So, you’ve decided to move, either put your house on the market (or made the decision to), then this current, worrying, Coronavirus situation struck. Can you carry on selling a property during lockdown?
We’ve had a few people contact us and ask: “What should I do?”
So we decided to put our advice into a blog…
Don’t make any knee-jerk decisions
Coronavirus, lockdown and everything that has happened in the last few weeks, has all happened very quickly. With restrictions in place that affect things like physical viewings on properties, it would be very natural for you to feel like giving up the idea of moving altogether. HOWEVER, there really is no major reason why you should. If you’ve been thinking about moving, it’s probably been something you’ve been thinking about for a while, or perhaps have a real need to. In the grand scheme of things, and however overwhelming the situation is right now, we are confident that things will start to get back to normal (or at least, a new normal) in only a matter of time. It’s a fact of life, people need and want to move house, the government know this, and the property market will get going sooner rather than later.
Therefore, since you’ve already done a lot of the hard work by getting your home ready for selling, choosing an agent (hopefully us if you’re in the Bromley area!), getting your place valued and quite possibly on the market, you might as well carry on and use this time to…
Get ready for when the market picks up again
We know for a fact that there are a whole load of potential buyers at home who are still looking to move, and are using this time to ‘window shop’. Even people who weren’t previously considering it! Our website has had an increase in traffic to our residential properties page, as well as more hits on our Rightmove and Zoopla listings. Here are some things you can do to get you ahead of the property game when it’s all systems go once again:
- Add some extra value to your property if you can, whilst you are in lockdown and possibly have some more time on a weekend or during the week. If you can get your hands on some, a touching up paint work, tidying the garden, repairing anything broken, or simply having a good old declutter are good ways to spend your time.
- Spend some time looking for somewhere that YOU want to buy. You may have had slight tunnel vision when it comes to what kind of property you might like, but now could be a good time to think outside the box. Look at properties that are slightly below or above your budget; consider locations you hadn’t thought of before, re-check school catchments, and consider taking on a project.
- Make sure your finances are in shape. Coronavirus has obviously potentially had some far-reaching and unexpected implications on families’ finances. Review all your income and outgoings. Are there any savings you could make? Do you really need that gym membership now?! Is money being saved on petrol that offsets a bigger food shopping bill? By doing a bit of financial homework, you can hopefully be in the best place possible when it comes to getting that all-important mortgage offer.
- Launch a ‘Vendor Video Tour‘ Get people excited by your property by going on the market with us and filming ‘teaser’ footage of it, both inside and outside. We then edit the footage together, and potential buyers can view from the comfort of their living room. We’ve already had enquiries off the back of these, and the Evening Standard featured us due to their success so far!
If you have any other questions about selling during lockdown, then please do give us a call and we can put your mind at ease.
Find out what our clients have to say about their experience of using Bromley Property Company to sell their home here.
