Deciding to move house is not something to take lightly. Often, it takes a year or more of researching, planning, and thinking before you even make the first move towards selling.

With so much effort going into the process, before you've even got a for-sale board up, ensuring you are doing it properly from the outset makes sense. It is all well and good having a good cleanup and taking some lovely photographs, but unless you and your estate agent point out the important features a buyer is looking for, you could be missing out on viewings. Don't leave buyers to figure it out for themselves; highlight your property's USPs and make sure they are front and centre in the marketing so a buyer can clearly see your house is perfect for them.

You must know what buyers are actually interested in. You may have spent a fortune on top-quality fascia boards on your house. You might be very proud of them and really want to showcase them in the brochure. But will a buyer care? Or will they be more interested in whether the area is safe for their children to play?

By all means, note what you have spent money on, perhaps adding an addendum for the agents to show interested parties. However, something like the fascia boards is not a highlight to lead with.

The key things that a buyer is concerned with when selecting a property to buy are:

• Security—Buyers will want to know that the area is safe and that the property is secure. Of course you can point out the security system, perhaps even CCTV, but to go one step further, show the buyers that your home has been safe for your children, who have played freely in the gardens as they grew up. This will be more impactful than simply saying that there is a garden, as it will relate to the buyers' and their position more than simply saying that there is a garden.
• Potential—Whether we always act upon it or not, many of us like to buy a property that has potential for development. This could be an extension, renovation, or perhaps the garden has enough space to create a building plot. If there is potential to make your property bigger, highlight it in the brochure. Buyers might never do the extension, but it is nice to know there is an option if they want it.
• Turn-key - If your home is ready to move into without any work needed, you must make that clear. For as many buyers as there are who want to put their own stamp on a property, there are just as many who are too busy to renovate a property right now and would like somewhere ready to move straight into. It's one reason that new-build properties are so popular. Of course, you can't rebuild your home, but you can tell buyers there would be nothing to do to your property if they chose it.
• Tech - Modern lives are busy, and technology plays a part in almost everything we do now. Many tech options can make our lives easier, offering convenience, such as an automatic robot vacuum or lawn mower, saving us a job at the weekend. If you have implemented technology into the property, shout about it. You may have a sound system throughout the property or a dry cleaning machine to dry and iron your work shirts?
• Sustainability—Sustainability is no longer a fad but a key consideration for most people. Of course, older construction methods may not have been the most sustainable options, and there is nothing that you can do about that now, but if you have solar panels, for example, this could really help to sway a buyer, particularly if you generate an income from them.

If your home has a unique feature, show the buyers. Showcase these features in the marketing; don't just take photos and hope the perfect buyer will find them. It is not an easter egg hunt; buyers are busy, and it's easy to overlook something if it isn't front and centre. Highlight things a buyer will care about, and you'll be sure to attract viewings from people who are already aligned with your property, meaning that the chances of gaining an offer are increased before they've even crossed the threshold.

For more information about selling your property and getting it right, contact our team of property experts, who are there to guide you through every step of this process.