Selling a house is one of the biggest decisions you can make, so it only makes sense that you will want all the help you can get. It's why we have analysed in depth the main things that help sell a house. We have drawn on our experience, track record and have also looked at some of the top estate agencies in the UK to find some top tips.

What helps sell a house the most?

By and large, the easiest way to save time, sell your home fast, and land the returns you want is to team up with an experienced estate agent. Not only do they have the know-how to help you tackle tough tasks, such as price setting, marketing, and negotiations, agents often have a database of connections to help you prepare your house for its sale.

As the market continues to rebalance in 2023, sellers can no longer count on buyers bending over backwards, making offers significantly above the asking price, or getting into bidding wars with other buyers. Instead, top agents are now emphasizing the importance of motivated sellers getting back to basics. Here we will review what those tried-and-true strategies are.

One - Bring out the best in your homes interior

If you want to place your home’s value on full display, it’s important to start by sprucing up the house’s interior. These home interior improvements can make a major impact when you decide to sell your house:

Tackle repairs and upgrades

One of the fastest ways to set your house up for a faster sale is to dig into any deferred maintenance and knock out necessary repairs. However, it isn’t a smart idea to simply make upgrades on a whim. Each repair and update carries costs and takes time. That’s why it’s important to do your research, identify improvements that will grab you the highest ROI, and look for the features that are in high demand within your area.

One way to identify repair needs is to have your own survey done prior to listing. This is usually something done by the buyer, however if you did it before listing you would be able to carry out most of the repairs that may trip you up down the line. If there is a repair that you can't or won't get done, then at least you have that information to hand, and you can negotiate that repair within the price. If you are transparent about what is right and wrong about the property, you will have less chancing of losing a buyer.

Deep clean your home's interior

Cleaning your house's interior helps you sell your home in several ways. First, it prevents potential buyer’s from getting distracted by dust or messes. Also, it can bring out qualities of your home that may otherwise be overlooked. What’s more, it reassures home buyers that there aren’t other neglected amenities lurking somewhere else within your house.

For older homes in particular, you may want to also consider hiring a professional cleaning service to sparkle every nook and cranny.

De-personalise and stage your home

Staging your home can more often than not secure you a buyer at a higher price in a shorter amount of time. Professional staging companies will know how to place furniture in each room to maximise the scope and value of your home. Of course staging a home is not necessary in all situations, but a good estate agent will advise you on this. Remember, there may be no need to stage the entire house, you may just want to stage the biggest and best rooms.

Since you’ll want to make it easy for a potential buyer to picture themselves living in your house, it’s important to neutralise spaces and prepare them carefully. Here are a few ways to depersonalize your home:

Paint rooms in simple, neutral tones
Tone down kitchen floors and back splash where possible
Pick up clutter and store toys away
Pack away knick-knacks

Two - Enhance your home's exterior

Another important focus that will help sell your house is improving your house's exterior. The outside of your house can hit your potential buyer with a lasting first impression that can easily make or break a sale. Here are a few ways to beef up your home’s exterior and lift your house’s curb appeal:

Add outdoor amenities

Outdoor living spaces can be a major value-driver as buyers shop for a home. And they’re in especially high demand in the shadow of the pandemic. In fact, nearly 50% of agents say outdoor living areas are a top priority within their post Covid market. Here are a few outdoor amenities that can drive up your home’s value:

Firepits
Outdoor Kitchen
Decks or Patios
Outdoor Lighting
Exterior TVs or speakers

Up your home’s curb appeal

Upgrading curb appeal is an easy way to help your house stand out and stick in a potential buyer’s mind. One of the best ways to amp up curb appeal is to improve landscaping:

Lay down fresh mulch
Mow the lawn
Pull weeds
Trim the shrubs and trees
Remove overgrown items
Edge the yard

Another way to enhance your house’s curb appeal is to upgrade your home’s exterior condition and beautify the house’s outer shell. Some say the first place to start when you upgrade your home’s exterior is the front door. “If that front door looks bad, you only have one chance to make that first impression,” Joe from Benjamin Stevens warns.

Beyond painting and cleaning your critical front door, there are a few additional exterior upgrades to make if you want to boost your home’s curb appeal:

Clean and repair any chipping or peeling paint
Fix sagging gutters
Remove leaves from the gutters
Pressure wash the house
Pressure wash the driveway
Clean the windows
Clean all outdoor light fixtures

If you want to supercharge your home’s curb appeal, you also have the option of hiring a professional landscaper, or you can save some money by putting in extra work on your own.

Three - Set the right price for your home

Setting the right price for your house has always boosted your chances of selling, but it’s especially important in the current housing market. As inventory remains low and buyers are scared away by high mortgage interest rates, prices set unreasonably high may lead to a house lingering on the market, which can perpetuate the perception among prospective buyers, rightly or wrongly, that something might be wrong with the house.

Joe says one of the biggest mistakes home sellers make is not doing their homework before setting a price. “I think the problem [pricing a home] is people tend to listen to family, friends, and neighbours, instead of analysing the data,” says Joe.

Still, if you want to set a profitable, yet appealing, price on your home, it’s a good idea to team up with an experienced agent. The best agents will conduct an in depth valuation including a list of active buyers to sound out the demand for your type of property. These in-depth reports use data to back your pricing decision–making it easier to settle on a price that’s high enough to hand you a profit, but not so high your house sits on the market.

Four - Create an eye-catching marketing plan

If you want to connect with potential buyers and snag the right price for your home, it takes a holistic marketing plan. Not all sellers realize it, but estate agents spend hours building buzz around the homes they sell. Simply put, the better you market your house, the easier it will be to sell your property at or above your asking price. Here are a few tips to help you spread the word about your home:

Sell at the right time of the year

Timing the market right is important if you want to land an ideal sale. Different areas will have hot seasons when you could increase the price of your house, and lulls when you may risk watching your house sit on the market for longer than you want. Before you list your house, dig into the data and make sure you understand the best time of year for your house within your local market.

This is another area where your local estate agent’s expertise will come in handy. Because they spend hours eyeing local market data, it’s likely they’ll know exactly how to time your home sale and snag you the highest ROI possible.

Hire a professional photographer

Your home’s photos can draw in buyers or completely turn them away. That’s why it’s critical to use professional-level photographs when you sell your house.

“The most important thing, absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt, are great photographs,” says experienced estate agent Scott “I’ve seen estate agents list a property and, for whatever reason, they don’t put enough photo's in. And that’s just a crime. That’s doing a horrible disservice to the seller.”

Professional photographers will see the best angles, know how to reduce glare, and will be able to bring out the best in your house. And a good estate agent should have a photographer in their network.

Five - Craft a captivating listing

A listing is a home’s first impression. It has to be accurate and also capture attention. Here are a few tips real estate professionals suggest helping you create an attention grabbing listing:

List your house on all available portals including all social media channels
Include a video tour
Update photographs whenever you can
Upgrade your listing based on the remarks you hear at viewings
Point out home features that appeal to a potential buyer's lifestyle and emotions

What Helps Sell A House? In 2023 It'll Be These 5 Things