12.5 million households regret their home buying or renting decision

A staggering 12.5 million households have indicated that they regret certain things about their home according to a recent survey by The HomeOwners Alliance and Resi.co.uk.

The lockdown has uncovered issues that have previously gone unnoticed. The survey says:

"Staying at home 24/7 is making a lot of homeowners regret their choices. The things we didn’t get right from the start are really starting to nag us."

The key reasons for the regrets as:

- insufficient storage

- too much noise

- maintenance and repair issues (roof, electrics, boiler, plumbing, heating, damp and insulation)

Learn more about this survey, here.

This amounts to 23% of those surveyed enduring rather than loving their home. If you are in the enduring category rather than the loving category you may well be thinking of selling, once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

There are a number of factors that may influence your decision to sell and these include:

- the Prime Minister intends to set out his exit plan on Sunday, for the gradual easing of the lockdown - this should give us all clarity and help us move forward with our plans

- the property sector and others, including Peers, have been lobbying hard to be one of the first to return to work (potentially early May) because of the multiplier affect the property sector has on the remainder of the economy. Read more here.

- a recent Rightmove survey has concluded that the majority (94%) of buyers are determined to move ahead with a home purchase once lockdown restrictions are eased. Miles Shipside, Rightmove's commercial director, said:

"The resolve of buyers and sellers to carry on with their sale is clear, whether it's those who are going through the conveyancing process already or those who currently have their home on the market or who want to buy when lockdown ends."

Read more here.

- most homes listed on Rightmove's website have remained intact. Their stock levels are reportedly down by just 2-3% since lockdown started. 10% of transaction are going ahead as planned and over half are postponed, although will continue post lockdown.

- with everyone in lockdown, there's more time available to carry out research on the various property portals

How sort style and stage can help

If you are thinking of selling, it's more important than ever that your home stands out from the crowd - to achieve that, it must be staged and staged well. The advantage of a professional home staging service is, that we provide an independent unbiased view, understand the market and can quickly implement targeted, cost effective solutions so your home appeals to the right buyers.

Here's how we can help:

1. send us your details to [email protected]

2. we'll arrange a no obligation call, at a time to suit you, to understand your priorities

3. we book you in for a virtual home staging consultation. We undertake a room by room walkthrough (using communication tools which suit you) to identify what needs to be done to maximise your home's appeal to buyers and to suit your specific circumstance. Virtual staging suits those homes that are empty or require some virtual renovation. We recommend home staging once the lockdown restrictions are eased. For the remainder of homes, home staging is the right solution

4. we'll either arrange your virtual staging or prepare an action plan and pencil in a date for home staging (including our complementary professional photos) once lockdown restrictions have been removed

Our professional home staging service will maximise your chances of selling and for the best price and as quickly as possible

Don't hesitate, contact us to arrange your FREE, no obligation, call at [email protected]

The Sunday Times 100 Ways to Add Value

We very much enjoyed reading Sunday's edition of #TheSundayTimes, particularly all their references to #sort, which we consider a fundamental part of preparing your home for sale, hence our company name. They include 100 ways to add value to your home during lockdown. Read more here.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you at [email protected]