Page 1 of Tips for house selling / buying.

Hi all,

I feel the time is right to move house but it`s a frightening but exciting time for me so I was wondering if anyone has any tips for buying or selling? I have never bought a house before, infact, I moved from my parents house straight into this one when I married the owner... my ex-husband!

I have a fairly biggish 3 `double bedroom` terrace house worth about £70,000 (not even had an estate agent round yet) fully paid up with no mortgage and have been approved a £50,000 mortgage. I have thought about renting out this place and using the rent to pay the mortgage on a new place but I don`t know if I want the hassle of repairs and being a landlady worrying if the tennants pay the rent on time.

I`ve been watching all these `House Doctor` type shows and have started `decluttering` already and have done 2 sundays at car boot sales. I`m going to freshen up the paintwork and give the place an extra spring clean but I don`t have spare cash to put down laminate flooring etc. They say `speculate to accumulate` but I don`t have the money right now.

Any tips anyone?


ANYONE WANT TO BUY A HOUSE???

Jill

Dont spend a fortune.... just make sure the house is very clean and tidy. Its amazing how many people dont tidy up and it makes such a difference~ laminate flooring is going out of fashion!

Quote:
laminate flooring is going out of fashion!

Gosh... is it really? Is that because you can get it so cheap nowadays? So what`s the `new black` in flooring? (I`m over here in this overlooked corner of UK called Grimsby and seem to be `out of fashion` with things. :/

I`m going to have to store boxes (very neatly) in the 3rd bedroom. Will that put people off?? :¦

I would not store anything in the 3rd room.
I would suggest that it looks like a normal lived in bedroom.(uncluttered).
Store away the excess in the garage thats if you have one., otherwise approach your friends/family etc.
If you have any pets, then clean the carpets etc to get rid of pet smells.
Women pay close attention to kitchens & bathrooms when buying a property.
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice hunsbury0..

I guess it`s the car boot sale for me again on Sunday morning. :¦

I live in a house with two very untidy people, my husband and my 17 year old daughter. I can clean the work surfaces in the kitchen and then 30 mins later have to do them again. Last Saturday though, I thought I`d do the kitchen from top to bottom. At each stage I stuck a little bright pink `Post it Note` with the words, `finished cleaning this bit at... ` with the time on it. When they both eventually got up and asked about the little notes, I told them it was to show them how long it takes me to clean and to see how long it will keep clean. IT`S WORKED! :o I only have to wipe down the worktops and not scrape plates and load them into the dishwasher.
Now it`s time to use the little stickers in the bathroom next to the toothbrush jar, toothpaste and loo rolls! ;)

Hmmm... If I knock a few quid off, could I put my house in the Bargain Bucket Forum?? ;)

Jill

I`m on my seventh house and I`m 38.
I know a thing or two about buying and selling.
My last move was in December when I managed a £60K profit on my old house and negotiated buying our new one for £5K under valuation,because it was a bit tatty.
Nothing that a lick of paint and some TLC hasn`t fixed though.
Whoever said wooden flooring/laminate is out is talking utter crap.
Buyers still love the look and practicality of wooden flooring,especially if they have kids.
Firstly,keep the front garden/path tidy and get outside windows painted (if wooden).
Nothing puts buyers of,including myself,more than an untidy outward appearance.
Foot long grass instantly makes me think `chav`,for example.
Keep the inside neat and tidy and avoid strong cooking smells if people are coming.
If you know of any problems within your house ( like a creaky floorboard or a sticky door ) then try and reach those problems before they do,to disguise them.
It`s just common sense.
I`m somewhat `addicted` to moving house and it holds zero fear for me now.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is,once you come to moving time,pay a professional moving service to do it.
You will avoid a mountain of hassle.
It will cost you around £700 to move a 3 bed house within a short distance but,believe me,it`s money well spent to avoid backache/damages/stress.

