How to put the shine on an empty home

Estate agents often give advice to people about decluttering their homes and even removing some furniture to make them look as spacious, light and airy as possible - but there is also such a thing as a home that is too empty. 

So says Berry Everitt, CEO of the Chas Everitt International property group, who notes: "A vacant home can be appealing to certain buyers who would like to move in as soon as possible, but generally, a home without any furniture, curtains or kitchen appliances will be harder to sell because prospective buyers will have trouble envisaging how their own belongings might fit in and what sort of lifestyle the property will accommodate.

"A home that has been empty for some time can easily also seem neglected and characterless, with an overgrown garden and dirty windows being enough to deter many buyers from even getting to the front door."

However, all is not lost, he says, because there is a shortage of well-priced homes for sale in many areas at the moment, "and a good agent will definitely be able to excite prospective buyers about even an empty property's potential if you give them some help".

So if you need to move to a new home and leave your old home vacant before it is sold, or you are selling a rental home where the tenants have already moved out, he suggests that you do the following:

* Give your agent a chance to take your listing photographs after you have decluttered and spruced up the property, but before you move out, so that potential buyers looking online will view it furnished. "An additional benefit of doing this is that it will fool criminals who search online listings for empty homes that are easy targets for theft and even illegal occupation."

* Once the home is empty, it should be thoroughly cleaned, paying particular attention to any marks and blemishes that may previously have gone unnoticed behind furniture and curtains. Just washing down the walls and filling in any picture hanger scars can make a big difference, says Everitt.

* Consider repainting and revarnishing. "There's nothing like freshly-painted walls and ceilings to make a home look move-in-ready rather than abandoned, and if you have wooden windows, floors or garage doors, a fresh coat of gleaming varnish will just add to that impression. You are also likely to recover many times the cost of the paint job in your sale price."

* Attend to the exterior. If you cannot do it yourself, it's definitely worth hiring a local gardener or garden service to keep the lawn cut, shrubs trimmed, leaves raked up, gutters cleared and pool cleaned, he says. "Your estate agent should be able to recommend a reliable and trustworthy service provider and you should also ask them to ensure that the home interior is swept and dusted as necessary, and opened up and aired out at least a couple of hours before any viewings."

* Keep the property secure. Everitt says you should enlist the help of the neighbours if possible to clear the post box regularly and let you know if they see anything untoward. If you have an alarm and security company, it's best to retain their services until the home is sold. "And whatever you do, make sure you keep up your home owner's insurance (HOC) until the property is transferred to a new owner."