10 steps to A SUCCESSFUL DIY House sale

Pay attention to this checklist and your sale should breeze through – who says selling houses has to be stressful?

1get A VALUATION To set an asking price, it’s a good idea to get some free valuations from local estate agents; they’ll know the market very well. Look at sites such as zoopla.co.uk and nethouseprices.com too, to see how much similar properties have sold for recently.

23CHECK Your energy performance CERTIFICATE

You need this in order to sell your home legally. If you have one from when you bought the house you can use it if you haven’t since made any changes, but they only last 10 years. To find an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor visit epcregister.com.

4Take a look around and consider whether you need to make any minor repairs or do any sprucing up to help things appear more attractive. For instance, a lick of paint, oiling squeaky doors and removing tatty furniture. Tidying up alone can make a huge difference – clutter is a big turn off!

5take photographs Some online sites will send a photographer along to take pictures, but you can save money by doing it yourself. After you’ve styled your home, pop some fresh flowers on the coffee table and make sure you stand back to get as much in as possible. Always take photos during the day.

6Choose A website

They’re not all the same. Some simply provide a selling platform, whereas others offer services to help you through every stage of the sale. Compare what you get for your money – you can be sure there will be a package tailored to your needs. max Your SALEABILITY

measure Up It’s incredibly useful for buyers to know the square footage of your house or flat so they know whether the size is right for their needs. Be sure to measure twice for accuracy.

789Create A Floorplan

This is hugely important, a good floorplan brings the whole mental image of the place together; people spend far more time looking at homes with floorplans included in the advert than those without. Some websites will offer one as part of the service.

List Your property

Add your property to the website you have chosen. You’ll need to write a synopsis of its most important features (some sites will assist you with this), so have a look at similar properties online to see how they are written up and what information they include.

show It OFF You will be the one showing people around your home, so make a list of all its advantages. For instance: have you got a new boiler? Does the garden get the sun? Try the old trick of making coffee or baking bread so the place smells great, it really does the job!

10FIND A solicitor

One of the few things an online agent will not do is to appoint your solicitor, but then neither does a high-street agent (although they sometimes do recommend someone, as they are on commission). Ask friends for a recommendation or search for one in your area at a reputable site such as hoa.org.uk.