-
Home
- Blog
Blog
- Details
- Hits: 833
If you’re looking to buy a house at the moment you may have a ‘Fear Of Missing Out’ (FOMO), and who could blame you? With a distinct lack of properties on the market and an abundance of buyers all wanting to find a home, it’s like the Wild West out there on the housing front. In March, HMRC announced that UK property transactions were at their highest level since records began in 2005 – in fact, there were 180,000 sales, that’s double the number seen in March last year. So if you are a buyer trying to navigate this market, how can you ensure your FOMO doesn’t become a reality?
Get Ready
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a buyer is to start your search before you’ve got yourself in a viable position. In other words, do you have a mortgage in principle? Having an up-to-date mortgage in principle demonstrates to both the homeowner and the estate agent that you are able to proceed with the purchase. Your offer will be considered serious and in cases where demand for viewings on a property is overwhelming, you will be considered over someone who doesn’t have this in place. If you haven’t taken the steps to speak to a mortgage broker, we would suggest you do so as soon as possible.
Be Transparent
If you want to be taken seriously, you need to be transparent when speaking to an estate agent about what you are looking for and your maximum budget. We know that by placing all your cards on the table you may think you are putting yourself in a weaker position when it comes to negotiating. But stating that you don’t have a maximum budget doesn’t ring true and can make it difficult for an estate agent to help you find your dream home.
Take advantage of Virtual Viewings
Virtual viewings are a great way of touring a number of properties to see what you like and don’t like. It can help you to solidify your wish list and work out where you’re willing to compromise. Within a virtual tour not only will you be taken around the property but you will also get the opportunity to ask questions. This means that when you are sure of what you want you can focus all your time and energy on properties that could be the perfect match.
Be Clear
Buying a house is a massive investment, yet it’s a decision that many rush into, and we don’t want you regretting a purchase down the line. Before you start to physically view properties, think about all the things that are important to you and not just the property itself
As the country starts to open up to some kind of normality, what can the neighbourhood offer you? Your work situation could be different, perhaps involving work from home days, so is commutability as important as it was? Or, do you want walks, shops and bars in walking distance? Remember, a home can be changed but a location can’t, and it’s easy to be swayed by a stunning interior and glorious garden design, but is it the right ‘home’ for you?
More Haste, Less Speed
This market requires a clear and level head, if you snooze you will lose, but your decisions shouldn’t be rushed either. Set up alerts with property websites so you’ll know as soon as a new home in your chosen area comes onto the market, book a viewing as quickly as possible and do your research before you go if it is a street or area you’re not familiar with. Make a list of questions so these can be answered whilst you are viewing the property. Try and view the house without rose-tinted glasses, because this could be your home – will you be happy living there? Don’t wait to make an offer if this house is for you, because you can be assured that others who have viewed it will no doubt be doing the same.
Do You Want This House?
Any offer you make has to have an impact. Yes, we all love a bargain but when homes are going for close to or over their asking prices at the moment, making a low ball offer will seem like an insult to the homeowners. You want your offer to be taken seriously. Don’t forget to remind the estate agent of your position – are you a first-time buyer, chain-free, your property already sold? Knowing more about you and your position could make your offer more attractive; not all sellers take the highest figure, some wish their home to go to a local family, not an investor, or prefer a buyer for other reasons.
No More Fear
With these hot tips, you may still have a little fear of missing out but you’re taking steps to place yourself in a strong position so you can not only find your dream home, but buy it too. If you’re looking for a new home come and chat to our team to see how we can help you.
Property Search
If you are looking for a property, click this link to see our latest available stock in Herts, Beds & Buck:
https://www.dwrealestate.co.uk
Looking to Sell
If you are thinking of making a move on 2021? Click this link to find out what the market is like for your home using the latest market insight data:
https://dwrealestate.research....
- Details
- Hits: 919
When moving home, it’s always a kind of chicken and egg situation, you will no doubt have been nosing online for your potential next home, but you’re also curious about the value of the home you already own. But when you own a property and are looking for another, is there a right way round to do it? Should you buy or sell first when moving home?
Buying First
For some people, the idea of moving forward is only possible if you know where you’re going. Why on earth would you consider selling your home when you have no idea where you will be moving to? You may have a clear picture in your mind of the kind of property you’re looking for, and until you find it, there is no way you’re going to place your home on the market. For sentimental reasons you could be struggling to say goodbye to your current home and there is a kind of comfort in knowing what home you will be moving to.
