Selling Advice

How to Add Value to Your Home If You’re Looking to Sell

how to add value to your home

Could now be an especially promising time for you to offload a house? The statistics suggest so. Back in March 2020, the intensifying COVID-19 crisis sent UK house sales plummeting, as the first lockdown made property viewings online-only, and sellers removed their homes from the market.

This situation, three months later, led the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, to slash stamp duty on homes worth under £500,000. The UK property market has since flourished amid suggestions that the stamp duty holiday, which is now winding down, was largely unnecessary.

According to the mortgage lender Nationwide, August 2021 saw annual house price increases in the UK reach their second-largest monthly rise in 15 years. This was despite the property-price threshold, above which stamp duty would become payable, falling to £250,000 a month prior.

Indeed, upon analysing the Government’s actions, the Resolution Foundation think tank recently argued that ultra-low interest rates, furloughed employees’ pent-up savings and increased demand for more spacious properties were enough to spark home-buying activity.

Though the stamp-duty threshold is set to be restored to its former level of £125,000 come October 2021, there remains good reason to believe that the “seller’s market” will remain buoyant even beyond this cut-off point. This is largely because many first-time buyers could soon re-enter the market.

One unintended consequence of the stamp duty holiday was increasing home-buying costs prohibitively for people attempting to ascend the first rung of the property ladder. As a result, many first-time buyers have stepped back from it. However, with the stamp duty discount now about to end, 40% of first-time buyers intend to purchase their new home in the next 3-6 months.

So, it’s arguably not too late for you, as a seller, to capitalise on the pandemic-fuelled property market boom. However, as its future trajectory remains uncertain, you would be well-advised not to wait longer than necessary before putting your own home on the market.

If the home you want to sell is in Chester, Manchester, North Wales or any of the surrounding areas, we can help you to maximise your property’s sale price. To get started, just book a free valuation – an honest, fair and accurate one at that – from Jordan & Halstead.

In valuing your home, our local property experts will take into account various factors – and not just such obvious factors as the home’s square footage and number of bedrooms. We will also consider, for example, your home’s location and decor as well as any outdoor space attached to the building.

While you obviously wouldn’t be able to change your home’s location and its proximity to schools and transport links, we will identify and advise on various measures you could take to enhance the home itself and, with it, its value on the property market. Here are some examples of improvements we might suggest…

How To Add Value To Your Home

Unfortunately, many estate agents could too readily recommend big-budget home improvements without putting enough thought into how cost-effective these moves would be. After all, you would be expending not only money but also time and effort on making them.

Hence, we always resist advocating particularly ambitious projects – like renovations or conversions – unless we are convinced it would unlock a genuinely good return on investment. You could find that minor, cosmetic improvements actually fetch you the best value in your particular case.

You should remember that many prospective buyers will drive or walk past a “for-sale” home before booking a viewing of it. Therefore, even something as simple as a fresh lick of paint on the windows or the installation of a new front door could be enough to tempt many people into booking viewings.

This situation is why you should also pay close attention to any garden space areas of your home. Eric Robson OBE, who served as Principal Chairman of Gardeners’ Question Time on BBC Radio 4, claims that the importance of outdoor space has been underlined during the pandemic.

He explains in words quoted by the Express: “We’ve seen this put into sharp focus by the pandemic and the lockdowns, that here is a bit of precious space for people who, if they didn’t have a garden, would be hemmed in.” A garden is an especially easy part of the home to improve, too.

You could, for example, divide your garden into zones by adding flower beds, hedges and paths, while outdoor furniture can make an especially thoughtful addition. Before September is out, you could also plant bulbs so that they would be able to bloom the following spring.

Anything that extends the usable floor space of your home can increase its value, too. Therefore, an extension – if it would be within your budget – can make a lot of sense; consider how adding, say, a side-return extension to your kitchen can potentially boost the property’s value by 15%.

However, for you specifically, it could prove a more worthwhile investment to convert existing space rather than build entirely new space. Indoor space potentially ripe for conversion includes lofts, basements and garages – and some rooms could even be combined as one open-plan space.

Meanwhile, if you have a particularly old home with period features like cornicing, ceiling roses and working fireplaces, restoring these original features could improve your home’s worth by almost 7.5% – and, on your part, wouldn’t require a significant amount of work.

Something else that, for you, could require even less work is simply obtaining planning permission to improve your home. Even if you don’t undertake that improvement work yourself, going through the planning process can save a future owner of your home having to do so. As a result, just having that planning permission in place could grow your home’s market value by a tenth.

how to add value to your home

How Jordan & Halstead Can Help You Sell Your Home

After you have done all of the heavy liftings that our valuation gurus have recommended, imagine the joy of being able to highlight these improvements when advertising the property.

