Tips to help sell your house
With thanks to LFN Digestive
Buyers today are taking much longer to make up their minds, viewing an average of 19 properties before finally making a decision. And when they finally do put in an offer, it's usually well below the asking price.
Here are a few basic rules you should always follow before putting your house on the market.
Kerb appeal: They say you can only make one "first impression," and people usually form their first impression within 30 seconds. The front of your house is a good place to spend a little extra time and money. Plant flowers, trim bushes, weed, pick up leaves, repaint your front door, replace tarnished house numbers or a dented mailbox, get a brand-new neutral doormat, and park your old car somewhere else.
Clean: Your home must sparkle! Spring clean your house from top to bottom before putting it on the market. Make sure your windows are clean inside and out too.
Fix: Got a dripping tap or a cracked tile? These will send the wrong message to potential buyers. Getting all problems fixed before you put your house on the market is a smart idea.
Eliminate Clutter: This may be the hardest rule of all! We love our clutter - it reflects our memories, hobbies, and values. But it doesn't sell homes! Clutter makes homes seem smaller and disorganized. (Have you ever noticed that the really expensive stores seem to have an expansive, clutter-free layout, while "cheap" stores are often a jumble of merchandise?)
Neutralise: Neutral colours sell. It's a fact. Try to convey an image of quality and neutrality. Potential buyers walking through your home want to imagine themselves as the owners. If you use styles or colours they would never select, you've just turned them off.
De-personalize: Remove objects that your potential buyers won't be able to identify with. For example, political and religious items may turn off whole groups of buyers, because they cannot "imagine" your home as their home. Buying a home is an emotional decision, and you want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home by being able to "see" themselves in it.
Pets: Always keep your pets under control. Try confining them to a specific area. Although you may love your pets, they can be off-putting to other people, and smells can be offensive, so make sure there are no lingering odours in furniture or flooring.
Lighting: Make sure you have adequate lighting in every room, use subtle mood lighting to create the right atmosphere in each room and check all your bulbs work.
Accessories: By using the right accessories, you can enhance your rooms and create a feeling of unity by using harmonious colours. Use mirrors to reflect light and space, and use plants and fresh flowers to bring life to rooms and add a natural fragrance.
In the meantime the market is continuing to show a lot of movement with prospective buyers coming again mainly from the Euro zone. But whilst the interest is there the buyers are more particular in both price and quality. A good coat of paint: And more importantly, don't overprice it in the hope of a miracle, they don't happen any more!!
Good luck and good health to all, http://french-property-sale.com/ Jo Slater
Inside the church you will see a horseshoe arch separating the nave from the altar. This is typically Visigothic. All the experts agree that the capitals above the pillars holding it, are Visigothic. The pillars themselves are “antique marble re-used.” Maybe even Roman. So it sounds to me that the church, maybe much smaller, existed in the 8th century and was renovated several times, obviously. The last one was done in 1853 – see the date above the arch.
Outside is a tiny graveyard. Standing in it one sees clearly the Romanesque style of the doors and windows. I believe the door on the left was not the original entrance – that would have been where is now the road, for the church was orientated west-east, as Visigothic churches always were. One entered St. Martin des Puits and saw that lovely arch straight ahead, and the frescoes.
