We have recently completed the refurbishment works on our latest assisted sale in Feltham, West London.
This property started with a problem that needed a proper solution. The vendor had a long term tenant who had not been paying rent. We stepped in to help manage the cash flow, worked with the tenant and the council to help get her rehoused, and then carried out the refurbishment once the property was vacant.
The works are now complete and the property has gone on the market for sale.
The next important part was the marketing. It is not enough just to finish the refurbishment and hope people will see the value. The property needs to look good online, but it also needs to feel right when someone walks through the door.
For this property, we kept the staging simple. We did not want to clutter the rooms with too much furniture. The idea was to help buyers picture how they could live there, without making the space feel too full.
We added artwork to the walls, dressed the bedrooms, and bought simple furniture from Facebook Marketplace. We also used The Range for bedding, pillows and affordable artwork. In total, we were able to stage the whole property for just over £500.
That small spend made a big difference.
The estate agent also used specialist camera equipment to capture the property properly. Good photos matter because most people decide whether they are interested before they even book a viewing. If the images do not work, you can lose buyers before they get through the door.
We then asked for the advert to go live over the weekend. That gave people time to see it, book viewings during the week, and then attend an open day on the Saturday.
The open day worked well. It created a bit of urgency because buyers could see there was interest in the property. We received an offer at the price we wanted and, just as importantly, we were able to choose a buyer who was not in a chain and already had a decision in principle.
People often talk about adding value through refurbishment. That is important. But if you cannot sell the property properly, you cannot release that value.
Marketing is just as important as the refurb, the builders and the original deal.
The next stage is conveyancing. That is where the focus now shifts to keeping everyone on track and pushing the sale through properly.
If you know of a property where the owner is struggling to sell, or where the situation needs a more flexible solution, I would be interested to have a conversation.