If you’re thinking about selling up and moving home, it is natural that you should want to get the best possible price for your property. Nobody likes to think that they’ve been short changed, especially with something as important as a house where the difference could be worth thousands of pounds, so it really does pay to know all the secrets. Whether you’re about to sell or plan to do so in the future, check out our tips to get the maximum value out of your home.

The first thing to consider might be a little daunting, but can make a massive difference. If you own a leasehold property, you should check how much time is remaining on your lease. When a lease begins to run out, the property’s value falls dramatically, which is obviously bad for you as a seller. If you find that your lease needs extending [99+ years remaining is ideal], it is easier to use lease extension legal services to help you out with what can be a complex process, and you could see your property value soar.

Another thing to think about is the structural maintenance of the property. Much like you would get a chartered surveyor to check your property before you buy, remember your buyers will want to do the same to your property, so get an expert to come and check it out for any structural weaknesses to see if you can get it fixed before you try to sell. Buyers won’t take kindly to finding out through their surveyor that a wall is unstable or there is a damp problem, so nip it in the bud ahead of time.

The decorative order of a property can seriously affect how appealing it appears to buyers. Generally speaking, neutral colour schemes are much more attractive to buyers as they provide a ‘blank canvas’ which the buyer can potentially colour in with their own design ideas. Once a buyer has started to imagine their own stamp on a room, this is a very good sign, as it shows some level of attachment to the property.

One thing to remember is that some supposedly ‘value-boosting’ add-ons can actually put buyers off. Hot tubs and pools are expensive to run and difficult to maintain and aren’t always easy to get rid of, so may be a reason for the buyer to negotiate a lower price. Likewise, if an extension is poorly done or unattractive, the buyer may want to pay less for the house so that they can afford to get it knocked down, so be careful about tampering with the structure of the house.