Looking to sell your property in the new year? Marsh & Parsons Tooting share their tips for preparing your Tooting home for winter viewings in their latest blog.

It’s no secret that January’s a brilliant month to put your property on the market. With plenty of people on the hunt for a fresh start after Christmas and the new year, you’ll want to capitalise on the opportunities the time has to offer. We’ve put together four essential steps to make your home as attractive to prospective buyers as possible, whether you’re hoping to sell one of Tooting’s Victorian or Edwardian properties or one of the area’s popular new builds. 

Maximise kerb appeal

Always think about your property from an outsider’s point of view when you’re preparing it for a viewing. They’ll first see your property from the street, so you’ll want to make sure that your property looks attractive and easy to maintain. Clear fallen leaves from the lawn and make sure that they’re not blocking up any gutters and drains. If you live in an older building now’s the time to make any repairs; you don’t want to divert attention away from its striking period features.
 

Light your property up

You’ll want your property to seem airy and spacious- not a problem in the summer months, but slightly trickier to achieve in January. Try and organise viewings during daylight hours if possible. During evening viewings, which will probably have to happen during the week, make sure all the lights are on. Again, this will maximise the all-important kerb appeal and show off a period property’s beautiful bay or sash windows. Heading indoors, make sure any darker areas (watch out for landings) are well-lit to keep your property feeling welcoming and cosy throughout.
 

Keep your viewers warm

Speaking of cosy, you’ll want the temperature of your home to be a nice contrast to the (probably freezing) January weather. If you have a new build we’ll assume that this will be fairly easy to achieve, unless your home’s going to be empty for a significant amount of time before the viewing. If it does get particularly cold without the heating on then smart heating could be an investment to make. Installing it yourself – in most cases easier than it sounds – will keep costs down and it’s a nice feature for your agent to mention during the tour.

We’re sure you know that keeping a period building warm may be slightly more challenging than a new build. Compression draught excluders are a relatively easy way to minimise the amount of cold air coming through Victorian windows, while an Edwardian home’s sash windows will need brush strips instead. Use StopGap to prevent draughts and dust coming up through any gaps if you have bare wooden floors.
 

Use your fireplace as a marketing tool

If you have a fireplace, be sure to utilise its potential during winter viewings. Make sure the exterior is clean so any period features are highlighted and consider investing in a new fireplace rug if yours is looking a bit worse for wear. Having a fire lit during a viewing will bring a calming sense of hygge into the room, and will help any viewers feel cosy and welcomed. If you don’t have a fireplace then some scented candles will help you cheat your way to the same effect.
 

Need more tips and guidance on selling your property? The Marsh & Parsons blog has plenty of advice on topics from mortgages to interiors.
 

Marsh & Parsons Tooting is an award-winning estate agent and one of our valued Community Partners. Find them at 29-31 Upper Tooting Road, SW17 7TS. Call John-Paul (sales) or Matthew (lettings) on 020 8115 8053.

Click here to view local properties for sale and here for lettings.

Find out more on their website, and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Find out more about our Community Partners here.