Selling a house can be an extremely lengthy process, but we’ve got some helpful tips and tricks that can help you speed up your sale!

1. Increase your kerb appeal
The first thing that people will see when they come to look at your house is the exterior, and if your kerb appeal is lacking this can put potential buyers off before they even see the inside. Take some time to increase your kerb appeal and you’ll likely see an increase in viewers, helping you sell faster. Here are a few ways to help make a good first impression:

• Maintain any greenery:
This is one of the biggest reasons that viewers were put off a house and is incredibly easy to rectify. If you’ve got grass or hedges at the front of your house, make sure that they’re trimmed and tidy. Overgrown greenery looks unwelcoming and will make your viewers think that the inside of your house will be the same.

• Move dustbins away from the door:
Especially in the summer, bins tend to get a little smelly and will immediately put off potential buyers as they will associate your house with that smell. To avoid this, you can move bins away from the front door – where possible, put them at the back of the house so they’re out of view, but if you’re unable to do this, in terraced houses in particular, move them to the furthest point away from the door to avoid any nasty smells as your viewers enter your house.

• Paint your front door:
Bold, bright front doors are becoming a big favourite with buyers and help to make your house stand out, perfect for those viewers who are looking at several houses. Some of the most popular colours are -

- Matte grey
- Mustard yellow
- Lilac
- Navy
- Post box red

You can pick the colour that you think will look best on your house, and you’ll be surprised at the difference it makes to your kerb appeal!

2. Make some home improvements
Most of your potential buyers will be looking at multiple properties, so you want to make sure that yours stands out from the rest to encourage them to put an offer in with you. Home improvements are a great way to increase interest, and if you’ve been asking yourself “how can I sell my house fast?” these could be the answer!

• Redecorate:
Homes in any condition will still benefit from a little redecoration, even if it’s a few coats of paint to get rid of scuffs and marks on the walls to freshen the place up. A lot of the time, we don’t realise how much of a difference painting makes until you’ve done a wall, and you can see just how much brighter and cleaner it looks compared to before. Painting is a great option as it isn’t expensive, and generally you’ll be able to do it yourself without needing professional help.

• Update old features:
Some houses have older bathrooms or kitchens and updating these can make a huge difference when it comes to selling. This is a more expensive option but doing a renovation of the bathroom or kitchen will help you increase your property value as well as sell your house faster, so it’s a very popular decision for those who have a higher budget when they’re selling.

• Add a home office:
Millions of people have worked at home over the past year, and it’s likely that this will continue for some time. Houses with a space to work are highly in demand at the moment, so if you’re able to advertise your property with a home office, you’ll likely see more interest which will speed up your sale.

3. Stage
Staging a home is a very popular way for homeowners to speed up their sale. It involves organising your house in a specific way for it to look the most attractive and appeal to your potential viewers and encourage them to put in an offer, so you achieve your sale.

The best way to stage your house is to go room-by-room and make little changes to dress the place up –

• Living room:
Fluff sofa cushions, make sure surfaces are clear and dust-free, and curtains or blinds are wide open to allow in plenty of light. Vacuum the floor, and remove any clutter, especially magazines or ornaments.

• Kitchen:
Wipe all of the sides, mop the floor, and make sure windows are clear. Focus on areas that can sometimes be missed, like crumbs around the toaster, and have minimal things on the surfaces. This will make them look bigger, and spacious kitchens are a necessity in a lot of buyers’ eyes.

• Bedrooms:
Make the bed and change the sheets, remove any clothes and washing baskets, and keep surfaces clean and clear. Vacuum the floor, and open curtains/blinds – the more light that you can get into your house, the better!

• Bathrooms:
Wipe all surfaces down, focussing on the spots around the toilet and sink. Put away as many bottles as possible to keep the room clear, put out fresh towels, and have an air freshener or candle in there to keep it smelling as fresh as possible. Don’t forget – open the blinds!

These changes will help you speed up your house sale and can also result in a higher offer too – a win-win for any homeowner!