For example, you could point out outdoor lighting, paving and fencing you have added as garden improvements, while smart connectivity right throughout the house is an attractive feature that could enhance your home’s energy efficiency and consequently rein in energy bills for the property.

However, you might not know all of the best tips and tricks for getting the word out about your inviting, multifunctional and energy-efficient home. That’s okay, though – because our team is thoroughly experienced with advertising homes to boost their appeal to potential buyers.

When you trust us with helping you to sell your property, we will use professional photography to capture this home at its aesthetic best – enabling a potential buyer to see intricate details in spaces such as a bedroom, a bathroom suite and even any parking spaces that form part of your property.

We will get your home featured on all of the relevant property portals, including websites where visitors would even be able to take video tours of the property. We can film those tours so that people can get a closer look at those parts of your property many other local homes might lack; so, perhaps an extra bathroom, high-end kitchen updates or unorthodox storage space.

Certain features – like cavity wall insulation or a new boiler, either of which could help the homeowner to save money on energy expenditure – could barely be visible in photographs and video footage of your home. This is why we are always going the extra mile to make sure people interested in your home are made aware of features like these.

We will carry out “open houses” to promote your property to as many buyers as possible – in this way optimising the appeal of your home so that it will attract the best price.

It’s easy to get in touch with our property experts to receive recommendations on how you could improve your home before it goes onto the market. You can make as many or as few of the recommended improvements as you like – and then leave us to apply our years of experience in selling properties to effectively advertise yours.

Advice for Selling Your Home During COVID-19

2020 has made it difficult (and sometimes) almost impossible to do anything normal, necessary or engrossing for us all. This pandemic that has gripped the world (and all of the trouble, tantrums and tediousness it brings) has put a long pause on many elements of our day-to-day lives. Major changes have happened to the way we work and travel, and these have been decorated with lots of other changes, like the way we shop or exercise.

The process of selling a property is one of these normal elements of life that has had to change massively as a result of COVID-19. People looking to buy a house may be encouraged by some of the recent changes in the property market, such as the extension of stamp duty exemption. On the other hand, those who are selling a house may find the necessary changes to the process much more challenging and frustrating.

For example, how are you meant to conduct a house viewing if your area is in local lockdown? What if you live with a vulnerable member of society and cannot afford to have other people in your home? These are just some of the questions you will face if you are selling a property in 2020.

Carry on reading for some helpful property market advice and guidance on how to sell a property during the pandemic. 

How to Sell Your Home During COVID-19

Follow Government Advice

The gov.uk website offers plenty of advice and guidance for both the public and industry. It covers the expected areas of advice, like washing hands and cleaning your property thoroughly. This is general and national advice though; local lockdown guidance should be followed if different restrictions or enforcements apply in your local area.

Conduct Online Viewings

Where possible, viewings should be arranged and conducted online. You can take photos, videos or even arrange virtual viewings via a video call or virtual reality headset. Professional estate agents can assist you with this and take care of arranging viewing times too. If you seriously must conduct a physical viewing with the potential buyer there in person, this should be done by appointment only. Strictly no open houses!

Wear and Enforce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

When you are dealing or meeting with an estate agent or a prospective buyer in person, you should have appropriate protective equipment available and on you at all times. This may include gloves and protective clothing for feet, as well as the standard masks or face coverings. Once visitors to your home have left, you should ensure all surfaces and door handles are cleaned and sanitised. 

Be Patient and Flexible

After the viewing process and finding a buyer, the sales and contract-swapping process is one aspect of the sales process that has remained much the same. The sale can be completed and the necessary paperwork can be signed digitally or via mail, so this is fine. However, the actual process of moving house and all your belongings may be more difficult. 

Removals are more challenging these days and may slow or complicate the moving process a little. All parties involved need to be as flexible as possible and be prepared to delay if necessary. For instance, if someone begins to show symptoms of coronavirus and has to self-isolate, this will put a pause on proceedings. 

Be Communicative 

Potentially buyers may agree to conduct virtual viewings only, or they may be forced into doing so due to COVID-19 related fears. Naturally, as a consequence of this, they will have more questions to ask and may request more in-depth imagery. Communication is key here and making sure you are cooperating with your potential buyers will make it a lot easier for both parties.

