News & Views Blog

If your house stubbornly refuses to sell, never fear – Lucy Alexander asks the expert for their top tips on how to get things moving.

Phil Spencer, of Garrington property search company and Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location , says:

Make sure you select the best agent for the type of property you have. Look in the window to see if houses like yours are advertised there. Then fix the right price, bearing in mind that the market calms down in the summer, so there’s no point being too ambitious. First impressions are vital. Tidy up the front garden and the drive and paint the front door. Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses, so get cleaning and polishing. Buy things such as a new kettle, new bathroom lino, new door handles. Clear out clutter, turn the storage room into a bedroom, then ask a friend to come round and give their honest opinion. If your house still doesn’t sell, ask your agents why they haven’t sold it and how you can help them do their job.

Ed Mead, sales director, Douglas and Gordon, says:

The two most important factors when selling a house are presentation and price. Most people will have an emotional response to a house within ten seconds, so you have to be tidy and your children can’t leave their underpants on the floor. Even more important is price. The majority of the market is a little sticky at the moment, so you need to attract the most number of buyers. A high price is not going to get people through the door, so put it on at a guide price at the bottom end of your expectations, and you should then get several bidders who will push the price up. That takes balls, though. If it still doesn’t sell, drop the price to appeal to a whole new level of buyers – there’s no point tinkering at the margins.

Sarah Beeny, presenter of Channel 4’s Property Ladder, says:

I strongly believe there’s no such thing as a house that won’t sell. If it isn’t selling it’s too expensive. The danger in today’s market is that there is huge optimism in terms of value, so estate agents will come up with a figure they hope to get, and the vendor spends that in their head. Look at what you can buy in your area for the price you’re asking. If you need to drop the price, take the house off the market for two weeks before launching it with a new agent at a price at least 10 per cent lower. There are also cosmetic things you can do that may make a buyer pick your house over someone else’s. Cleaning the windows is the most important: it will make rooms look lighter and brighter.

Visit the Property Section of Times Online for more property tips and advice: 

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September 10 saw the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) being required for every home with three or more bedrooms being put on the market in England and Wales.

If you're a buyer, you should ask for a Pack, which contains an Energy Performance Certificate and a number of other compulsory documents and if you're selling your home, you need to make sure you have commissioned one by the time that you market your property.

For sellers, providing a Pack upfront should reduce the likelihood of any nasty surprises in the selling process that could delay the sale, as buyers will be able to make more informed decisions about purchasing their home.
Find out how to commission a Pack or compile one yourself and what to look out for

For buyers, the Pack provides essential information about properties they are considering buying - free of charge - and reduces the chance of unwelcome surprises later on in the process.
Find out how to get a Pack, and what questions to ask when you receive one

For all you need to know visit the Home Information Pack website for more information...

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I am currently doing work to my house before I put it on the market – should I carpet it or have wooden floors?

This month's property advice comes from Ian F Balfour from Coombe Residential, Wimbledon:

Firstly, please ensure that it is actually wood that is used rather than laminate – at a pinch one could use wood veneer but makes sure it’s at least 7mm thick.

Quality does count and so the thicker and wider the wood the better, just make sure it’s not at risk from warping due to overheated or damp conditions and that it is fitted correctly.

As a sweeping statement Europeans, especially Scandinavians and Germans prefer wood flooring as do most Amercians. However, one can never guarantee who is going to view your home therefore I would suggest catering for the middle ground and aim for wood flooring on the ground floor, carpeting in the bedrooms and tiled flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms.

It would be a bonus if the floorboards underneath the carpeted areas in the bedrooms were in good condition then it would give the incoming owner the flexibility to strip the carpeting away and restore the floorboards if they so desired.

Posted by at 08:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My next door neighbour’s garden is completely overgrown. Shrubs and plants have fully fledged onto my side of the boundary and are blocking the light to my garden. Can I cut them?

Andrew Smith of Child and Child in Belgravia, London provided the following advice:

If your neighbour’s shrubs and plants are growing across the boundary into your garden, then your neighbour is committing a nuisance at law and you are entitled to take steps to abate the nuisance.

You may therefore cut off the shrubs and plants, although you may not cut back anything beyond the boundary. If the hedges are more than two metres in height and consist wholly or mainly of evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs and act as a barrier to light, then you can make a complaint to the local authority under the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003.

The local authority may then require the hedge to be cut back. If the neighbour refuses to comply, he or she may be liable to a fine of up to £1,000. If the shrubs and plants were affecting the light to your house, then you may be able to bring a claim against your neighbour on the basis that your rights of light are being infringed. It appears, however, that it is only your garden which is suffering a diminution in light, in which case, no action will be available on that basis – rights of light attach to buildings, not to gardens.

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