Are you thinking about selling your property in Spain this year?
When putting your home on the market, it’s important to spend some time preparing your property for photos and viewings. First impressions count, and you want your property to make the best first impression possible.
Below we have listed 10 helpful tips to help you prepare your property for sale…
1. De-clutter your home
Before any photos are taken by the estate agent, spend some time de-cluttering and putting away some of your personal belongings. Not only does this help to create more space, it also enables potential buyers to visualise the home with their own belongings in. The two most important places to have clutter-free are the kitchen and bathrooms, and it’s also a good idea to put away any children’s toys and keep surfaces clear.
2. Rearrange your furniture
If you have a lot of large items of furniture, sometimes it can be useful to either remove these from the property for the time being or rearrange them to make the room look bigger. Large sideboards or units can take up a lot of space and sometimes make rooms look cramped. The same goes for garden furniture, you want to make your outside areas look as spacious as possible.
3. Clean, clean, clean
Once you have spent some time de-cluttering and rearranging furniture, it’s time to give your property a thorough clean. Wash surfaces, floors, walls, and furniture to make your property sparkle like new. If it needs a bit more help, consider hiring a company to give the property a deep clean from top to bottom. It can also be a good idea to get professionals to clean your oven and sofas, especially if you are planning to sell the furniture with the property.
4. Complete any DIY projects
When you want to sell your home it’s a good idea to take care of any stains, leaks, or damages to the property before people come to look around. Carrying out repairs and repainting where necessary can help to add value to the property as well as making it look more appealing. Many buyers moving to Spain don’t want to have to undertake too much work when buying a property, especially if it is going to be a holiday home. To appeal to a wider range of buyers it’s a good idea to keep the décor neutral, white paint also helps to make rooms appear larger.
5. Refresh the outside
Stand outside your property and take a look at the exterior. Does it look appealing, or tired and faded? Think about that all important first impression – many people don’t look past the first photo if a property looks tired, overgrow or unkempt. Sprucing up the garden, jet washing the tiles, cleaning the pool, and adding a fresh coat of paint can make all the difference.
6. Let in the light
Bright, light rooms are much more appealing than dark rooms, and with the wonderful weather we have here on the Costa Blanca you can let the sun shine into your property. Open blinds and curtains, and make sure windows are clean and streak free. If you have a basement or underbuild, turn on the lights before potential buyers arrive and make sure all the lightbulbs are working.
7. Set the temperature
If you’re selling your home in the winter months, pop the heating on for a bit before a viewing to make sure potential buyers don’t walk into a freezing house. And if you’re selling in the hotter months, put the air conditioning or fans on so they’re not put off by stifling rooms. If a buyer feels uncomfortable in a property it will put them off straight away.
8. Eliminate odours
The smell of smoke or animals can be off-putting to potential buyers so it’s important to make sure your home doesn’t give off an unpleasant odour. Open windows and doors to air your property regularly, don’t smoke inside, and use plugin air fresheners. Be aware of any lingering food odours and try not to cook smelly food like curry or fish the night before a viewing. It’s also a good idea to use carpet and upholstery sprays to combat unwanted smells and give your property a fresh appeal.
9. Take pets outside
Not all potential buyers will be as fond of your furry friends as you are, so it may be worth taking your dog for a walk or putting your cat outside when viewings are taking place. Pet food and litter trays in the house can also put people off, so think about putting these items outside during viewings.
10. Price reasonably
The selling price is the last (but not least!) important aspect that will help to sell your property. Here at Benigest, we collaborate with many agencies and advertise your property on different portals in order to get the most potential buyers to view. Putting a reasonable price on your property helps us and our collaborators to appeal to more potential buyers.
If you have a property to sell on the Costa Blanca, we hope that this list has been useful to help you get your home ready for sale. If you have any questions, or would like to know more about how we can help you sell your home, please get in touch with the team here at Benigest Real Estate.