We completely understand all these emotions. Moving home is a huge thing and you want to make sure you get it right but buying a property before you have sold your home is not the right move to make.
For Financial Reasons
You may have an idea of what your home is worth, or even had your home valued, so when you start to look at homes on the market, you will have a sense of what you can afford. A valuation is not a sold price, and property markets rise and fall over time. The figures you are basing your finances on could be completely different to the actual figures that apply when you start to go through the process. If they are too far apart, you could potentially lose the home you are looking to buy as well as a few pennies along the way.
Puts You in a Weak Position
When someone makes an offer on your home, you want to ensure that they are in the best position possible so that things move quickly and smoothly. As a seller, you are looking for someone chain-free, or in a small chain, who has their finances in order and their home has been sold. How would you feel if someone made an offer on your property but they hadn’t even placed their home on the market yet?
Because Time Doesn’t Stand Still
We would love to tell you that that we can stop time, but that’s one skill that even us estate agents and unable to achieve. Whether you’re wishing to move before the stamp duty returns to normal to take advantage of a discount, or you want to be in before the new school year starts, the speed of the process is always something that concerns buyers and sellers alike. The process in the UK is not swift, as we know, and anything that feels like it’s dragging its heels can make things seem a thousand times worse.
Even if your offer is accepted by a seller, how long would they be willing to wait for you to sell your home? How long would you wait? Nothing is more frustrating in a move than delays and waiting for someone to sell can be one delay too far for many, which sadly can see chains collapsing.
Shattering The Dream
You have set your heart on your chosen new home and you’re spending your evenings picturing how you will decorate, where your furniture will go and what your life will be like living there. Dreaming about your new home is what’s making leaving your old one so much easier, to the extent that emotionally you’ve already left your current property. It’s now on the market and you’ve made an effort to make sure it’s looking good for potential buyers, all you need is one buyer to see what a fantastic house it is. Yet things are not going according to plan. Viewings are getting less, the sellers of the house you want are getting nervous and you can see the dream of your new home shattering all around you. Who needs that stress?
Get it Right From The Start
SELL YOUR HOME FIRST! There is only one right way to move and that is to sell your home first. This way, you’ll be putting all your energy into your current home to make sure it isn’t just looking good for buyers but looking amazing. You will be in a better position financially, because you’ll know exactly what monies you have to play with when you start to look for your next home, and you’ll be in a stronger position to get your offer accepted.
We understand the lure of wanting to search for a new home before you sell, but please be patient, you will get to that part of your move quicker if you take our advice and sell your home first. Finding your next home will feel even more exciting when you know you can actually move forward rather than waiting in limbo.
Thinking about moving? Get in touch with our team at Deakin-White and we’ll get you on the first steps to getting your home on the market and promptly sold.
- Details
- Hits: 755
Well, what a week it has been for anyone who loves, supports, or follows football. Less than 48 hours after the announcement of the European Super League (ESL), the six English clubs quit against a backdrop of anger, criticism and disbelief. News channels highlighted their failure to speak or listen to fans, and to understand the mood of the country. In truth, it was one big idea that bombed spectacularly with the world watching, but would these clubs have joined the ESL if they had just listened?
Listening is often something that is taken for granted, and if we’re honest with ourselves we don’t always listen effectively all the time – we could be distracted by something else happening or going on in our lives. But when it comes to selling homes, listening should never be underestimated. At Deakin-White we believe it is the most important skill we possess, and one that places us at an advantage when selling your home.
From The First Call
We know that when you call or interact with our agency for the first time, this is our chance to impress and your time to judge. You don’t want to feel like a number, and your house just a commodity – that just makes us look like an ESL-style agent. Getting to know you on that first call is essential. Yes, we would like to know more about your house, but it’s you and your family that are our focus initially. “Why?” you may ponder. Because, simply put, if we don’t listen at the start, how can we know the best strategies to use? If we understand you, the motivations for your move, your circumstances, your plans for the future, we will know exactly how to approach your sale and can start planning a strategy for marketing your home should we be given the honour of selling it.
The Valuation
You may believe that the valuation is all about a number and in a way it is, as you need to know what value is placed on your property so that you can plan your move. But there is so much more to the valuation, and Matthew Lindsay from Deakin-White Village & Country explains why.
