Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make, so it pays to get it right from the very start.
At Alan Batt Sales & Lettings, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners across Wigan and the surrounding area achieve the best possible price in the shortest possible time. And what we’ve learned over the years is backed up by the data: the way your property is priced, presented and marketed from day one makes all the difference.
Here are 14 tips that every seller should know before they put their home on the market.
1. The First Month Is Your Most Important
Research shows that properties which sell typically generate at least 40% more interest than comparable homes that linger on the market. Most properties receive 70% of their total interest in the first two weeks alone. That’s when Rightmove alerts go out and buyers are actively filtering for new listings.
In 2024, the average number of viewings needed to agree a sale was 17, with half of those taking place in the first fortnight.
If your property receives an enquiry on day one, there’s an 80% chance it will sell. That drops to 70% in the first week, 60% in the first two weeks, and just 40% if no enquiry comes in during that opening fortnight.
The message is clear: make the most of your launch window.
2. Price It Right From The Outset
This is arguably the single most important factor in achieving a successful sale.
Properties that reduce their asking price are 26% less likely to sell than those that don’t, take three times as long to find a buyer, and are twice as likely to have a sale fall through. Reduced properties typically end up achieving just 84.36% of their original asking price. It takes an average of 73 days to sell a home that has needed a price reduction of 5% or more, compared to just 28 days for correctly priced homes.
The sweet spot for maximum price is an agreed sale within 8 to 14 days of listing. Agents with an average selling time of nine days achieve 102% of the asking price on average.
When Alan and the team carry out your free valuation, we take all of this into account, giving you an honest, evidence-based figure that’s designed to attract strong offers quickly.
3. Respond To Enquiries Fast
38% of Rightmove users expect a response within one day, and 31% within two, meaning 69% of buyers want to hear back within 48 hours. If you don’t respond quickly, someone else will.
It’s also worth knowing that more than half of all enquiries go unanswered across the industry. At Alan Batt, we make it a priority to follow up every enquiry promptly, because every lead is a potential buyer for your home.
4. Don’t Neglect Your Kerb Appeal
First impressions count, and they count before a buyer even steps through the door.
An overgrown or poorly maintained garden is the biggest factor that puts buyers off (26%), followed by a dated exterior (17%) and shabby windows (14%). As many as 93% of buyers say they would reduce the offer they’re willing to make if your home has a poorly kept exterior, and 29% would simply turn around and walk away without viewing the rest of the property at all.
Before your photos are taken, it’s worth spending a few hours tidying the garden, cleaning windows, touching up paintwork and making sure the front door looks its best. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, but it can make a significant difference to the offers you receive.
5. Get Your Photography Right
80% of people browsing Rightmove will click on a listing purely because the first image appeals to them. 59% will bypass a property entirely if the first photo is unappealing. Over 70% of Rightmove traffic is on mobile, where only your lead photo is visible in the search results. You have roughly two seconds to capture a buyer’s attention.
We use professional photography on every instruction. Estate agents using high-quality professional photography alongside floorplans, 360 tours, videos and drone photography get 93% more enquiries, are 39.4% more likely to agree a sale, and achieve an average of 1.63% more for the property. Professionally marketed homes also sell 24 days quicker.
6. Include A Video Or Virtual Tour
Property listings with a video or virtual tour receive 8% more detail views and 6% more enquiries than those without. Homes with a video tour sell on average 50% faster, yet only 34% of properties on Rightmove include one.
We include video tours as standard on every property we market.
7. Always Have A Floorplan
37% of buyers will not enquire on a property without a floorplan. Having one increases enquiries by 12%, and according to Zoopla, 80% of buyers look at the floorplan before even looking at the photos.
Despite this, only 10% of agents include a floorplan on every listing. At Alan Batt, every property we market includes a detailed floorplan with measurements and overall square footage, no exceptions.
8. Maximise Your Listing With All The Key Features
A property advert with photos, a floorplan, a video and an exact location gets up to 145% more detail views compared to one that only has photos. Rightmove research also shows that the top 5% of agents generate at least 34% more detail views, 46% more email leads per property, and sell 34% faster than average.
Getting every element of your listing right isn’t optional. It’s essential.
9. Use Featured And Premium Listings
You can double your detail views by making your property a featured listing, and increase views by a further 20% with a premium listing. We include these as part of our marketing package to make sure your home gets maximum visibility from day one.
10. Price Psychologically
The “£X99,999” style of pricing is outdated in property. Listing at a clean price point, one that sits at the minimum or maximum of a search bracket, ensures your property appears in searches both above and below that figure. Listings priced this way get 11% more views than those that aren’t.
11. Keep Your Listing Fresh
Updating your photos and description every couple of weeks can increase detail views by around 10%. We proactively monitor how your listing is performing and will advise you when a refresh could help re-engage buyers.
12. Consider Home Staging
A Zoopla report found that staged homes in the UK sell for an average of £3,100 more than un-staged properties. Rightmove research suggests staged homes sell for 8% more overall, and in around 45 days compared to 99 days or longer for non-staged homes.
You don’t need to go overboard. Decluttering, depersonalising and arranging furniture to make rooms feel spacious and light can be enough. We’re happy to walk through your home before photos and offer practical advice on what will make the biggest impact.
13. Highlight Chain-Free Status
If you’re chain-free, shout about it. Listing a property as chain-free results in 9% more views and a 33% increase in buyer enquiries on average. It’s a significant selling point that we’ll always make clear in your listing where applicable.
14. Use The Right Keywords In Your Description
Your written description isn’t just a formality. It’s a sales tool. Make sure it highlights the genuine benefits of the property and speaks to the lifestyle it offers, not just a list of rooms.
We work with Rightmove and Zoopla directly and know what buyers in your area are searching for. When we write your property description, we make sure every word is working as hard as possible.
Ready To Sell?
The data is clear: properties that are correctly priced, professionally presented and actively marketed from day one give sellers the best chance of achieving a great price and seeing the sale through to completion.
At Alan Batt Sales & Lettings, everything we do is designed around giving you that edge. If you’re thinking about selling and want to find out what your home could achieve in today’s market, get in touch with Alan, Holly, Luke or the rest of the team. We’d love to help.