5 ways to make home buyers hate your house this Spring

Well, actually there are more like 10 things, but I’m not sure we have enough space for all ten of them here, so let’s start with five and you can find details of the rest of them on our website soon.

• A scruffy exterior – it makes perfect sense really, kerb appeal does make a difference and if your front garden is dull and boring or untidy and overgrown then what do you expect – first impressions really do count.
• Clients that hang around for viewings – an Agents role is to sell your house and to do that we NEED to show prospective purchasers around, clients should not loiter and inhibit a buyer, we will call you as soon as we’re finished to give feedback.
• Dark and dingy properties – dimly lit and dark rooms will not help people envisage themselves in your home, make sure the house is well lit, windows are clean – as well as the rooms themselves!
• Dog poo in the garden - as well as overgrown shrubs and lawns, it really isn’t difficult to keep on top of things and if you want to sell you must make it a priority.
• Make minor repairs – if buyers see lots of little things wrong with a house they will make mountains out of molehills and worry about what else hasn’t been looked after!

For the remainder of this article . . . Top 10 ways to make home buyers hate your house, find it soon on our website at www.victoriajeffs.co.uk

We are selling property in Stratford town centre between £250 and £375 per sq ft, what does this make your house worth?

Over the past three months, houses within walking distance of Stratford town centre are selling and selling strongly at that.  The general rule of thumb is properties are achieving somewhere between £250 per sq ft and £375 per sq ft, this is a real indicator that people don’t just want to move but the need to move.

People are buying and selling for a variety of reasons, some are moving to be in the right catchment areas for good schools, others are moving for work and career reasons, however, by far the majority of buyers are downsizing right now, I would estimate about 60% of buyers are looking for a smaller and cheaper property.

This is all relative of course, someone moving down from a larger 4000 sq ft house may be just as happy living in a 2000 sq ft home, allowing them to release capital, pay off mortgages or reduce their utility and maintenance bills.

Whatever someone’s reason for selling, the reality is the price per sq ft is remaining strong because there is still a lack of stock in the marketplace.

So, are you thinking of selling, what does this make your house worth?  Please give us a call for a free market appraisal of your home.

Top 5 ways to prepare your house to sell.

Spring is just around the corner, a prime time to start preparing a house for sale.  Regardless of whether something that’s been on the market already or something new and freshly available, just what should a seller be doing to maximise a sale?

1. Be identified – Make sure your house has a sign or plaque outside so people can distinguish your house name or number, and please make this in keeping with your house and have something of a high quality material – alternatively, you could put a sale board outside.
2. First impressions – remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression, ensure the front of your house is clean, tidy and appealing from the front – take a step back and really look at your house, what impression would you get?
3. Internal maintenance – one of the best investments you can make in maximising a sale would be to get those small odd jobs finished off.  There is nothing more frustrating to buyers than seeing lots of small jobs that need tackling, it leaves an uneasy feel with potential buyers discounting off a sale price.
4. Remove the rubbish – it’s really a form of de cluttering but I don’t mean de personalising a house to make it clinical and uninteresting, I mean remove the rubbish, piles of papers, bit and bobs left around, you know, the ones that have been in the same place for years!
5. Clean your home – some would find it surprising that we even need to mention this fact, but the reality is that some houses are dirty and need a really good clean, this will make such a difference to how someone feels about your home.

Did you know?

Here at Victoria Jeffs Estate Agents we are passionate about knowing what makes people tick and sharing information – this helps us all be better at what we do and also makes for an interesting time.  Did you know that:

• Approximately 60% of buyers are currently looking to downsize.
• Good photography receives about 85% higher interest online than poor quality photos.
• Women are estimated to buy 80% of everything sold.
• A house with a wood burning stove or open fire will generally sell for 12% more than a house without.
• A four year old child asks on average 400 questions a day.
• Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence in the world that is still being used by the royal family and that Buckingham Palace was built in 1702 on the site of an infamous brothel!
• A house with parking will deliver at least an extra 10% in value, far more in some prime locations.

And coming soon, our  . . . Top 10 ways to make home buyers hate your house.  For more information on this please visit our website at www.victoriajeffs.co.uk

What makes a house more saleable?

Sometimes the simplest things can make a house more appealing and thus more saleable.  For instance, at this time of year what is most appealing in a house may be an open fire or even better, a wood burning stove. 

Depending on the age of a house something more traditional may be more in keeping yet for more modern houses something a little more contemporary might suit, it’s about having that focal point in the room to cosy up to when the weather is cold and gloomy outside – I’m sure those of you who have them, have been enjoying the benefits over the past week or so.