When it comes to buying,the biggest tip is to use your imagination.
It might be untidy or tatty or decorated to horrible tastes,but use your mind`s eye to picture your furniture and colour schemes.
I`m still amazed at how often people are put off by decor.
Our latest house was,as I said,really tatty when we bought it.
However,we`ve had the windows painted,I`ve done the garden and I`ve painted the interior in neutral colours.
The estate agent has seen it and cannot believe it`s the same house.
I could make £20K on it today,if I wanted to.

I reckon I`ll be on my 8th house by this time next year,easy.

This item was edited on Thursday, 9th June 2005, 09:44

Get a friend you trust to give you an honest opinion - ask them to look at the place as if they were buyers. Alternatively if you want to keep your friends, get the estate agent to do it! Remember you will be paying the estate agent money to sell your house, so make use of them. Ask them what could be done to maximise the value from your house. Also get 3/4 valuations from different estate agents, but don`t just go with the one who gives the highest valuation. You want your house to sell, not sit on the market for ages. Go with the estate agent who you can work with, and who will make the best impression on buyers. Look at their schedules for other houses and see how well they`ll sell your house. As for value, go for a sensible average of all the estate agents figures.

As bowfer said remember the outside of the house. Lick of paint where it`s need there can work wonders. Even if you`re not a gardener a couple of pre planted tubs can brighten up a dull area. Pressure wash slabs or paving if it`s a bit manky.

Decluttering is good, but don`t be tempted to turn anywhere (room or cupboard) into a dumping ground. If you`ve got overflowing cupboards or bedrooms then buyers will think there isn`t enough storage. Same goes for any rooms that you don`t use for their original purpose. We`ve got a computer room in our 3rd bedroom, but if we ever sell a cheap single bed will get put in there to make it back to a bedroom.

Why are you moving? If a buyer asks never say it`s for a negative reason like your current house is too small, or too far from the shops. Always turn it into a positive - closer to relatives for example, or relocating to a different part of the country.

As for buying. Before even arranging a viewing for a place we`d take a trip to look at it from the outside. Summer evenings are great for this. You`ld then see if it was even worth looking at the inside. The number of places we scored off this list simply due to a little trip there was amazing - usually because of neds!

Never score off a house because of the wallpaper! Remember all decoration can be changed. However neighbours can`t - ask the seller and their estate agent about any neighbour disputes. They don`t need to volunteer information, but if you ask the question they`ve got to tell the truth.

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Thanks for all the useful info and advice Bowfer and WRabbit.

I have made 2 appointments so far for valuations and bought a big tin of white gloss (it would still need doing even if we decided not to move).

As for the 3rd bedroom, yes, it is being used to store all the boxes of stuff I`ve sorted out for the car boot sale but as I`ve promised myself I`m only doing one more and then it`s all going to the charity shop. I might even sell as much as I can and then at 12 o`clock put a sign up saying...

`Everything is now FREE! Take it and sell it on your own stall!

That would save me putting it all back in my car, taking it back into the house (I don`t know of any charity shops in my area open on Sundays) and reloading up the car but because of my laziness the charity shop would lose out.

I do still have my daughter`s single bed frame (silver tubular frame) but no mattress. I wonder if I could successfully make the bed up with folded up blankets, duvets, towels ect., under the fitted sheet, and then the pillow and duvet on top. I could try it before I go out buying an additional bed I`ll have no use for later. We actually have a sofa bed in that room for guests.

Thanks again for the tips, I`ll keep you informed.

Jill

a landlord work colleague of mine reccomends letting to the council, as they ensure you are paid (even if they arent) and effect all admin on the property (letting, reletting, kicking out, repairs etc)

apparently.

jc808

Don`t buy an additional bed. Use the existing bed & disguise it with blankets etc under the fitted sheet as you mentioned before.
This is to make it look like a normal lived in bedroom.
If you are to paint inside the house, then Magnolia is the colour to go for.
Don`t sign up with an estate agent as a "sole" agent. ( so that you are not tied to that particular agent.