“Every home has a story. It is easy to find out the facts – number of bedrooms, bathrooms etc – but it’s the tales of people’s lives there that makes this part of my job so fascinating and enjoyable. They give me a little insight into what it has been like to live in a home, the owner’s favourite spot to sit and read, where the dog loves to snooze as the sunlight hits the spot just perfectly in the morning. How they upgraded and spent time in their garden over lockdown, and the many treasured memories that each room holds. It is these stories, these moments in time that make a house a home, and knowing this enables us pass on the love you have for your home to potential buyers on a viewing.”
If we didn’t take the time to listen to you whilst valuing your property, we would miss out on these wonderful stories, and who doesn’t like talking about their house? Buyers just love to hear about how the current owners spend time in the house, not because they plan to do the same, it just adds another layer for buyers to connect with.
The Offer
When we are conducting a viewing with a buyer, we’re not just listening to what they are saying but also what they are not. Again, we take time to get to know them as people so that we can point them in the direction of the right property for them. By taking the time to truly listen to buyers, we can artfully negotiate an offer, as we know what style of negotiation will be best to navigate to a successful outcome. Unlike the ESL, we believe that listening to all sides involved is the best way to sell a property and get you the highest possible price.
Put Us to The Test
There are many estate agents you can choose from when selling your property but do they all truly listen? If you’re thinking of selling your home, why not give our team a call today and see the difference a service based around listening can offer you and your family.
We look forward to getting to know you. Call Deakin-White for a premier home selling experience.
- Details
- Hits: 1179
For the first time in the 21st Century, the cherished family home of a major music industry figure is coming onto the market. Husband and wife team Charley Foskett and Lauren Field have lived in and loved their Bedfordshire home for 21 years, but have now decided it's time to move on.
Charley has enjoyed a dream of a career as a globally respected record producer and songwriter while Lauren has followed a parallel path as a singer/songwriter. Charley's expertise in the studio and at the mixing desk has made him a highly sought-after partner for a huge array of musical stars over the decades.
While he can count working with two Beatles, one Rolling Stone and a member of Led Zeppelin on his CV, the range of his talents has made him the producer of choice in all kinds of different musical genres for other rock veterans including Steve Harley and pop acts such as Bucks Fizz and Alvin Stardust as well as new wave giants including Elvis Costello, the soul legend Edwin Starr and the pioneers of world music Osibisa.
In the 1980s Charley was instrumental in setting up The Anti-Heroin Project, modelled on the Band Aid concept, which resulted in the release of a 30-track double album, 'It's a Live in World', with songs recorded by a cast of international musical stars, of which he co-wrote twelve and produced fifteen.
"We have had such fantastic times here,' says Charley, "building up our music production business and, at the same time, having the chance to entertain some of the music industry's most famous names."
The house incorporates a remarkable home studio which has hosted recording sessions by the likes of Paul Young, Jethro Tull and British blues legend Paul Jones. Like those owned by Peter Gabriel and Sting, in common with many of the industry's favoured recording locations, Charley and Lauren's home is far from the heart of London. However, Charley is convinced that their Dunstable location is one of the attractions that brings such world-class talent to their door.
"Our proximity to London Luton airport and our fantastic rail and road links have made it easy for artists from all over the UK and Europe to reach us," says Charley.
Charley has battled and survived serious illness and even released his own solo album in 2020 as an almost literal 'comeback'. The home he shares with Lauren has been an important part of their lives together, both personally and professionally. But even though, as Led Zeppelin would have it, 'the song remains the same', Charley and Lauren feel it is time for a change.
Charley again: "Now that our kids have grown up and are moving on, we've decided it's time to downsize. We feel so privileged to have been able to spend two decades bringing up our family in such a big, beautiful, happy, welcoming home. The parties we've had are legendary and the memories we take with us are priceless. And we've also had the huge, good fortune to make it our place of business too."
This stunning Dunstable residence is a true one-off. As you walk through the rooms you can see all the signs that it has been treated with manifest care through the years. It is the perfect example of what we mean by 'a well-loved home'.
"We've absolutely loved living here," Charley says, "and we have absolutely no doubt that whoever becomes the new owner will love it just the same and enjoy as much success as we've had."
Deakin-White is immensely proud to have been appointed by Charley and Lauren to market their exceptional home and match it with a very lucky buyer.
