Top Tips to sell your property

The average home in England takes 185 days to sell from when it's first marketed, according to data from Zoopla (January 2025). We’ve created this guide with tips on how to maximise your chances of selling your property as quickly as possible and for the best price. 

Preparing for the sale

Declutter

If you’re planning on moving, decluttering is a job that has to be done eventually but we strongly advise you to do this process first before putting your property on the market for best impact.

According to a report by the Home Staging Association UK & Ireland, homes that are decluttered and well staged can sell three times faster than cluttered properties. 

Decluttered homes look and feel more spacious, allows the prospective buyer to really see the property and start to imagine themselves living there. A clean and tidy home gives the impression that it’s well looked after and gives instant appeal, and could even increase the perceived value of the property. 

A lick of paint

When we see our homes day in day out, we can become blind to how the property could present for the first time. Is the decor outdated? Has the paint become discoloured or scratched? Sometimes investing a little money upfront to redecorate your property, using calm and neutral colours, can give you a higher sale price.

A clean, neutral base makes a property feel fresh and allows prospective buyers to see it as a new home, and their potential home, rather than someone else's previous home. 

Clean and tidy

This seems obvious, but a freshly cleaned home will immediately look and feel better. After a thorough deep clean, keep your home consistently clean and tidy with regular cleans especially ahead of a viewing. You never know when an agent may have a potential buyer ready to view, so always keeping it ‘ready to view’ is crucial. 

Kerb appeal

According to the HomeOwners Alliance, 68% of home buyers think kerb appeal is important when buying a home. It creates a great first impression and sets a positive tone for the rest of the viewing. As short sighted as it seems, some viewers may cancel the viewing if they don’t get a good feel for the property from the outside. 

Consider painting the front door, cleaning the windows, window frames and gutters and making sure the front garden, if you have one, is regularly weeded and the grass is neat and tidy. Also consider adding some potted plants that can make an instant impact for minimal effort (just remember to water them in the summer months!)

Selling a vacant property

If you are selling the property of a loved one who has passed away, or if no one is currently living in the property, in addition to the points above you should also remember to do the following: 

• Regularly visit the property, at least once a week, and run the taps for a minimum of one minute, and flush the toilets and run the shower. Regular flushing maintains water hygiene and prevents the buildup of harmful bacteria like Legionella. 

• Remember to clear the fridge, freezer and cupboards from food. The last thing a prospective buyer wants to see when they view a property is to see and smell rotting food!

• As difficult as it may be, clearing the property ahead of going on to the market from the previous owners personal possessions such as clothing, medication, papers and magazines etc, will really help make the property present well. 

• During winter months, programme the heating to come on for a few hours each day. Whilst this may seem a waste of money and energy, it will help to avoid pipes freezing over and keeps the property warm for potential viewings. 

• Vacant properties can start to smell a bit musty when not lived in, if it is safe to do so and the weather allows, keep a fan light window open for fresh air circulation. 

• Keep the fridge/ freezer on, but at a warmer temperature than normal to reduce energy costs and waste. An empty unpowered fridge can develop mould or unpleasant odours. Placing a box of baking soda inside the fridge can help absorb moisture and prevent mould. 

Going on the market

The time of year

Although we can’t always wait for the ideal time, there are certain times of the year when putting your property on the market isn’t advised. The lead up to Christmas is normally a quiet time in property, as people are focussed on their christmas plans and will often put off a move until after the festivities. That being said, property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla always report a surge in views on their sites on Boxing day, so if possible getting on the market just before Christmas can be beneficial. 

Spring is ideal if you’re selling a family home as families often want to be ready to move house over the summer in time for the new school term. Autumn and January are also good times. 

Remember, the length of time a property is on the market for, can impact the value of an offer. Prospective buyers generally think that the longer a property is on the market for, the more likely they will be to get a discounted price. 

Finding the right agent

Not all agents are the same. They have the responsibility of marketing your home and selling it to the right people, so choose wisely. 

Ask your agent to produce comparable properties which they have sold similar to yours to confirm the value of your home. Do they have an active and engaged database looking for similar homes? What rates of commission are they asking for? It’s not always best to go for the cheapest option, if your property isn’t marketed correctly and doesn’t sell or sells below its value, the cheaper commission is a false economy. 

If it’s a specialist home, such as later living, make sure your agent is used to selling homes like this, has a specialist database and understands the benefits of a later-living community. 

At Pegasus Homes, we offer a resales agency services at selected communities. The resales team know our developments already, were part of the team that built them, understand the benefits and can clearly demonstrate them to potential buyers and most importantly, have access to the original database of people wanting to live at each community. 

The Pegasus resales team also benefit from the wider Pegasus Homes marketing channels, at no additional cost to the vendor. This includes listings on our website, emails to the whole database, regular advertising and outreach to our demographic locally and in national titles. 

If you’re unsure where to start with finding an agent, Zoopla have created this helpful guide with lots of information. 

The price must be right

You must be realistic about the property value. If a property is listed too high, even just to ‘test the market’, it will not get views and will linger on the market for too long. 

Remember the three P's when selling: Price, Presentation and Position. 

Your price will always be your determining factor, if the presentation is wrong then the price must reflect that, if you have a compromised position, e.g. on a main road, then again your price must reflect it, remember everything sells at the right price!

Conveyancing

Don’t forget the importance of your conveyancing solicitor if you’re looking for a swift transaction. Do your research and choose your solicitor as soon as you decide to put your house on the market. 

Pegasus Homes has a panel of recommended solicitors that have been used by many customers. Using a solicitor from our panel can help speed up the process and may also save you money. Speak to your local sales team for more information.

FINALLY

Relax!

We understand how stressful moving home can be and at times, the process can feel out of your hands. As difficult as it can be, try to enjoy the process! A little bit of pain and annoyance upfront, can open the door for you to start an exciting journey and a new chapter in your life.