From Selling Sunset to Dream Home Makeover, there is something wonderfully aspirational about real estate reality shows. They create the illusion that selling a house is all marble worktops and six-inch heels, that the deal will be done within minutes, probably over cocktails by an infinity pool, and that contracts will be signed with a tinkling laugh and a chink of glasses.
While these shows are undoubtedly entertaining, house selling doesn’t necessarily happen as quickly as the Netflix property shows would have us believe, not always anyway. There are a few things you can do to try to capture some of the style and recreate that reality show energy.
From LA to Leicester
In something like Buying Beverly Hills, our homebuyers normally have budgets in the millions. The properties they are buying are mansions, mansions that have already had thousands of dollars spent on them to clean and style them ready for sale, most likely by a whole team of professionals.
Now let’s take an average UK house for sale – a three-bedroom semi in Leicester for example. It’s unlikely that you’ll have a gang of stylists round to bake fresh bread and carefully arrange your curtains before a viewing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pull out a few tricks of your own. Even something as simple as a front door makeover can make a huge difference – first impressions really do count.
Then you’ve got the estate agents, of course. On the shows, they’re all about you – you feel like their very life depends on getting those viewings and securing you a buyer. They won’t sleep until they’ve found the perfect person to move into your house – they waft from room to room in their expensive suits and designer shoes, selling a dream lifestyle. Buyers are putty in their hands.
Pan back to Leicester – how can you create this same level of ‘lights, camera, action’ ease when it comes to selling your home away from the spotlight?
A New Approach to Buying and Selling
If you find yourself Googling ‘sell my house in Leicester‘ while simultaneously binge-watching Selling Sunset, inspired by the swiftness of every sale, then you’re in luck – there is an easy way to recreate the simplicity and speed that we see on television. In fact, you can skip the viewings entirely and still sell your house with a cash-buying service.
With these services you won’t need to worry about styling or polishing your kitchen worktops until they shine (although if it makes you happy, then go for it!). They simply look at the basics and make you an impartial offer, just like that. No plot twists and no ad breaks.
Selling your home for cash isn’t going to make a reality TV show any time soon, but that’s only because there’s a distinct lack of drama.