- Details
- Hits: 908
Deakin-White are delighted to announce that we are now working alongside Boomin - the next generation property site. You probably haven't heard of Boomin yet, so allow us to explain what it's all about.
Boomin was launched in 2021 to transform the property market, while making the lives of clients and estate agents easier. Boomin's powerful property site aims to reduce the stress and burden of moving home, as well as provide inspiration to home buyers. Too often, buyers feel left out of the loop of property buying, but Boomin aims to engage them and empower them.
So what is it that makes Boomin so special? Read on to find out.
Secret Properties
Boomin allows you to discover Secret Properties that aren't available to see anywhere else. Secret Properties are properties that are not yet officially on the market. In some cases, they are still being valued by estate agents, meaning that no one else even knows they are going to be listed for sale. With Boomin, you can register your interest long before anyone else even knows the property is available. This allows you to be first through the door when the property comes onto the market, giving you the opportunity to get your offer in before anyone else.
Sneak Peek
Think of Sneak Peek as being like a movie premier: you get to see something before anyone else. Boomin enables you to jump the queue by booking viewings for properties days before details are posted online or anywhere else. This means that you can be the first to view an available property and, if you like what you see, can get your offer in long before anyone else has even viewed it.
Property Playground
Property Playground provides inspiration for your new home. Buying a property can be stressful, but Property Playground is all about having fun. Get tips and advice on creating your perfect home decor and making your property work for you. See hundreds of photos of aspirational homes and view collections carefully curated by industry experts and people just like you. Follow collections you particularly like to help you put together your dream home.
Book Viewings Online
Boomin understands that when you see the perfect property appear online, you want to book a viewing immediately. The most desirable properties are snapped up before you can blink, so to be in with a chance, you need to be one of the first buyers through the door. Boomin allows you to book property viewings online, 24 hours a day. So when you see your dream home appear, you can book a viewing immediately without having to wait for the estate agent to open or for your call to be returned.
This means now we advertise all our properties not only on DWRealEstate.co.uk but on all the major property portals including Boomin, Rightmove, Zoopla, Prime Location and OntheMarket.com.
We hope you're as excited about Boomin as we are. We'd love to tell you more about our work with Boomin and answer any questions you might have. You can get in touch at any time using the following details:
Deakin-White
Tel. 01582 343 548
E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Details
- Hits: 851
As you walk along the streets where you live, there will be certain houses that catch your eye. They may be of an architectural style that you adore or just scream potential, but more than likely it’s because they win you over with their kerb appeal. Kerb appeal is simply how a home looks from the pavement or road, when that initial glance can quickly turn into a stare. Having alluring kerb appeal is always essential but even more so in this sellers’ market, which is why our team at Deakin-White have put together some of our favourite tips to help you wow buyers with your home’s kerb appeal.
A Sellers’ Market?
With not many homes on the market compared to the level of buyer demand, you would think that your kerb appeal is important but not quite as essential as when we’re in a buyers’ market. We can understand this thinking but there is still an advantage to presenting the front of your home in a way that attracts and excites potential buyers. Buyers at the moment are trying to get ahead of the game, they are touring streets and neighbourhoods looking for homes that they love, even if they are not even on the market. We often get calls from buyers saying, “If this home or one similar comes on the market, please contact me straight away.”
Imagine having potential buyers queuing to view your property even before you have made the decision to sell? That is the power of exquisite kerb appeal.
It’s Not About Size
Any home, regardless of the size, can wow buyers with its appeal. “I remember a first-time buyer a few years ago, she had driven down a street and seen a home that just spoke to her. It was a tiny terrace that sat directly on the pavement edge. The house wasn’t on the market at that time, but it had a beautiful hanging basket bursting with blooms and the door looked like it had been freshly painted. She said to her family, ‘That’s the house I want,’ and a few weeks later it was on the market and yes, she did buy it,” said Scott from our Hertfordshire office.
We don’t want you to think that just because you don’t have a drive and garden at the front of your home, you can’t grab buyers’ attention. Kerb appeal is essential for any size of home, no matter how big or small, as first impressions do matter.
