Property Development: One Little Secret Which Will Guarantee That You Sell Fast

I've been buying and selling houses from auction and property developing for over 10 years now. I'm going to share a little secret with you regarding properties within 100 to 250K price range.

My secret tip for moving that property on at (usually) just over the real market value is to give it "Kerb Appeal." You could study broadly Consumer Economics (and specifically the attitudes behind consumer spending) to grasp a greater understanding here. But I think I can give you enough to go on in a general, succinct manner.

With the introduction of consumer credit in the 70s an intrinsic nature within us all was subtly nurtured and teased out: and that is the desire to be richer than we actually are. Consumer credit gave us the power to have and be more than what we would otherwise be able to afford. You could simply pull out that piece of plastic and enjoy a slice of the high life. One could say that now, in the 21st Century, we are a culture addicted to and utterly depended on the power that consumer credit affords us in our relentless consumer spending habits. The fact that this could well be an engineered and intentional cultivation of our society towards more habitual, impulsive and forced consumer spending is for another discussion. The fact remains as it is: you don't need to look too far down the high street to see the compulsive, rampant displays of people who need to buy and who need those select purchases to feel richer and better off than they actually are.

Emotionally linked to symbolizing one's status, the same consumer attitude toward the attainment of an ever improving and greater materialistic gain in direct ratio to a feeling of personal wealth is no different in the shopping mall of retail property sales. People want the nicer looking, the bigger and more expensive house. They want the flash car on the drive; the picture perfect garden; luxury fixtures and fittings throughout; clean and bright rooms and all the mod cons.

Well, with only a modicum of extra time and money you can certainly create this high level wow factor and kerb appeal in any tired or rundown property. But the question you may now ask is this: will they then be able to afford to buy it?

It really doesn't matter. Houses are bought on credit. A retail buyer is far more likely to be emotionally pushed into taking on greater debt and its demands if the property produces a feeling of being better off and richer than they really are. (It still has to be within reach; and the asking price has to be proportionate to the properties within that immediate location. But that's just basics.)

The first emotional hook is instated the moment the prospective buyer first lays eyes on the property - so that's from the street as they walk up towards the front door. You have to create that initial "kerb appeal" and this needs to be done so as to stand out from every other property in view. In effect the house is screaming out I'm better than all the others. And it is better and you don't care that this is arrogant. You're going to sell this property fast. I must stress that this first emotional hook is not somewhere that you can afford to scrimp. You must create 'wow' and sensational kerb appeal; otherwise your efforts will be wasted. This aspect is very important.

The refurb options open to you at this point are numerous and diverse. However, I use only one company these days - a specialist external refurbishment company called DuraRend. The results are nothing but outstanding - they are extremely knowledgeable and highly skilled. I use them to create the kerb appeal on every single property I buy. And that's because I get results: my properties sell fast!

Okay, so what about internally?

Let's assume that you are refurbishing an outdated property (so we're not talking about design and build aspects which you might consider to improve a property's functionality/room flow). Two rooms will be installed as new every time: the kitchen and the bathroom, regardless of their current condition. These installations do not need to be expensive; they just need to be new. Residential buyers consider (nearly rightly) the Exterior facade, the kitchen, and the bathroom to be the most expensive areas of the house which they would ever need to concern themselves with.

The rest is mere paint and decoration, to once again look brand new. Obviously you have to use your discretion and judgment here: does this wall need plastering? Does this skirting need replacing? What contemporary fixtures and fittings should I use? Etc.

Personally, I also fit out the entire property with new contemporary furniture and near-latest electrical goods. I create a pristine, gorgeous and luxury atmosphere. You want to create an impression of a rich quality of life (in this very house). Of course, you will take furniture and electrical goods away with you when you sell and you'll use all of this again to create the same effect in your next investment property. But I think you get the idea.

I hope these tips have helped you and you find the same success as I have. More great tips for you will follow soon. Resource links are provided below.

Author: Peter Moore

Durarend: http://www.durarend.co.uk

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