00:00Selling a property here in the North East means standing out even in a market that has recorded stronger price
00:07growth than much of England.
00:09Rightmove's September 2026 figures show homes in the region can take around eight weeks to find a buyer.
00:17While asking prices have remained strong across Britain, the number of properties for sale has been high, giving buyers more
00:25choice and making presentation important for attention.
00:29Now that does not mean spending thousands on major renovation work.
00:33Simple jobs can make a home feel cleaner, brighter and better cared for, which may help it stand out in
00:39photographs and during viewings.
00:42Fresh paint, small repairs, tidier outdoor spaces and fixing signs of wear can all change how a property is presented.
00:49None of those steps can guarantee a sale and price remains important, but there are practical ways to make a
00:56home more appealing before it reaches the market.
01:00I would always say start small, but the most important thing is that you've got to start.
01:03How many of us have a plan or a project and we just keep putting it off or don't get
01:07round to it?
01:08I started with a Dalmatian wall with doing a stencil, but yeah, start with something like painting a wall, putting
01:14up a shelf, perhaps changing out a fitting in your home and, you know, things like changing the handles on
01:20cabinets.
01:20That's a really easy one to do and it can be super impactful, totally change the look of a unit.
01:25And we're seeing so many more people now, you know, Facebook Marketplace, the unit's up for sale, you can get
01:30it much cheaper and then paint it and upgrade the handles and you have a brand new fantastic piece of
01:35furniture.
01:35So I would always recommend, yeah, having a drill and a level.
01:39They're probably my two most used tools at the start.
01:42And then a nail gun is one that I think people find quite daunting because it makes quite a loud
01:46noise when you use it, but it can be a fantastic piece of kit around the home.
01:51Definitely having, you know, a screwdriver set you can turn to.
01:54And another favourite of mine is a mouse sander, you know, for taking back some wood that's maybe got a
01:59stain on it or removing, you know, a kind of darker wood stain that you're not a fan of.
02:02A mouse sander is definitely a good job for that.
02:05Those simple improvements will not guarantee a sale, but they can help a property make a stronger first impression when
02:12buyers are comparing several homes.
02:14That matters here in the northeast where values vary widely from one area to another.
02:21Office for National Statistics figures for July 2026 put the regional average at £167,000, with Hartlepool among the cheapest
02:32areas at £137,000 and Northumberland amongst the most expensive at £213,000.
02:40The key is to avoid over-investing before a move while making sure the home looks cared for, well presented
02:48and ready for buyers to imagine themselves living there.
02:52In a competitive market, that first impression can be the difference between securing a viewing and being passed over.