Where to Start
Just like with your home’s interior, start by giving the exterior of your home a good clean, from windows to doors, even to the pavement edge. Pathways and paving can start to look tired over time, but it’s nothing a good old jet wash won’t get clean. If you don’t have the equipment yourself, there are plenty of local companies that can help. Tidy up your home’s exterior and find somewhere out of sight for your bins, if possible, as let’s face it, they’re not very attractive.
If you have a fence and gates, what condition are they in? This year’s random weather, from sun to snow, may not have been kind to your home’s exterior, so fix anything that is broken and give it a fresh coat of paint and stain where needed. Peeling paint work on a windowsill and a fence that has passed its sell by date are never a good look, yet often in the stress of getting a home ready for sale, we can forget about that kerb-side view.
Bring Back to Life
Your garden may be seeing signs of spring coming to life, with leaves and blossoms beginning to appear and even some plants adding colour and joy to your flowerbeds. Give your front garden a good MOT: get rid of the weeds and winter decay and add some new seasonal plants where needed, so instead of something that looks barren, you have the most beautiful welcome.
The same goes for any lawn areas; bare and patchy grass just looks like work, so do whatever you can to bring it back to life before you place your home on the market. If you don’t have much, or any, space at the front of your home, there are still ways to add some greenery through tubs, window boxes and hanging baskets.
A very popular and elegant way to frame your doorway is with symmetrical planting, whether that’s through a pair of bay or olive trees, or even a couple of stylish planters filled with your favourite shrubs.
Front Door
Your front door is the focal point of your house, and is where a buyer’s eye will initially be drawn. With so many fantastic products on the market today, you can even spruce up an old PVC door with a lovely new colour. Whether you choose a bold and luscious red, a subtle heritage shade or a deep and warm blue, there is only one rule: it needs to work with the style of your house, otherwise it could turn buyers off instead of attracting them.
The Big Test
If you want to know how it looks, judge for yourself from the pavement or roadside, but remember to do it with a judgemental eye, just like those of a potential buyer. There is just one major risk: that when you see your home presented to wow buyers with its kerb appeal, you may start to fall in love with it all over again!
For more advice on how to get the highest possible price for your property in contact our team today.
- Details
- Hits: 1455
It's been quite a ride since our mother and son team of Christine and Ed Harrison founded the Deakin-White real estate agency in 2015. The conventional wisdom at the time suggested that it would be optimistic at best and reckless at worst to launch a start-up in the property market when the UK was only a few years out of the depths of the 2007 economic crash.
But entrepreneurs never really got very far by being cautious, so we went ahead anyway. The three counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire are beautiful places individually and united by a shared sense of welcome to home buyers and rental tenants alike. We know what a great place it is to live because we live here. We also know the market, the people and how to sell property. Deakin-White did not exist but we felt it essential to invent it.
And now, just a few years later, the success we've enjoyed and the service we've provided to countless satisfied customers means we're more than ready to expand. We've worked from our headquarters in Dunstable's Quadrant Shopping Centre since we started but the Deakin-White project is getting too big for one office. So we've opened another one.
Deakin-White have launched in Hatfield because it's time we had a physical presence in Hertfordshire to reflect our cross-county status. Like the Dunstable operation, the Hatfield office will make full use of the very latest technology, which has been designed and developed to speed up and simplify the buying and selling process and achieve the very best sale prices.
The new office will be in the endlessly capably hands of Scott Willmott, our St Albans and Hatfield partner. Naturally, we asked Scott how he felt about his new responsibility and he told us:
'Helping people move successfully and with clear communication is my passion. I also pride myself on my commitment to helping the client from start to finish. I'm proud to be a partner and it's my mission to send every satisfied customer away with a smiling face. Buying and selling a property doesn't have to be the headache so many people expect. With the help of an agent who really cares about the process in human terms, it can be an exciting, positive experience.'
The time is right for an expansion which represents the logical next step in our business's growth. The local market is solid and sound, with property price rises running at up to 4.5% over the past year. Prices are well above the national average, but still entirely realistic and well within range of first-time buyers as well as those planning to move on up the ladder.
Scott's brief, on which we know he will deliver, is to extend and strengthen Deakin-White's network and profile in this highly desirable region. All the resources of the agency are at his disposal.
This is a very exciting development for our agency and we welcome any and all new enquiries as well as returning clients. Our services cover both residential and commercial sales, lettings, auctions and mortgages. We are accredited by both the Property Ombudsman and the Trading Standards Institute.
