Post Lockdown Property Market: Get Your House Ready to Sell.

15th June 2020

Waiting to move house until the government has relaxed all the lockdown measures? You’re in the right place. Lay the groundwork now and you can get ahead of the game to complete your transaction as soon as the lockdown is fully lifted.

Here are some of the things we recommend you do in the meantime to get yourself transaction-ready post-lockdown

Spruce up your property for sale

Looking to sell post-lockdown? Use this time to get your home in an even better state and make it more attractive for buyers. This could involve anything from a simple decluttering session to more extensive DIY work. Do all you can to maximise your use of the space and minimise the number of personal items on display, making it easier for potential buyers to picture themselves living in your property.

You don’t need to invest a huge amount into preparing your home for sale. Even small improvements can add value. Research has proven that home staging can help sell your home quicker and also increase its value. Try the following easy tips and tricks:

• Add personal touches such as fresh flowers or house plants. Everyone loves a bit of green.
• Smarten up the exterior of your home by mowing the lawn and decluttering. First impressions matter!
• Use lighting to create a homely ambience. This can also make rooms look bigger!

If you’re selling, prepare yourself for potential viewings

Not all buyers will be happy with just a virtual viewing – they’ll be keen to view your property in all its glory! The good news is that real-life viewings are now possible. However, you need to ensure that your property is ready for viewing.
Try the below:

• Declutter, declutter, declutter
• Use a good antibacterial cleaning product for all surfaces and door handles
• Clean all surfaces and door handles thoroughly between each viewing
• Maintain social distancing throughout the viewing

Get your finances in order

Considering taking out a mortgage soon? Now would be the time to check up on your credit report to make sure everything is up to date. Check whether there are any errors or old information that could potentially affect your score and your mortgage application.

Use this time to save a little more if you’re able to (let’s face it, we have nowhere to go right now anyway). Take a closer look at your outgoings to work out where you could make savings across all your household bills.

Research the East London property market

This is the ideal time to learn more about the housing market and get to grips with your own property search. Find out more about how much buyers are spending in the specific areas you’re interested in by browsing through popular online property portals. Rightmove has a great tab on their listings called ‘market info’ which allows you to look at nearby properties. Within Zoopla listings, you can take a look at how long a property has been on the market and how much it’s been reduced by.

Take this time to do more extensive research on your chosen areas as well, so you’re ready to move quickly post-lockdown and take decisive action. Work out how much it will cost to move
This links back to the point about getting your finances in order. Now would be the time to ensure that you’re financially ready to proceed with your
transaction post-lockdown. Work out if you are ready by listing all associated moving costs and creating a budget.

Whether you’re buying or selling a property in East or North London, there are various costs involved. From estate agents to the removers, spend some time getting quotes so you can estimate the overall costs of the move. You can also use this time to speak to professionals on the phone to try to negotiate a good deal.

Choose your estate agent

Hiring the right estate agent is essential if you want to proceed with a seamless property transaction. If you haven’t already, start doing your research on local estate agents and find out more about their offerings. As a starting point, take a look at our online reviews and customer testimonials to get a good view of our level of service! You should do the same for other agents too.

Remember, house prices will fluctuate

Try not to panic about what’s happening to property prices in the short term. It’s historically been the case that house prices dip during times of uncertainty, but they usually recover over time.