Sell Your Home with Jordan and Halstead

Here at Jordan and Halstead, we have offices in Chester, Wilmslow and Flintshire. In each of these areas, and indeed anywhere else we operate, the health and safety of our customers is our utmost priority. We also endeavour to protect our team members and ensure they remain safe. 

You can still get in touch with us over the phone or we can exchange messages via email, whichever works for you. Don’t let the pandemic stop you from selling your home and putting your plans on hold. Keep on track with your property selling plans and book a free valuation today. 

What Does Your Estate Agent Actually Do?

what does you estate agent actually do?

With the number of homeowners using an online estate agency to sell their home rising, lots of people find themselves asking the question: What does your estate agent actually do?

When we see the poor showing of some estate agents, it’s easy to understand why some people don’t really know what their estate agent does (or at least should be doing)! At Jordan & Halstead, we’re proud of what we do and when we see our team working tirelessly for our customers, it seems like a shame that so many people don’t realise what they get up to every day!

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what your estate agent actually does, and how to make sure you find an agent who will take the time to do all of these things for you.

 

What Your Estate Agent Should Do

Help Set The Value Of Your Home 

A home valuation is one of the very first steps you take into the process of selling your home, so it’s vital that you get a valuation that is accurate and reflects the optimum price for your home. You want your valuation to reflect the highest possible price of you home, while also being realistic in your market and at a price that will help you sell quickly.

It’s a balancing act to get an accurate valuation that will also help get you the best price for your home, and takes a wealth of talent and experience to help get a good valuation. You may also be advised to make changes to your home, add an extension or redecorate to help increase the value of your home. This can get expensive quickly, so at Jordan and Halstead, we will only ever advise you to make changes that will result in a concrete net gain for you.

We’re passionate about property, so even if you’re not looking to sell your house right now, we’ll still be happy to give you our professional advice on how to improve the value of your home, with no obligation.

 

Market Your Home

In today’s market, one of the most important parts of your estate agent’s job is to market your home to as many relevant buyers as possible. At Jordan & Halstead, we guarantee to spend more time and money on marketing your property than our competitors, to ensure your home is seen by everyone who needs to see it.

This is also a bit of a balancing act, as you want to get your house out there to the widest possible pool of buyers while also discouraging enquiries from buyers that aren’t serious or who your home isn’t right for. Your agent should be an expert at helping to target this market well, giving you lots of enquiries from engaged, interested buyers.

We’ll also always send professional photographers to take pictures of your home, to ensure they are shown off in the best possible light in listings, to attract potential buyers from the very first impression.

 

Conduct Viewings

You may wish to show potential buyers around your home yourself, but many sellers find this is a lot of pressure and would prefer for their estate agent to conduct viewings instead. 

We like to find the things that you really love about your home, and to emphasise them as we show potential buyers your home. The things that you love and actually attracted you to the home in the first place help to give a sense of personality to the home that resonates with potential buyers.

Your estate agent should also have a wealth of information about the home available for potential buyers, that you might not have yourself, such as exact room measurements, surveys and other documentation that is important for buyers to know, and are seen as a more neutral party by potential buyers. By giving a complete overview of the house, many buyers will know instantly whether your house is right for them, helping to weed out enquiries that aren’t serious.

 

Manage Negotiations

The negotiations period is when having an experienced estate agent who really understands you, your property, the market you’re selling in and the art of negotiation really comes into its own. All offers are made to the estate agent, who will then pass them onto the seller, and act as a middleman between the buyer and seller.

Your agent help advise you on whether to accept an offer, or to wait for something better, based on the asking price, similar sales and the general state of the market. If you’re a buyer, you can also ask the estate agent for more information about the seller to help give you a better idea of what kind of offer would be accepted by the sellers. 

A good estate agent will be able to keep both parties on the same side throughout negotiations to help the process run smoothly and get the best possible result.

 

Do The Admin

Buying and selling a house can be a pretty complex procedure, with a lot of paperwork, jargon and other ‘legalese’ to wade through. With an experienced estate agent by your side, you can cut through the noise and understand exactly what you’re signing, and how to get the best results from your sale, throughout the process.

 

How To Choose The Right Estate Agent

When you’re looking at choosing an estate agent, you want to find someone who you get on with, and who really understands your home and the local market

As highly regarded estate agents with over 10 years of experience in the local property market, Jordan & Halstead are perfectly positioned to help you sell your home. We are passionate about property and helping people buy and sell their homes in the local area.

Our team of experts are kind, honest and committed to you, and are always willing to go the extra mile to help make the process of buying and selling your home easy.

To find out more about Jordan & Halstead, the services we offer and our approach to estate agency, contact our experienced team today.