How to Prepare a Property for Sale at Auction

Auctions provide a quick and dependable way to sell properties, but it’s important to remember that the usual rules of property marketing still apply. Buyers may be willing to take on repair work or compromise on condition, but they’ll notice the same things as private buyers.

Evidence of neglect won’t bother professional property developers, but it could put off people attending their first property auction – potentially leading to lower (or fewer) offers when your property goes under the hammer.

If you want to sell a property at auction for the best possible price, a little effort can yield big rewards. We’re not suggesting you professionally stage an interior or re-render a spalling façade, though these would also increase a property’s appeal.

Below, we’ve assembled a quick and easy five-point guide for anyone looking to sell a property at auction at the highest possible price…

If you want to sell a property at auction, it’s crucial to maximise its kerb appeal and minimise internal clutter before it goes live

Five Key Steps to Sell a Property at Auction

1. Plan in advance. Because auctions involve shorter timeframes than other methods of property conveyancing, being organised is vital. As soon as you can access the property – or straight away if it already belongs to you – go through each room and make a list of jobs based on the points below. Draft an achievable timeframe for each one, and tick items off this to-do list as they’re completed.
2. Declutter. Maybe you’ve inherited a bungalow from a relative, or need to sell a property at auction after a tenancy has ended. Either way, buyers don’t want a previous occupier’s clutter. Save time by calling in a professional house clearance company, or do it yourself by scheduling bulk uplifts of unwanted furniture and donating smaller items to charity. A skip can accommodate everything else.
3. Do basic maintenance. Stand outside the property – ideally across the road – and think about the first impression it might create. Are there weeds poking out of the pavement outside, spalling paintwork, black sacks piled up by the front door or stains down the brickwork? A disinfectant scrub and power wash can work wonders, alongside weeding, tidying and pruning overgrown plants.
4. Clean the interior. Building on the last point, before you sell a property at auction, clean it as far as possible. Scrub black mould off sinks and splashbacks, wash carpets to restore some pile and shine, and remove any cobwebs that might stop arachnophobes setting foot inside! If time is short, book a local cleaning company to conduct an end-of-tenancy clean once it’s been vacated and decluttered.
5. Add splashes of colour. Even a drab or tired property will have extra kerb appeal and character after an injection of colour. Add hanging baskets and window boxes, a decorative wreath on the front door, or artificial ivy trellising down side returns and exposed garage walls. Do the same inside with coloured roller blinds, large rugs, vases of artificial flowers and lightweight box canvas wall prints.

Need More Advice?

At Property Auctions News, we know all about how to sell a property at auction. We’ve published numerous guides on this fast-moving industry, from the best books about property auctions to roundups of the best property podcasts.

You’ll find a great deal of useful information in these resources about how to sell a property at auction at the first attempt, achieving a strong price.