Moving house can seem like a daunting thing, but it’s just a matter of taking it one step at a time, according to local independent estate agent Jon-Paul Brampton.

One of the first steps is thinking about how to get your home market ready, so that when it comes to moving forward with listing your house it is ready to make a great first impression with prospective buyers. Planning ahead is key, so the more time you give yourself the better positioned you’ll be.

Buyers make up their minds very quickly and any job that needs doing will be seen as a cost to them, so here are five key areas to focus on first:

1. Redecorate key areas. This may sound obvious, but it’s more a case of putting some elbow grease in over expensive kitchen and bathroom renovations. Focus instead on things like scuffed paintwork, filling in any cracks and redoing bathroom tiling grout. Simple but very effective tactics will save you a fortune.
2. Clean the house! Again, an obvious one, but you want people to imagine your house as their home, so having a good tidy and lighting some candles is a cheap and easy way of creating an inviting atmosphere.
3. Increase your kerb appeal with simple changes. Power wash your drive, introduce or refresh your plant pots and hanging baskets. Not only do things like this look good in the flesh but they also work wonders in photos for marketing your home.
4. Declutter but don’t depersonalise. People buy into lifestyles as much as homes, and a happy family home filled with photos and personal touches says a lot about the way you love the home you live in, which transmits to buyers’ perceptions.
5. Go the extra step to make a big impact. While they’re not legal requirements, getting your boiler serviced and electric signed off helps to show that your home is well cared for and you have everything in order, which is a great impression to give!

As well as getting your house ready, there are steps you can take to get yourself ready that will save time once you’re in a position to move forward. This includes choosing a conveyancing solicitor – this will save you two weeks at the start of a sales process if you have already filled in the initial conveyancing paperwork.

Having a good estate agent that you can trust makes a world of difference to the whole moving experience. If you’re thinking of moving and would like advice on getting your house market ready I’d love to help. Get in touch at jon-paul.brampton@exp.uk.com or 07359 015 020.