If you are looking to sell, buy or move in St Albans, Hatfield and the surrounding areas then please call Scott Willmott today on 01727 620131 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Details
- Hits: 800
No matter what you’re advertising, whether it’s a product, a service or even a home, you want to capture a buyer’s attention. To get results you need to put in time and effort to ensure your property is looking its absolute best. You don’t need to own one of grandeur, any sized home has supermodel potential, which is why at Deakin-White we’ve put together some tips to show you how to prepare your home for its photoshoot.
Understanding The Value
When it comes to selling your home, you only have seconds to make a lasting impression. Buyers will be flicking through the online property websites hardly even giving some homes a second glance. A photograph may not sell your home, but it can open the door to the possibility and prompt a viewing. The more importance you place on getting things right for when your home is photographed, the better the potential outcome can be. Buyers want to feel a connection with your house; the way it’s marketed is the draw and ‘that feeling’ tends to happen the moment they step inside. Yet if we don’t market your home correctly, we will struggle to get buyers to view it in the first place.
If you follow our tips you can transform your property into the next top model. We want buyers to be focused on your clean and bright home, not pondering over what work it would take to get it looking its best. With your preparation and our investment in photography and videography, together we can dramatically impact buyers’ opinion of your home.
1. A Clean Kitchen
When we talk about a clean kitchen we don’t just mean literal cleanliness (and we know you will be cleaning vigorously before the shoot) but also a clean ‘look’. Worktops are fantastic places to store and house things, all those wonderful gadgets that we buy and rarely use, but by minimising what you keep on your worktop your kitchen will look so much cleaner and larger. Just leave a couple of decorative items, such as a bowl of lemons and a vase of flowers and find a place to hide the practical bits whilst your photoshoot is taking place.
2. A Clean Bathroom
The same principle should be applied to the bathroom. We all have bottles, soaps and paraphernalia decorating our bathrooms, but does a buyer really need to know what shampoo you use? A bathroom that has been cleaned and cleared of lotions and potions is a lot more attractive than one where the bath has various items on display. Again, by clearing things away for the photoshoot you will make your bathroom look bigger and also give it more of a ‘sanctuary’ feel, a place where your buyer can see themselves relaxing in and enjoying.
3. There Has to Be Light
One of our little niggles as estate agents is when we are in a property and the owner has neglected to check and change lightbulbs. Light is always a big selling point for buyers and we want your home flooded in it, so check the lightbulbs of all your ceiling lights and lamps before your photoshoot so we have as much light as possible.
As well as lightbulbs, raise any blinds, open all curtains fully and remove anything that could be blocking natural light from a window. With this in mind, don’t forget to get those windows clean too!
4. Less is More
We all have personal tastes, especially when it comes to how we decorate our homes. One of the most challenging requests we have for sellers is to remember that less is more. Removing large and bulky furniture is going to be challenging but if it’s eating up all the space in a room then it’s a must-do task. Many buyers will find it difficult to visualise the room without this piece of furniture within it, and so their focus could be on that particular piece rather than what the room could offer them. You want buyers imaginations running wild when they look at photograph of your home and thinking about the potential space it offers.
5. Remove Floor Mats
Lots of us have floor mats and runners (not rugs); they are fantastic at protecting our floors, especially when we arrive home all wet and muddy from a walk. As wonderful as they are, they can make a room and even a hallway look smaller and a bit cluttered. It will only take a couple of minutes to remove bath mats, door mats and runners for the photoshoot, to give these rooms clean lines and a greater sense of space.
6. Fridge Design
How many of us are guilty of cluttering our fridges with magnets, notes, reminders, children’s artwork… you name it. It’s a little piece of your family life, but as much as you love it, it’s not so alluring for buyers – in fact, it can be extremely distracting. Removing all these items will make your kitchen feel tidier and cleaner, but also, and more importantly, keep personal information away from prying eyes.
7. Make the Beds
Yes, we know how obvious this sounds, but it can often get overlooked, especially in rooms you may not be using. Fresh clean bedding with a neutral design always works best, accented with pillows, a throw and a couple of finishing touches. Look at hotel rooms and flick through home magazines for inspiration if you get stuck for ideas. One thing we know you will agree on is that walking into a room with an unmade bed doesn’t give you a warm feeling.
