damp stains or loose tiles? These issues may feature on your survey and they certainly may damage the impression you’re trying to make on prospective buyers. Many of those repairs can be done quickly and at a low cost, but they can pay dividends during the sale.
You may even consider upgrading the exteriors of kitchen cabinets. It may sound far-fetched, but depending on your property, it can transform the look of the entire room from out of date and tired to modern and sleek.
4. Deep clean your home
When you’re selling your period home, you want the property to put its best foot forward, so to speak. That includes deep cleaning spaces that may have been forgotten or go un-used.
Take a closer look at things like grout between bathroom and kitchen tiles or the edges of your windows. All are prone to discolouration or mould developing over time. Improving the appearance of either takes little time or effort but can have an incredible effect on your sale.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Help
Decluttering, repainting, tidying, and storing furniture is not difficult, but they are time-consuming. We understand that you may be too busy to take care of preparing your period home for selling. That’s why we’re happy to recommend trusted third parties that specialise in taking care of these jobs for you.
Getting help to prepare your period home before selling is cost-effective and fast. With the right professional support, your property will be clutter-free and picture-perfect in no time, ready to welcome prospective buyers.
Talk to us today to discuss selling your home and how to start preparing.