Personally, I love a large inglenook fireplace, you just can’t beat the drama a large fireplace offers in the right room.  The smell of a real fire is something very special and most houses you can tell the moment you open the door when a real fire has been lit, I always think of this as a real positive, it immediately gives me a vibe that this is a warm and cosy house, it makes me feel welcome and gives a real physical warmth to a home too – not bad to have so many benefits to from a simple fire, and guaranteed to deliver benefits to anyone selling a home with the fires lit and give that real sensory experience to people walking through the door.

Market forces!

There is still over a third less residential homes on the market now than there was back in 2007, and inevitably this does create certain problems within the market place.  Buyers still need to move, for a variety of reasons including schooling, work and downsizing – yet with so little property available, the market forces of supply and demand get stronger. 

Throughout January we had a record breaking number of viewings and indeed new instructions but this is still not enough to satisfy the buyer demand out there right now.  I do know that the media try and sensationalise the property market and put crazy headlines out in order to sell papers with articles where the main bulk of text completely contradicts the headline at the top – usually with some headline about the market crashing!

The reality remains as it has done for some time in the West Midlands, we are in an interesting bubble of an area, where prices have, in relative terms remained buoyant against other areas of the UK primarily because of our good communication links, the excellent schooling - both state and private and a wide variety of property styles to choose from.  Rightmove figures tell a different story to the media hype, stating that property prices year on year are 0.1% higher than in 2011 – now in my book that’s an increase!  So, back to the volume issue, buyers want to buy, but there really is not enough stock to satisfy them, therefore when would NOW be a good time to sell?

The perils of over developing a property!

When anyone considers extending or improving a property it would always be prudent to give some thought to the impact that will have on future saleability of the house.  All too often a property can be over developed and money spent on improving things that actually don’t add an enormous amount of added £££’s.
As a general rule of thumb, if you are adding extra square footage then this will add extra value – assuming you are not adding another two bedrooms to a seven bedroom house, that is!
Moving walls to open up spaces, replacing a new kitchen or bathroom can all add some value but the extent of this will be determined by many other factors including the overall condition of the rest of the property, the location and the saleability of that type of house in the current market.
Redecoration of a house can also sometimes add value but again it comes with a warning, doing the wrong thing can often be costly and not deliver the equivalent value back into the house upon a sale.  If you are intending on making changes and will spend time enjoying those changes before moving on, then absolutely go ahead and do what suits.  However, if you want to make sure what you spend is maximised for a future sale then please do feel free to ask for advice on what your best options are.

45 viewings over the past week, must be a good sign!

The start of every new year is an interesting time for the housing market, many people will have decided over the holiday season what their plans are for the coming year or to cement their commitment with plans forged previously.  So far January has seen a fantastic level of viewings with 45 in the last week alone, people really are committed to finding their dream house and getting on with the next stage of their life. 
According to Rightmove, house prices in the West Midlands rose in 2011, with a year on year price increase of 0.1%, not huge I know but I think Warwickshire itself has probably fared a lot better than much of the rest of the region. 
We know this is the case because many buyers are still keen to be in our area for all the best of reasons – there is great schooling both state and private, road and rail communications are superb and, of course, we have a great range of lovely period and newer and architecturally interesting properties – hence, 45 viewings over the past week - what more could anybody want!

Jane Smith joins the fold.

In 2012 we will continue to grow and develop as a business, delivering more of the superb results our many clients have been delighted about – there is a reason 86% of our business came from recommendations last year!
Jane has joined our team to focus on the core market around Henley in Arden, Solihull and Birmingham.  She is a highly professional and seasoned individual having spent the past six years at Savills in Solihull.  We are thrilled she has joined our team to help develop these areas further.

We already sell property across a wide ranging area, from the Chipping Campden in the south, up to Birmingham in the north, and across as far as East Worcestershire right over to Warwick, Leamington Spa and Banbury. 

Our very special style is very well suited to Jane - her honesty, integrity, diligence, flair and creativity are what will ensure she delivers even more results all round.

Don’t you just love the start of a new year!

Well a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all, what an exciting year we have ahead of us.  I, for one, am really looking forward to this year, we are excited to continue to build our business and expand our brand by bringing new people, new initiatives and tools to everyone – so we can deliver even more results. 

Also, this year is a big one for the whole country, with both the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to be enjoyed, not only will the eyes of the whole world be upon us all but there will be many opportunities to party. 

New initiatives in every business will inevitably flourish this year, for people who are prepared to look outside the box and come up with better ways of doing things then results will be guaranteed.  If every one of us can be resourceful, look forward and deliver the very best we can, in everything we do, then surely that resourcefulness will pay dividends. 

The first of our own new initiatives is going live this month, we are launching our new Video Presentations of properties, these will be available on both You Tube and Rightmove, not all are up and live just yet but we are working on that, however we are already half way there so feel free to take a look when you get a chance.

Best listened to with the volume on to get the full experience! You can follow the link here – Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VictoriaJeffsEA