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How to Make Your House the one that they WANT to buy
With so many properties on the market... when someone is choosing which property to look at make yours their first choice!
The estate agents particulars will feature a picture of the outside... make it appealing...
• doors and windows need to look GOOD. Fresh paint or stain helps and nothing should be broken.
• hedges need to be neatly trimmed. Fences neat. Lawns mown. Flower beds weed free.
• brightly coloured and well maintained hanging baskets and flower boxes make it look extra special.
The interior particulars, if just a written blurb, will not be much more than a list of room dimensions, and maybe a mention of anything of special interest... for example a new fitted kitchen, range cooker, a mention of the heating system, and maybe details of bathroom suite and tiling.
If, on the other hand, pictures of the interior are to be taken steps to increase saleability MUST be taken immediately you consider putting your property on the market...
Clutter and features which are highly individual MUST GO!
Buyers must be able to see space. They need to think about how all their possessions WILL fit easily into the rooms. Pale colours will make the rooms appear larger, but get the painting done early... you don't want the smell of paint lingering when you are about to show people around the property. Other lingering smells which you don't notice, but which may be off-putting to prospective purchasers are smoke... cigarette, cigar, or pipe; stale food smells; and pet odour.
Think of the house as an item you are about to sell and make it appealing to buyers... it will no longer be YOUR home, so your personality shouldn't be stamped on it... it needs to be a fresh canvas for someone else to paint upon!
Get everything clean and tidy. Fresh flowers with a strong scent are a good touch!
NOW you are ready to have either interior pictures taken, or to show round prospective purchasers...
If there are, horror of horrors, stains on your carpeting... the following is some useful information on carpet cleaning and STAINS. To obtain YOUR FULL FREE LIST go to Carpet Cleaners on the Best UK electrical appliances website mentioned below... and fill out a request for your free copy at the bottom of the page.
The first third of the list is reproduced below.....
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Carpet cleaners...
I have decided to make three separate alphabetical lists... each list will have the same pre-treatment instructions at the top, followed by the instructions for each type of stain.
It would be a good idea to print it out and staple the resultant pages together, keep in a folder with your carpet care emergency kit.
The first carpet cleaners list will detail water based stains which require just the one method of cleaning - carpet shampoo.
Another will detail greasy stains which require just one method of cleaning - dry cleaning solvent, or methylated spirits.
The third carpet cleaners list will detail - all those stains which require treatment by more than one cleaning method, or use a totally different method of cleaning.
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### Stain removal hints and tips. First, and most important, treat all stains as soon as they happen... the longer they are left the more they can soak in, and become, in some cases, permanent.
If it is a case of liquid material, mop up as much as possible with the kitchen towels and terry towelling in your 'carpet care emergency kit'. Always work from the outside of the stain in towards the middle, that way you won't spread the stain to a larger area. If the stain material is solids... scrape up as much of the solid matter as possible and dispose of it, then use kitchen towels to mop any liquid deposit.
Once you have carried out these immediate steps it is a case of ascertaining how much, if any, stain persists... then treat the remaining stain according to the recommendations below.
Don't add any liquid to the stain [unless specified in our detailed instructions, below]... it could spread it and send it deeper into the pile or even get the back of the carpet wet. Where it is appropriate to clean with carpet shampoo only get your cloth damp enough to get the carpet moist NOT wet.
A time when you do use liquid is for fresh blood stains... then use COLD water only... and remember to start at the outside edge of the stain and work towards the centre... keep changing to a clean cloth or kitchen towel as the one you are working with becomes soiled. Keep blotting up excess water... don't get the carpet too wet.
The stain will need to be dried out to see how well it has come out... do this by putting a pile of kitchen towels on it with some heavy weights... try 'phone books and yellow pages, etcetera, and add extra weight to these by placing extra books on top of them. This will bring the damp out. If the stain has all but gone, maybe a general shampooing of the whole carpet will restore it to its former glory.
But if once you have completed these basic steps, if more cleaning is required REMEMBER... ALWAYS try all other steps out in an out-of-sight area of the carpet first. If there appears to be a problem with 'colour fade' or other distortions of the carpet pile or colour... CALL IN THE EXPERTS for this particular job.
Another tip... when you first buy and have fitted a new carpet... ALWAYS make a note of the constituents of the carpet. Wool, cotton, and artificial fibres will react differently to some cleaning fluids. Keep these notes with your cleaning kit... they could be helpful to both you, and any professional cleaners you may call in during the life of your carpet.
If you are not so lucky, it could be that it will be necessary to call in professional carpet cleaners... remember they will need to know exactly what caused the stain in the first place. The more information you can supply the better... and also the sooner they are called in the better!
Just one last mention... don't try to dry the carpet artificially... you could cause scorch marks, or, especially if the carpet is synthetic or part synthetic, ruin the pile entirely. Just follow the instructions as above and keep the whole area well aired... other than that all you can do is hope for the best.
List One... Water based stains requiring carpet shampoo treatment
• Animal stains... remove excess as in - ### above - blot dry. Then treat with carpet shampoo. [If the stain has penetrated to the back of the carpet you could well need to call in professional carpet cleaners.]
• Beer & Lager... remove excess as in - ### above - blot dry. Treat with carpet shampoo.
• Blood... treat as - ### above. Then use carpet shampoo.
• Felt tip pens, water based... treat as - ### above - followed by carpet shampoo.
• Fruit juices... treat as - ### above - then follow with carpet shampoo.
• Metal polish... treat as - ### above - then clean with carpet shampoo to which a little household ammonia has been added [N.B. Please read the precautions stated, the fumes are dreadful!]
• Mud/garden soil... First, and most important... let it dry. Then brush. Then vacuum. After this you MAY need to use carpet shampoo.
• Mustard [ready made]... treat as - ### above - then shampoo.
• Perfume... treat as - ### above - then use carpet shampoo.
• Toothpaste... treat as - ### above - then shampoo.
• Treacle and golden syrup... treat as - ### above - then shampoo your carpet.
• Wine... treat as in - ### above - then shampoo. It is possible to obtain a special wine clean up liquid from Betterware... you can use it on carpets and table linen. A valuable addition to your 'carpet care emergency kit'.
The information on 'stains' is taken from Best UK Electrical Appliances where you can find details of best appliances, best prices, and best suppliers... and so MUCH more! You will be able to kit out your new home with best buys... from breadmakers to washing machines, from carpet cleaner to cooker or mp3!
About the Author
Owner and creator of Best UK electrical appliances where you will find the remainder of the info on stains on the 'Cleaning' page and also TheWorldsBestFlowers... best reliability and value for money is a priority.
Written by: Jacqueline
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