The preparation you put into readying your property for sale can be the difference between a standard price and a great price. The best part is, it’s not hard, time consuming or expensive. The process, or indeed art, of presenting your property for sale is an important one to master. Whatever your motive for selling, the sale formula can be stress free and lucrative or tense and disappointing. The good news is that you have the ability to choose. Ask your Ray White Toowoomba sales consultant for their help in providing a constructive overview.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
The first impression must be positive when a buyer visits your property. A home that “shows well sells well”. Experience frequently indicates that a well presented home will sell more quickly and, usually, for a higher price. In preparing your home for the market, the aim is to control the costs and to enhance its appeal.
An excellent test is to go outside, close your eyes and say to yourself… “I’m a buyer seeing this house for the first time!” Go right through the house and look at it as a potential buyer would. Make a list of all the chattels that will remain in the house. Anything you may wish to take with you should be noted on the contract as an exclusion.
Listed here are a few tips on helping you get a better price for your home
Have an exterior house wash
This isn’t expensive and can really give a lift to paint work. Use of a soft wash rather than water blasting may be the best method unless the paint work is very robust … and don’t forget the fence, gate, paths and decks.
Maximise available sunlight
Sunlight is one of the most universal requirements when presenting your home so make sure you allow plenty inside. Tree pruning may provide a real bonus if it allows more light into your home.
What about a few pot plants
The careful placement of some pot plants around the entrance can lend a touch of colour and make your home feel more welcoming … best of all you can take them with you when you go.
Keep the lawns ship shape
This is very easy and inexpensive to do. Keep your lawns mown weekly and make sure the lawn edging is straight and crisp.
Remove garden rubbish
Garden rubbish is unsightly and detracts from the appeal of your garden, but it’s easy for each of us not to ‘see it’ because we’re used to it being there. So if you have a pile of ‘stuff’, get rid of it. This goes for the contents of your garage, old sheds and any other outbuildings.
Sparkling swimming pool
If you have a pool, ensure that it is clear of leaves, the water clean, tiles are clean top and bottom and any pool equipment is stored away.
Pets
Pets should be kept well out of the way during buyer inspections. You may cherish your pet but some people will not come into a house that has a dog running loose.
Inside appeal
Have a spring clean
Sounds obvious, but what a difference a spring clean can make. Carpet cleaning can help make a home look and even smell much more inviting, particularly if pets are present. When windows sparkle the whole home seems to take on more vitality and life.
Flowers and warmth
Fresh flowers are always welcoming in a home and smell wonderful which engages powerful sensory responses from a buyer. During summer open all windows and doors to the sun. In winter have the fire or heater going to warm the home up.
Make the most of your space
Space is another significant universal requirement so make the most of it by ‘creating’ a feeling of space. You can do this by removing clutter, storing things in boxes … even re-arranging the furniture. Make the most of the space in every room.
Spruce up the paint work
When it’s necessary, sprucing up the paint work can be an investment that pays big dividends. But remember it needs to be done well, rough edges or paint on the windows will send all the wrong signals to prospective buyers.
Don’t forget the bathroom and laundry
If mildew is present, use a commercially available mildew remover to give these naturally damp areas a fresh look. If there’s vinyl on the floor which needs replacement, do so with a relatively nondescript pattern. Inconsistencies will have buyers reducing potential offers to compensate. Ensure no part of these areas is showing noticeable wear.
Kitchens are important too
Don’t be fooled into thinking that kitchens are only important to women, men play an active role in kitchens too. The two key things which can most readily be done to improve the look are replacing cupboard doors (using the existing doors as templates) and, budget permitting, replacing the bench tops. Both of these are presentation purchases but in the right circumstances, can be well worth the investment.
Presentation of your property will influence a large percentage of buyers. Competitive environments to achieve best price are often found at properties where the owners have achieved a high level of buyer appeal.