If you’re one of the growing number of house sellers shunning traditional methods of sale, and of marketing it online, then clever you. You could save thousands on thousands of pounds in the process if you play your cards right. That’s money better spent on a rug for your new home or that coffee machine you’ve always been dreaming of, and more. So, with this in mind, these 5 IDEAL tips will help you sell your house fast without an estate agent.  

FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOUR HOME IS WORTH

So you’ve decided you’re going to do the job yourself? Great. First things first; find out how much your home is worth. You can ask estate agents to value your property, without actually committing to selling your home through that particular agency. Don’t feel guilty about doing this, theirs is an industry of smoke’n’mirrors, after all.

Take a look at the property section in your local papers or online to get a sense of a ballpark asking price –  is a similar home going for a price you’d be happy with? You can even get an online estimate, though these are based on algorithms and data about the surrounding area, so are not house specific.

START YOUR SELLING STRATEGY

Once you’ve got an idea of how much your home is worth, it’s time to come up with a selling strategy. There are loads of online sites where you can market your house without paying a single penny in fees. Tepilo, a site owned by property extraordinaire Sarah Beeny, is one of the best places to list your home for free.

While saving money is great, and every little helps, being too stingy can hinder the sale of your house. You’ll need to get your property on the prime property portals like Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location for the furthest reach. Don’t forget to exploit traditional methods like advertising in your local paper, too.

If, on the other hand, you live across the pond, you’d do well use a multiple listing service FSBO (For Sale By Owner). It’s the most cost-effective way to get your home listed on real estate websites without the services of an agent.

TAKE GREAT PHOTOS

According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, homebuyers revealed photos as the feature they used most when searching for a home. It’s certainly true that those with bad (or no) photos don’t make it past the cursory glance stage. Make sure you do your house justice by taking great photos of all that it has to offer; blurry photos from your iphone just won’t do – pointless and counterproductive. 

Think about the image you want to capture before shooting. Do it in the day so you capture natural light. Open the curtains and turn on the lights to make the rooms look as bright and open as possible.

Stage your home by popping some fresh flowers on the kitchen table, adding cushions to your sofas or stack some magazines. All of this adds up to an overall image of your house which will merit further investigation. However, don’t be misleading and make your home look like something it’s not. If your own photography skills are in doubt, hire a professional – all good agents have one.

Read: 6 top tips for hosting virtual viewings

KNOW YOUR HOUSE

When selling online, you’ll be doing all of the legwork and showing those prospective buyers around yourself, so do your homework. Remember to take measurements of the rooms and know the square footage incase someone asks (if you haven’t measured, they’re sure to ask).

Make a mental note of all the best things about your house that you’ll want to show off. Does the bedroom get a lot of natural light in the morning? Are the windows double glazed? Is the garden south facing? Then for heaven’s sake, make the most of these features.

While keeping your house looking topnotch and showing people around may get tiresome, remember that being able to do this yourself puts you in a really strong position. You know your house better than anyone, so use that to your advantage and really sell it.

MAKE THE HOUSE LOOK GREAT

While there’s not much point in doing any major renovations just before selling, there are always minor repairs and tweaks that will raise the overall feel of the property. Will sprucing up your walls with a lick of paint make your house look more attractive? Then do it.

When people come over to view your place, they certainly don’t want to see disorder. They want to see a place they can imagine living in. Clutter, rubbish, a weird doll collection – anything that will negatively detract from them being able to see themselves living there – is a bad thing.Think about moving the furniture so the house looks bigger.

Finally, baking bread or putting a pot of coffee on just before they come round is a classic estate agent trick which really does work.

Christmas has come and gone and we are now left with the cold shoulder of this Winter Wonderland. The green solace of spring is a while off yet, so we might as well embrace winter in the meantime. Since we can’t do anything to change the weather outside, then maybe we can work on our perception of it instead. It’s time to look at the positives; the tap water is deliciously cold, overeating has given you a good level of insulation and, whisper it, the longest day of the year has already passed. Hey look! It’s light at 4:30pm again. With this spirit of optimism in mind, here are 4 IDEAL reasons to feel positive about winter.

THE IDEAL TIME FOR BINGE-WATCHING SESSIONS

If the weather outside makes you want to cuddle up under a warm blanket, then maybe you should follow your instincts and do just that. Hibernation stations at the ready! A binge-watching session may be just what you need this time of year, and with so many fantastic shows and movies to stream, you’re safe all the way up to March. You can worry about losing your job and all of your friends once the weather is a bit more bearable.

