Tips on selling your park home

TIPS ON SELLING YOUR PARK HOME (from Karen Corbett @SWPH)

So you are thinking of selling your park home - What can you do to help improve your chance of securing a buyer?

Before you market your home

First get your home ready to sell, get rid of the clutter, this means getting your furniture down to the ‘minimalist’ look. Remember the first thing they will see is the home and ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’. Make sure your home is painted a neutral colour both outside and in. I had a florescent green home on the market with an identical one next door and I couldn’t get anyone to view it. The vendor eventually agreed to paint it and the first person to view it bought it. The same goes for the inside, keep it neutral. For the sake of the cost of a tin paint (approximately £20.00) it will be worth it!

Dig out your assignment, rent book, guarantees and warranties for everything. Have a list of all your outgoings i.e. Council tax, rent, water, electric etc. Find out where the nearest bus stop is, due to the cost of running a car these days, many people are giving up their cars and therefore sites near bus routes are becoming more popular and don’t forget to find out how regular they are. You also need to find out where the nearest post office, shop etc is. Most people looking at park homes will be at or close to retirement age and needing to draw a pension they will need to know how far they will have to walk or drive to get it.

Your home

Reception hallway:   This is the first impression your viewer will have of the inside of the home. Make sure there are not 15 coats hanging up behind the door so you cannot even get into the hallway, and then shut the door behind them. Lead them straight into the:

Living room:   If you only have two of you living in the home you do not need four armchairs and a 3-seater settee. It will only make your living room look unnecessarily cluttered. Do you really need a sideboard and a writing desk etc. I had to get rid of over 1/3 of the furniture in my house before I could sell it. All I did was to put it in storage and it didn’t cost the earth, I paid £9.00 a week for a container the size of a transit van. Position the furniture around the edge of the rooms where possible, otherwise it can divide a room and makes it look a lot smaller than it is.

Dining room:   If you have an area designed as an eating area you must show it as one. A table and four chairs is all you need.

Kitchen:   The smell of coffee/bread is a good one (but a little corny) more important is leave the work surfaces clean, put away the pans, scales, cleaning equipment, today’s lunch etc. Make sure the lunch smells have gone and the bin in outside and the sink is clean and smell free. This cannot be overemphasised. The smell of some cooked vegetables can be very off putting! Show people any integral appliances like the washing machine, fridge/freezer etc. the purpose of them being integrated is to hide them, but you would be surprised how many people do not realise they are not cupboards and go away wondering how people wash their clothes.

Bedrooms:    If you have a second room, which you use, as a hobbies room it is always a good idea to change it back into a bedroom for selling. In my experience they will probably do with it exactly as you have, but the best way of maximizing its potential is by putting a double bed back in. A lot of rooms do not look like they will take a double bed until you put one in.

Bathroom:    Obviously it should go without saying the bathroom should be clean and fresh smelling. Put the toilet seat down and make sure the shower curtain is tied well back to stop it looking darker than necessary. Tidy all the cosmetics, shaving equipment, bubble bath etc away and only have few ornaments. Try to have plain, neutral coloured floor mats and shower curtains.

Outside:   No matter what the size of your garden is, you must make the most of it. Generally a lawn will look bigger than a patio, a patio or hardstanding area can be improved with pots of flowers and shrubs (please make sure the buyer does understand if they are not included in the sale price). The homes external appearance can be improved in the summer by hanging baskets. Have a good look around the garden, de weed the drive, spray the moss, move the pile of rubbish, broken wheel barrow etc.

As a rule, anything that is already growing in a garden should really stay and be included in the sale price. If you do have a special rose bush or plant you would like to take, please ensure you make it very clear you will be removing it. You would be surprised how a few moments of care and careful planning at this stage can avoid losing a sale at a later stage.

General

The aim is to make your home feel as light and airy as possible if you have a lovely outlook overlooking fields and overlooked, bin your net curtains, in my experience this can artificially darken a room. If you have blinds make sure they are up. Make sure curtains are well tied back to maximise the light as well.

Have a look at your home from a potential buyers point of view, walk round your home, if there are any dark corners try to light them, either with a small desk lamp, standard lamp, uplighter etc.

If it’s a grey day make sure you leave all the lights on.

Parking:   If it is possible move your car off your drive so your prospective viewers have somewhere immediate to park. I know how frustrating it is if I have to spend 10 minutes trying to find a space whilst trying not to wind the neighbours up by blocking anyone in or parking in anyone else’s space. Explain/show where their visitors can park.

Dogs:   Don’t get me wrong I have two dogs, but in my experience, it is best not to have any pets in the house for viewings. Get your partner/friend to sit with them in the garden or take them for a walk. I have had a feedback from a viewing I did over 10 years ago and have never forgotten which consisted of ‘ I have no idea what the home looked like because all I can remember was trying to stop a wolf from attacking me, please do not send me any information on houses where dogs reside, I was absolutely petrified!’

You would also be surprised how many people seem to have allergies to pet’s fur, so keep them out. Once they are out, pick up their toys (yes I know they usually have more than the grandchildren) then give the home a quick spray with ‘Febreze’, which seems to me to be the best for getting rid of pet’s smells.

The viewing

Greet and introduce yourself/partner. Make sure they start from the reception hallway if you have one. In my experience most homes seem to be put on back to front with the door from the parking

leading straight into the kitchen! But the layout of a home is much easier to remember if you can start with the front door.

Show your prospective purchaser into each room, and then stand behind them by the door. They came to see the home and it will look much bigger if you are not in the centre of it. Point out things but please let them absorb the room, silence is not a bad thing. It gives them a chance to ask questions and talk to each other. Something may come up which may make or break a sale purely by your answer.

Don’t point out obvious things like the windows but try and be helpful by pointing out the things they may not see. I.e. The gas fire has a back boiler, double glazing, the home is centrally heated, there is a built in wardrobe etc. Remember when you bought the home what was a pleasant surprise and what was a shock….

Once they have been around the home give them the opportunity to have a wander around on their own. Just put yourself in the hallway so you can still see them but they can talk freely.

Go back to the largest room in the house to talk, usually the living room. Sit them down and ask them if they would like a cup of tea or coffee. You must give them the opportunity to ask any questions. If you have prepared correctly you will have all the information ready about ground rent, services, bills etc.

Help your estate agent sell your empty home
Make sure the house is warm, there is nothing less welcoming than walking into a freezing cold house when it is actually warmer when you are stood outside! If you are leaving an empty house it is always a good idea to leave the heating on low anyway if just to stop your pipes from freezing.

Make sure you leave the electric switched on, nothing worse than trying to do a viewing in the dark with a torch!

Leave an air freshener in a couple of the rooms and leave the doors open for air to circulate. Your agent should arrive early to prepare for the viewing.  The agents should open up before the viewer arrives, remove the post from the door, open curtains and windows and hopefully achieve a full asking price offer for you.

GOOD LUCK
© 2004 South Western Park Homes LTD