Does your agent believe in brochures? Are you sure?

For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that the subject of property brochures is close to my heart, and one that I really feel passionate about.  I believe wholeheartedly that a beautiful brochure with expert photography and well-written and enthusiastic descriptions can add thousands, and even tens of thousands, of pounds to a house.

However, some agents (in fact most of them) don’t believe in brochures, or so they say.  They tell me “but it’s the 21st century”, “no one wants hard copy brochures any more” and even “we’re trying to be eco-friendly”.  Without going into my opinions on these particular objections (and believe me, I have a long list of answers) in this post, I am only going to ask you to consider one question: is he telling the truth?

Think back to when he first came round to give you his expert market appraisal.  I’m sure he showed you some comparable properties, explained his commission rate, and talked you through the contract.  Did he also leave you behind some company information? Perhaps in the form of a glossy folder or brochure?  Aha!  Not so 21st century eco-friendly after all then.  Thought not.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

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Google it in advance; local area knowledge for your buyers

When buyers are house hunting, sometimes they’ll be perusing in an area that’s new to them. It might be because of a new job, or they simply fancy a change of scene. They therefore won’t be as informed about the area as perhaps they’d like, and might have a visual check list that they need to cover in order to make sure your house and its location are ideal for their requirements.

What sort of things might they be looking for? In a new area, house hunters will be looking for not only places of convenience, but amenities: good schools for their children, the local hospital, a shop for small items, distance to public transport links and parks, or a local service that can deliver milk to them. You or your estate agent may be able to answer a few prospective buyers’ questions, but if you don’t have children or never use the local bus, a few questions might leave you stumped.

To be prepared for questions out of the blue, do your research beforehand. Google Maps is an invaluable tool. Enter in your postcode, and then use the ‘Search nearby’ tool. By entering in any keywords – school, hospital and so on – it will instantly show you what is the nearest to you.

Make a list of anything you might think is important, and jot it down. It doesn’t hurt to leave your laptop open while the viewers are around; a quick search on the spot will answer their questions straight away, and give your house a few more plus points. Give them a copy of the list as they’re leaving; it’ll make your home and their visit extra memorable, especially if their entire check list was ticked.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

What to read next: Community Spirit! Using your local community to help sell your home

What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

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Show your front door some love!

When you’re selling your home, first impressions are imperative. Research suggests it takes only seconds to decide if we like a house, and at least five of them are spent by buyers waiting at the front door for it to be opened. Aside from your lawn and general kerb appeal, people look at the front door before they look at any other aspect of the property. It reflects what you think about the house, and could actually sell your home.

You may spend several hours making your home perfect on the inside, but an unattractive door could ruin all your efforts. It is often overlooked, the tendency being to consider it only for practical purposes of serving as an entry and exit. While it is operational, its appearance is crucial. Its colour, texture, maintenance and style will all have an impact on the buyer’s impressions. If it’s scratched at the base from the cat begging to come inside and the colour has chipped, buyers will see it. They’ll notice that it needs a fresh lick of paint. They’ll see that the handle is rusty.

So what can you do? If a new door isn’t in your budget, a little love can go a long way. Give it a fresh coat of paint, and choose your colours wisely. While you may like dark pink, chances are most of your buyers won’t. Choose a colour that says home, welcome, come in… Popular colours include dark blue and black, and stained glass panels are also a winner. Dark colours exude sophistication too, a colour that has been utilised by Number 10 Downing Street for over 300 years! It was painted dark green once for Prime Minister Herbert Asquite, and quickly repainted when he fell out of favour in 1916.

Consider replacing a plain door knob with something more attractive. Door knobs and letterboxes should be in keeping with one another, and represent the general look of the door. Try to ensure the door – whether new or not – is in keeping with the style of the house too. If it stands out too much, it may make the rest of the house look dreary. Place a few well maintained plant pots on the porch step, and ensure that any surrounding windows and ledges are cleaned and polished.

A few hours on a weekend spent overhauling your front door, can work wonders for your sale. In doing so, you are creating a portal to the house that people can see themselves using as the door to their home.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

What to read next: Let Buyers See Your Front Door

What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

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I sold my home to a neighbour – do I have to pay the agent's fee?

The estate agents did the all marketing but I sent them the local couple who wanted to buy

Q A few months ago I agreed to have the photographs done and marketing literature for my home prepared by an estate agent in readiness for a move in late summer. I also signed a contract with them to market and sell my home. However, before it actually went up for sale a local couple who are neighbours asked if they could buy the house from us. I directed them to the estate agent who arranged a viewing and they made an offer which was accepted. The house never actually went on the market with the agents or was advertised by them. We are nearing exchange of contracts now and I was wondering if there would be any leeway to negotiate a reduction in the commission seeing as the agent did not actually find the buyer.
PP

A You could give it a try but I don’t hold out much hope. Because the agent arranged the viewing and the buyers made their offer via the agent, the agent can argue that they did find the buyer. This would not have been the case if you had shown the buyers the property and had accepted their offer from them directly. That’s because if you signed a sole agency agreement with your agent – which is the most common type of estate agent contract - while you can’t instruct another agent to sell your home, you are free to sell it privately without involving the agent you are tied to during the term of the contract. And if you do find your own buyer and don’t involve the agent in the transaction, you are also let off paying the agent’s commission (although you may be asked to cover the costs of getting the photographs and marketing literature done).

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Pelargoniums for perfume all year round | James Wong

The intense aroma of pelargoniums comes from their leaves – which means the scent lasts the whole year

As we garden we often spend so much time focused on the visual that it can be all too easy to overlook one of the other great gifts that tending plants gives us – their incredible scent. In fact, upon the advent of colour printing, much of modern breeding work with even the most highly scented species started to prioritise appearance above all else. This was to allow plants to vie for attention on the pages of gardening catalogues. It meant that many modern roses, sweet peas and even some jasmine cultivars began to lose their fragrance. To most of us, that’s nothing short of a travesty.

While the tide may finally be shifting on this trend, there is one group of aromatic plants that have always been selected for the very best perfume, resulting in some truly spectacular results. Fortunately, they are easy to grow, have a long season of interest and are very affordable: scented pelargoniums.

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Pelargoniums for perfume all year round | James Wong

The intense aroma of pelargoniums comes from their leaves – which means the scent lasts the whole year

As we garden we often spend so much time focused on the visual that it can be all too easy to overlook one of the other great gifts that tending plants gives us – their incredible scent. In fact, upon the advent of colour printing, much of modern breeding work with even the most highly scented species started to prioritise appearance above all else. This was to allow plants to vie for attention on the pages of gardening catalogues. It meant that many modern roses, sweet peas and even some jasmine cultivars began to lose their fragrance. To most of us, that’s nothing short of a travesty.

While the tide may finally be shifting on this trend, there is one group of aromatic plants that have always been selected for the very best perfume, resulting in some truly spectacular results. Fortunately, they are easy to grow, have a long season of interest and are very affordable: scented pelargoniums.

Continue reading...

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Three quarters of renters say they can’t afford to buy

Sound familiar?

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