Once Netflix is fired up, the most difficult part is the paradox of choice which confronts us, so let us make a suggestion. We love experiencing the extremities of winter through the eyes of someone else. FX’s “Fargo”, then, is just the ticket. It features three seasons of quirky characters entangled in sticky crime mysteries, but, most importantly, it is a true inspiration for practical methods for dealing with a cold winter. The show is set in North Dakota, which means that you will get to see people dealing with harsher winters. We promise that most of them actually make it to the end of the season, and season. 

A CHANCE TO EAT SEASONALLY

It’s time to open your arms to a winter diet and we’re not talking about the faddy, foolish nonsense of the latest clean eating trend. No, we’re talking about simply eating what is good, fresh and local when it’s at it’s best. Nothing more, nothing less.The great thing about adapting your diet to the seasons is that fruit, vegetables and even game and fish are forever changing in their suitability, freshness and availability, so you’ll be keeping your diet varied, and constantly learning new recipes to suit what’s just come into season. What’s more, fresh produce which is ‘in season’ is at its most nutrient-rific. Artichoke, venison, turbot, blood orange, celeriac…it’s like a rolls-royce-roll-call of the best ingredients around, all at their peak right now.  A delicious no brainer, this one.

TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY MAKE YOUR OWN FUN

Probably the worst thing about January and February is that there isn’t much to get excited about, with the social calendar wiped clean by diets and low funds. With nothing to look forward to and friends otherwise engaged to Dry Veganuary, post-Christmas winter can be a bit of a drag. It’s up to you to find your own excitement, then, preferably from the comfort of your home. This could take the form of something brain-beneficial, such as an app purpose built to sharpen your mind or the learning of a new skill. Or, cast aside any notion of being good, and embrace levity. The engrossing online gaming world of Candy Crush, Chess With Friends and Scrabble will all provide the distraction you need to get you to spring.

Alternatively, consider trying your luck on US Powerball to raise the stakes during these slow months. Who doesn’t dream of winning the lottery, hey? With a bit of luck, you could win some of the bigger prizes the game has to offer. You could even make it a group activity and play Powerball as a syndicate with your best friends. That way, you can have a get together every time there is a draw; sociable and fun in equal measure. The worst case scenario; you get to spend an evening with your friends. The best; you win a few million. And then, you can really make your own fun!

THE PERFECT EXCUSE FOR UPDATING YOUR WINTER WARDROBE

From heated jackets to long warm coats and colored scarves, updating your wardrobe for winter isn’t frivolous, it’s an obligation. Having the chance to wear that new winter jacket for others to admire could be the impetus you need to get you out of the house. The groovy new bobble hat you bought might serve as the inspiration to go and socialise. Hell, the chance to show off your new scarf might, heaven forbid, make the first few commutes of the near year that bit more bearable.

A room without a rug is a room without love, a wise man in Persia once said. An area rug is a powerful thing indeed; it can make a bold statement as a focal point and can also set the tone for the overall decor of the room. As this feature can be so central to the feel of a home’s main spaces, it’s important to get it right. Rug style trends constantly shift and evolve with the times, so for those wanting to keep their domestic domain ahead of the curve, here are 5 IDEAL on-trend rugs for 2018.

HAND-KNOTTED RUGS

As a wider general trend moves towards the purchase of handmade and handcrafted goods in preference over the mass-produced, so too are rugs moving in this direction in 2018. Hand-knotted rugs can be softer, thicker and more durable than their mass-produced counterparts and can become a talking point in your room design too. A rug should do more than attract attention, it should be a true feature, to be sprawled across, sat on and enjoyed. A hand-knotted rug can make this piece of furniture one that is worth talking about as well as basing your room design around. Hand-knotted rugs, especially shag, will see an increase in popularity in the coming year, make no mistake.

PICTURE RUGS 

Wall art? Na. 2018 is all about floor art. More and more creative, contemporary rugs are being designed to mimic a piece of art, and that’s great news, we think. Just like a portrait or a landscape painting, these rugs are meant to be viewed as an entire ‘picture’. Although rugs with repeating patterns will always be a simple and stunning way to stylise any room, picture rugs are a more of a bold statement and an ideal way to express your sense of style, taste and self. The rugs by Nourison are a good example of this; many of the rugs they produce create an image that catches your attention as soon as you enter the room.

NATURE INSPIRED RUGS

Bring the outdoors in with nature inspired rugs this year. There is an overall trend in the interior design industry which is moving towards bringing nature into the home. Studies have shown that making the home and even the workplace more natural can enable you to feel more comfortable and relaxed in the room. We’re not talking about rugs with clunky, in-your-face pictures of trees on them, rather rugs that are inspired by, and use, the colours of nature. Think a rug with warm brown and copper tones, using abstract patterns to represent autumnal leaves or an area rug representing an aerial view of a rugged mountain surrounded by waters, again in an abstract kind of way. 

