10 Top Tips to Sell Your Property and Move Abroad

If you’re fed up with the poor excuse for a summer we’ve just had, (didn’t last long did it!), you’re unhappy about the state of the political or economic landscape in the UK or you’ve just had enough of the view from your front room window and you want to explore pastures new, you’re probably thinking about an escape overseas.

And you’re not alone!  Recent figures suggest that increasing numbers of Britons really do want to escape abroad – and not just on holiday either.  These Britons span all age groups and all demographics, and whilst some will be content to go on dreaming about living abroad until their dying day, others – like you – actually want to make the move sooner rather than later!

However, if you’re struggling to offload your property to fund your relocation overseas, these 10 top tips to help you sell your property and move abroad should help you speed up the process so perhaps you can be safely ensconced in your new pad overlooking the Mediterranean this side of Christmas.

1)  Don’t Sell Your Property – Rent at Home and Abroad

If you really are struggling to sell your property in the UK so that you can escape abroad, if you’re unhappy with the thought of having to take a cheeky offer on the home that you’ve struggled long and hard to afford, why not rent it out instead?  Ok, so this may well mean that you can’t buy a home abroad, but you may still be able to afford to rent a place whilst you get your bearings and wait out the UK recession.

The rent you bring in on your British property should hopefully cover any mortgage commitment you have on it, thus meaning you can pretty much forget about worrying about your UK base.  In the meantime, if you have a job to go to abroad and you can earn enough to pay rent, why not make the most of this situation, see it as an opportunity, and rent a nice place overseas.  You can use your time in rented accommodation to get to know the different areas of your new nation of choice, so that you can find the best place for you when it comes time for you to buy eventually.

2)  Drop the Price for a Quicker Sale

As hard as it is to accept, you may well have to reduce the price of your property if you actually want to sell it.  If you’re not getting the interest in it you want from potential buyers and you’re just not close to selling it, you will have to drop the price to get interested parties through the door.  Look at what similar houses in your area have sold for, look at what similar houses in your area are on the market for and then undercut all of them if you want a quick and successful sale.

3)  Sort Out Issues with Your Property so Your Buyer Doesn’t Have to

Unless you’re selling your home to a builder, you should think about your house from a ‘normal’ buyer’s perspective.  Which outstanding issues and DIY disasters are putting them off?  If you have a half installed bathroom, get it finished.  If you have a wall with cracked plaster or peeling paint, sort it out.  Get all the obvious jobs finished so that people can walk round your home and realise that they can move in immediately without having to outlay time, effort and more money on getting the house straight before they can settle in to life there.

4)  Spruce it Up!

If your décor is a little tired – or you know for a fact that it is unfashionable or has been like it is for more than three years, do yourself and your home a favour and get the paint brush out.  As hard as it is for you to paint over your lovely lime green walls with magnolia, and as hard as it is for your to tear down that coving, tone down that artexing and do away with the picture and dado rails of the 1980s, know that by presenting your house as a blank, clean and fresh canvas you are doing the best you can to ensure a speedy sale.

5)  First Impressions are the Only Ones that Count

If the outside of your property is a mess you won’t even get would-be buyers to enquire about the house if they spot the For Sale sign, and you won’t get interested parties through the door.  No matter how lovely the house is on the inside, and no matter whether your back garden has the wow factor or not, if you have peeling paint on your front door, your windows are dirty, there are bins on the drive and an unmowed lawn at the front, your house will not sell – and if it does sell, your buyers will hammer you on the price.

Sort out the front of your house, make it attractive, appealing and make it reflect the fact that you have cared for this property, therefore your buyers will benefit from your care when they buy this beautiful bargain pad!

6)  Depersonalise it

If you’re moving abroad then you need to get cracking on your packing – and what a perfect excuse to depersonalise and de-clutter your home at the same time.  The fewer knick knacks and pictures of your family you leave about the place the better!  You see, your buyer wants to walk in and be able to imagine your house as their home – so if they see a blank canvas with just a few pieces of furniture and a tasteful potted plant or two, they will quickly realise that they can make this their home.  Simple!

7)  Offer an Incentive

If you’re moving abroad you may not want to take your curtains, white goods, patio set or lawn mower with you!  Think about throwing in some things for good measure to make the sale even sweeter.

8)  Make Friends with Your Estate Agent

As much as we love to loath estate agents, they can actually be useful when you’re trying to sell your home!  If you make friends with a good agent they will be more likely to remember you and your home and have you on top of their pile when someone comes in enquiring about properties within a given area or a given budget.  What’s more, the emphasis here is also on making friends with a good estate agent!  You want one who will market your home well and appropriately, give you good advice when it comes to pricing the property and who will have the most buyers through their doors or on their website.

9)  Let Buyers View Your Property!

As daft as it sounds, let your viewers in whenever they want to view your property.  As most people work Monday to Friday, 9 – 5 (at least) they may want to view your house after work or at the weekends.  If you can be as flexible as possible and let people come round out of normal hours, so much the better.  Also, after the obligatory guided tour, if you feel that they are trustworthy let them spend time mooching about and thinking about your home as their home.  This is usually best done with you out of the way and the estate agent just lurking quietly in the background to answer any questions that may arise, (and to ensure that they don’t lift the family silver!!)

10)  Keep it Fresh!

Not only do you want to make sure your home smells fresh, you want to keep viewings fresh as well – and you need to keep fresh on top of cleaning and tidying.  In other words, your house always needs to be in tip top condition for every viewing.  Forget the rubbish about having bread baking in the oven – your buyers will think you’re trying too hard.  But at the same time, if your home stinks of dog or old cooking smells, do something lasting about it.  Furthermore, when buyers come round, make an effort and put some enthusiasm into showing them round the property.  If they feel you’re jaded with would-be buyers they’ll think there’s a reason that your home hasn’t sold even after being shown to plenty of people.  And finally, keep on top of cleaning and tidying, make sure your house looks its absolute best for every viewing.