BUYING or selling property may seem as much art as science when it comes to getting the best price but knowing the tricks the experts use to raise the value of a property may help you boost your own selling price – or wise up to cut the price of a purchase.
Taking down family photos, removing the lounge door and parking an expensive car outside the property could add around £2,500 to the price, according to a survey of estate agents from Big Yellow Self Storage.
Tried-and-tested tactics of baking bread or brewing coffee also work, adding an astonishingly high £849 to the sale price of a £250,000 property. But even just clearing your kitchen of small appliances adds £973; creating an open-plan living area (£972) and removing ornaments (£948) also boost the price. Using mirrors to create the impression of space also adds £946.
Pet smells and their paraphernalia are a turn-off for most buyers, beaten only by discolouration due to smoking.
These are just some ways you can boost a sale price, but knowing them may also prevent you being seduced into paying more.
Alison Steed is the founder of the money-saving website MyMoneyDiva.com.