STRIKING FLORAL RUGS

Bright and striking floral rugs are also on-trend for 2018. The use of large and colourful flowers helps to give direction to the room as well as simply drawing the eye. The upstanding directional nature of a floral rug can help control the flow through the room and the bright colours can add some style too. Matching floral wall borders or furniture can also create a bold and striking floral theme that is on-trend for 2018.

ROUND RUGS

Rectangular rugs are always great, and the norm, but round rugs are becoming ever more popular. The mainstream awaits. It’s like we’ve only just realised how this surprisingly versatile shape can really change the feel of a room. A round rug can create a pocket of comfor in an open plan, hardwood floored room which is all the style these days.  An isolated chair on a round rug can be a refuge in a wide open plan space and serves to create comfort and homeliness in an otherwise vast expanse. Plus, most spaces in the house are filled with rectangular shapes and sharp edges; a round rug can help soften those edges, making any living area feel more inviting. You can’t go wrong with a comfy circular rug in you want to add a relaxed vibe to your kitchen.

Rugs trends vary from year to year, but 2018 is set to be a year that sees a resurgence of some styles and the introduction of newones. Round rugs, hand-knotted rugs and floral rugs are all making a return while picture rugs and nature-inspired rugs also look set to increase in popularity.

Whether you’re in a house full of students, a young professional cohabiting out of monetary necessity or someone living in shared accommodation for work, there are certain rules which make the house sharing experience a smoother, more bearable ride. We won’t insult your intelligence or manners with the basics; we know you know to flush the toilet from time to time, to slip some clothes on when there are visitors, and to keep the Tupac at low volume at two in the morning. Or at least, we hope you do. Instead, with being mindful at the forefront of our minds, here are 5 IDEAL tips on how to be the perfect housemate.

BE CONSISTENT

If you’re going to come back drunk and in full Wonderwall mode, don’t resent a similar chorus from your flatmate the following night. Should you feel your blood boiling at the empty space in your fridge where your cherished final slice of pizza once lay, cast your mind back to when you scoffed your housemate’s last jaffa cake. Hypocrisy and double standards are the enemies of a harmonious house, so be consistent in your expectations of each other.

BE SELF AWARE & COMMUNICATE

We all have our pet hate list; those little things that niggle and grate more than they ought to. Well, your housemate has their own set of annoyances too; unique to them and maybe not frequently voiced. You may think that they always use the last of the toilet roll and don’t replace it. And they might notice when you leave your half finished cups of tea lying around longer than is necessary. Be mindful and be self aware; habits woven into the fabric of your being could be totally strange to your cohabiting companion. Don’t let things fester (and we’re not talking about that mouldy cuppa), always communicate if something is irritating you, and expect the same of your housemate.

ARMS WIDE OPEN

An arms wide open, generous and inclusive vibe covers all multitude of sins in other areas of your domestic conduct. If you’ve opened a bottle of wine, always offer a glass. When making a cuppa, make a couple. If you’re having an adult sleepover, leave your door open. Okay, maybe not that one.

You don’t need to hang out together all the time – especially if you’re in shared student accommodation and the group is sizeable – but by fostering an environment of hospitality and largesse when you are in each other’s proximity, you’ll keep the mood of the house light and tension free. Once it’s gone the other way, into resentment, it’s hard to get things back on track.

ESSENTIAL SHOWER AND FRIDGE ETIQUETTE

The two biggest breeding grounds of hostility are without doubt the fridge and the shower. It’s vital, then, to replace and replenish items in both battlegrounds to maintain peace. Yes, we know this requires acute foresight – like predicting how many brushes are left in the toothpaste or how many number twos you may take over the weekend – but you’re an adult, you can do it! Also, removing something that has festered in the fridge for a while is one thing – but cleaning up someone’s personal mess is plain gross. If you’ve blocked up the toilet as a result of last night’s curry or clogged up the shower drain with your hair, then clean it up.

DO SOMETHING THOUGHTFUL FROM TIME TO TIME

Being a good housemate isn’t simply about damage limitation. To have your relationship with your housemates in the plus points rather than simply in neutral requires genuine acts of kindness. It could be something as small as paying a compliment to your flatmate on their outfit to a larger gesture like surprising the house with a wonderful home cooked meal. Just remember that everyone is a little difficult to live with at times, and nobody is perfect, so be kind, thoughtful and patient.