and make it work for you, then
you must put yourself in the
shoes of a potential buyer.
What will they think as they
are drawing up to the property,
and how can you ensure
these thoughts are positive?
Similarly, when they fi rst step
through the front door, how
can you convert this interest
into desire and an off er?
Well, you have come to the
right place - Leggett is France's
most successful international
estate agency. Last year we
sold almost 2,500 properties
to buyers from 36 diff erent
countries. If you want to make
your property stand out from
the crowd, then here are the
three golden rules that I suggest
you follow...
START AT THE
BEGINNING
If you live in a house with
a driveway, walk to the end
and take in the visitors' view.
How could it be improved?
You need to ditch the clutter
and keep it clean and tidy but
think about adding colour.
Buy some big pots to go on
either side of your freshly
painted front door. Even in the
deepest winter, visiting your
local garden centre is worth
seeing what plants and shrubs
are available for a short-term
fi x. How about a couple of
inexpensive clipped boxwood
trees in grey planters to frame
your front door?
This might seem to be a lot
of eff ort in a buoyant market,
but keep sight of the fact that
you are attempting to sell
what is almost certainly your
biggest asset. Achieving a
quick sale will help you move
on with your life, and getting
a premium price will pay back
those planters a thousand
times.
One last thing when it
comes to the opening gambits.
I adore pets, particularly man's
best friend, but not everyone
is the same. Firstly, clear up
their mess, and secondly,
I
f there is one thing that
I have learned in my
decades of selling houses,
it is that fi rst impressions
count. I often quote the research
undertaken at Princeton University,
which tells us that when
we meet someone new, we
make our minds up about them
in just one-tenth of a second;
that's a blink of an eye. The
same goes for buyers when they
visit a property.
If you want to exploit this
Joanna Leggett is
Marketing director of
Leggett and a regular
panellist onTV show
Property Question Time.
SELLING PROPERTY
38 Leggett Magazine
Nobody knows as much about how to market your French
property as Joanna Leggett. For more tips, catch her each
month on Property TV on Sky 186.
Sell your house quickly,
at the best possible price!