8. Remove Yourself
This is a tough one, as this is your home and ‘you’ are everywhere throughout it. But when buyers see your home, they want to see themselves there, which is hard to do if you’re staring back at them. By removing your family photos and personal items, a potential buyer can focus on the house and not you and your family.
9. Clear Surfaces
From the coffee table, breakfast bar, bedside table to chest of drawers, we all have places where clutter congregates whether that’s a book we’re reading, chargers, tissues, essential bits and pieces, it’s amazing how quickly a space can be filled.
You want any surface to have minimal items, maybe a book on your bedside table and, if big enough, a decorative item. A coffee table could be staged for a morning coffee on a little tray, and your breakfast bar is perfect when completely clear.
10. Remove ALL Pet Items
We’re not being harsh, most of us have pets too, and we know what an integral part of the family they are, but the truth is not everyone has pets and some people are allergic. The last thing you want is a buyer who is allergic to your home due to the smell of pets. It’s essential to get this right so hide bowls, beds and toys and give your carpet, and furnishings a deep clean to get rid of any ‘nose blind’ areas of your home.
Camera Ready?
It’s always easy to spot the homes where the owners have really spent some time getting it ready for its photoshoot. In this buoyant market where houses are selling quickly and often at asking price or above, the more you can do to bring out your home’s inner top model, the more viewings and potential offers you will receive.
For more advice on how to prepare your home for sale, please contact our team at Deakin-White.
- Details
- Hits: 1169
How exciting, you’re ready to embark on the next stage of your relationship and decided now is the time to move in together. If you’ve decided to rent or buy your first home, we bet you can’t wait to have a space that is just yours. When it comes to relationships, I don’t think any couple would say lockdown hasn’t come without challenges, yet if you are still living in separate abodes moving in together could be your biggest challenge to date if you haven’t talked everything through first. From financials to daily chores, from what belongings you will be bringing to communicating, there are many things to consider. We want moving into your first ‘together’ home to be a wonderful experience, so we have put together some top tips of things to consider to make sure moving in with your partner is a success.
Be Open About Your Finances
Let’s start with probably one of the most difficult tasks you may have, and that’s an honest conversation about your personal finances. When you move in together you will have some joint financial responsibilities, such as your rent or mortgage, bills, shopping even the Sky TV subscription and broadband. It’s important to discuss and put plans in place for things to be paid, whether you decide to open a joint account for ‘home’ expenses or split payments, you will find that getting this organised before you move in will ease some of your worries.
No one wants to start off an exciting new chapter with stresses over money when you should be enjoying having a place of your own. If you haven’t already done so, get a list together of all your expected expenses and then ask someone to check you haven’t missed anything. This way, your new life together will be starting with a clear understanding of your financial commitments and how they are going to be met.
Responsibilities
You may both may be very handy around a home and have no issues doing the washing up and mowing the lawn, but what are your expectations? One thing about jobs around the house is that they can easily become niggles that blow up into issues, if you’re always the one doing the majority of the housework whilst juggling work and life.
We all have our own ways of living; you may be a neat freak and your partner could suffer from dropsie, which could cause tensions. This is why a simple conversation about who is going to do what can help iron out any teething problems. Bear in mind, you will also have your own way of doing things – you may fold the towels one way, your partner another. There are just some things you’ll have to agree to disagree on and learn the art of compromise.
Your Stuff
When two become one, there are two lots of ‘stuff’ that need to work in harmony within a home, so you need to talk about your belongings. Having too many things in a new home can be stressful, especially if you don’t have space for everything and your home becomes cluttered and disorganised. If you’ve been both living alone you could potentially have a lot of doubles – you don’t need two kettles, 18 mugs (well, you might!) two sofas… You get the idea.
Make an inventory of what you each have and then bring your lists together so you can work out what’s important to you both. Decide which belongings to downsize, what stays and what will be sold or donated before you move in – you may even make a little money to buy something new.
Just Enjoy It
Talking through any issues is going to be a wonderful foundation for any relationship, even more so when you’re taking this amazing and exciting step of moving in together. Take a breath – moving home is stressful, there are bound to be some silly arguments over nothing, but don’t let that mar this important new adventure. Just relax and focus on your life together; after the year we’ve had, you deserve so much happiness.
So on the first night, as you sit down in your new home, take a moment and smile, because this is now your ‘together’ home and that should be celebrated!
If you’re struggling to find your together home in give our Deakin-White team a call.
