What a good idea!
From video diaries to mass viewings, you need to be inventive when selling a home
the property market is as flat as a mill pond. To put it soberly, both sales and inquiries were down last month, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Residential Survey.
Yet some of today’s vendors are not simply waiting in hope for the market to revive so that they can sell their homes. They are being pro-active, working as a team with their estate agents to find that elusive buyer.
Last month, for example, in Radlett, hertfordshire, Jon Compton, 48, decided that having had his £755,000 home on the market since December, enough was enough. he approached the vlogger, Lucy Flight — a young woman who makes video diaries, with a YouTube following of 135,000 — and persuaded her to make a film about staying overnight at his four-bedroom house.
The film was posted on several social channels. In the first week, the film got 28,114 views. Of these, four turned up to see the house in person and consequently the property sold. The scheme was run in conjunction with Jon’s online agents, housesimple, and now Jon thinks try-before-you-buy films may be the shape of things to come: ‘Because the film was entertaining it made people stop and look, so thousands, who might otherwise have flicked past it on a property portal, saw the house.’
Social media also helped housesimple sell Shanty helim’s three-bedroom bungalow in Rainham, east London, last year. Shanty became the first homeowner in the coun-try to sell her home following a Facebook Live viewing, when she accepted an offer of £ 467,000 for it, 12 days after the live streaming.
Open house days, an idea imported from America, are also now being widely used to kick-start interest in homes that otherwise could become ‘stickers’. UpmARkeT
estate agents Strutt & parker are this year organising two open house days across their branches, nationwide. There are no fixed appoint-ment times and buyers who are registered with them can walk into any house signed up for the scheme.
‘If a prospective buyer likes your house, there may be six others there saying the same thing,’ says edward Church, head of Strutt & parker’s Canterbury office. ‘The element of competition turns tyre-kickers into serious buyers.’
Open house days are proving popular — since 2011 the number of properties taking part has gone up by 28 per cent and the number of viewers has increased by 41 per cent.
David Smith, of myddelton major estate agents in Andover believes homeowners have an important part to play in the open-house day.
‘The house must be more than tidy, it must be in show- house condition,’ he says. ‘The garden should be neat and the lawn mown — no excuses about the weather. Neighbours should be drafted in to help if necessary by clearing enough parking spaces on the road outside. providing refreshments will also help.’ Different estate agents employ different tactics on such days. Whereas Smith staggers his viewing times, not wanting to overcrowd smaller homes, Fine & Country in the edgbaston area of Birmingham like to squeeze 30 sets of visitors into their viewings, usually held between 11am and 1pm on a Saturday to increase pressure on the buyers. Interested parties leave with an offer-form, which they must return by the following Wednesday, with proof of finance. If there are multiple offers, they are given the chance to increase their offer and then the seller chooses which to accept. The signs are that these events work particularly well for expensive homes. Fine & Country has run three of them in the past few months and all resulted in offers being made above the asking price. One was listed at £900,000 and sold for £935,000; another with an asking price of £1,100,000 went for £1,185,000; and a third that was listed for £1,300,000 and sold for £1,350,000. Whether they would be equally effective selling to cash-strapped first-time buyers is another thing, but in a flat market like today’s, any attempt to stimulate sales is worth a punt. Those who have tried open-house days often swear by them. ‘having a house on the market means tidying up two or three times every week until the house is sold, which is a drag,’ says Rebekah Rose, 48, who bought Greenacres Cottage (previously Swan Cottage) in the exe Valley, Devon, at an open house day. Now, having renovated throughout, she intends selling it at one on may 12 (guide price £435,000, struttand parker.com). ‘They spur you into making one super-human effort. It’s good to feel you are contributing to the sales drive and, anyway, having all those visitors is fun.’
THE kitchen is still king. Heart of the home, centre of the action, the room we’d most like to update. If you are taking the plunge, here are the five latest kitchen trends you need to know about . . .
GOING GREEN
WHEN it comes to kitchen cabinetry, Shakerstyle timber fronts have become a popular choice. They give a smart, timeless look and wooden cupboards have the added advantage that they can be repainted, so you can change the feel of your kitchen whenever you fancy. Charcoal and silver greys have been at the top of the colour chart for many years, followed by inky and petrol blues, but now there’s a more daring trend on its way.
‘A green kitchen is a top choice for people who want to feel the positive effect of a colour which reminds us of the outdoors,’ says Helen Parker, creative director at kitchen maker deVOL. The Classic English Kitchen from £25,000, devolkitchens.co.uk.
NATURAL LIGHTING
IT’S not only with colour that we’re getting back to nature in the kitchen. Moving away from the more standard metal and glass, the newest trend in lighting is softer and more organic and handcrafted.
‘This season, we’ve introduced a collection of lighting handmade from natural and sustainable materials, such as spun bamboo and rattan,’ says Kate Butler, head of product design at Habitat.
‘This has proved extremely popular, especially when pendants are used in multiples over kitchen counters, islands and dining tables. These materials bring a softness to contemporary kitchens.
‘They also fit with a variety of different colour schemes thanks to their neutral base, so that they can work across many looks, from pared-back Scandi styles to more maximalist designs.’
Try the rattan Margate shade and Elmley pendant, £70 and £90 respectively, or the natural bamboo Moxley shade, £35, habitat.co.uk
TOP TILES
STANDARD square or metro tiles might be the obvious choice for your splashback, but for something a little more exciting, consider hexagons. Tiles are a simple way to add interest and this graphic shape can be laid in a much more organic style, which can bring personality to your kitchen.
‘Hexagon tiles are a smart and flexible option, and are quickly becoming a modern classic,’ says Jess Piddock, senior designer at leading UK tile and surface supplier Domus. ‘The geometric shape is a fresh alternative to standard designs, and works perfectly in both classic and contemporary kitchens.’
As an alternative to a block look, try combining different colours or creating a jigsaw of both smooth and textured hexagon tiles. Mystery Teal Explosion hexagon handmade tiles from the New Terracotta range are £ 287 per sq m, domustiles.co.uk COLOURFUL appliances have been around for a while, and can be an uplifting alternative to standard white or stainless steel. Choosing one shade for such a pricey item is a big decision, but for colour without the commitment, new on the kitchen scene are products with customisable fronts.
‘How an appliance looks is important’ says Kim Hepden, at Bosch. ‘ Increasingly, people want their fridgefreezer to be a statement piece, so we’ve introduced one with a choice of different coloured door fronts. Thanks to a clever combination of invisible hooks and magnets, you can change the look of your kitchen in seconds.’
Bosch Serie 4 KGN36IJ3AG Vario Style NoFrost freezer with exchangeable colour front, £929.99, including one coloured door panel of your choice, currys.co.uk
SURFACE VIEW
KITCHEN surfaces are also taking their cue from the natural world.
‘ We’re bringing the outdoors indoors via warm, matt, textured finishes that add depth and tactility to the kitchen,’ says Jon Stanley, of surface manufacturer Caesarstone UK.
‘Thick woods with pronounced grain and elegant stone in a variety of finishes are becoming popular.’
If you have cash to splash, these traditional surfaces are being paired with more unusual materials that are used to create focal points, particularly on kitchen islands, where semi- precious stone surfaces deliver a dramatic and luxurious look. Caesarstone quartz surfaces from £300 per sq m, caesarstone.co.uk