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A Proven System to Achieve the Best Price for Your Property - Stress
Free by the Experts |
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Seller Information Preparing to Sell Presenting to Sell Home Inspection Checklist Sale Documentation Information that Sells What Motivates People to Buy? Pricing Your Home Inside the Minds of Buyers and Sellers Sworn Valuations Essential Campaign Information Negotiating to Sell Moving Checklist Packing Checklist |
Preparing Your Home for Sale Vendors who put in the effort and present their property well receive the rewards of first offers, and often the best prices. The following tips will help you to achieve the best results. Remove the emotion This is a primary piece of advice and it applies to all real estate transactions. Have you ever noticed the way real estate agents use the words "house" and "home" selectively? To buyers they always refer to the property as a home because of the warmth that the word conjures up in the minds of the potential buyer. However, when talking to the sellers, the agent will refer to the property as a house. In contrast to "home", the word "house" sounds so stark and emotionless! Many property owners have strong emotional ties with their homes and by starting with a basic language distinction, the process of breaking those bonds can commence. It helps get the seller in the right state of mind to prepare and present their house for sale. Aim for anonymity You may have noticed the way many display homes are presented in a particularly impersonal manner. Furniture rental companies and interior decorators are often hired to carefully construct a display that will appeal to the broadest range of people. These displays are characterised by the absence of personal items. When potential buyers see things in a house that quite obviously belong to another, it is more difficult for them to imagine the house as their home. To prevent this from happening, aim to encourage the dreams and imaginings of the potential buyer. Remove personal belongings such as family photos to create a kind of blank canvas for potential buyers. Remove the clutter Storage space sells and it is worth a lot of money. However, space is not space unless people can see it! So, clear out all of your storage spaces including wardrobes, drawers, shelves and cupboards. Have a garage sale to get rid of all of the items you no longer want or need. Donate items that are still in good condition to charity. Start in the kitchen, and work your way through the rest of the house. Eradicate the clutter from every nook and cranny! Repairs Expenses are to be kept to a minimum! Don't do anything other than cosmetic repairs. Fix things so that buyers don't go around saying to themselves as they go, "this door doesn't swing, that tap is dripping, the handle is off that cupboard, the globe needs replacing, the wire on the clothes line has broken" etc. These general wear and tear items don't amount to much on their own. However, if the problems are numerous, it may have an effect on buyers that multiplies with each additional fault. These are all time consuming jobs but they cost very little to fix. Check the light fittings, dust and wash them. Check the light switches and the faders. There is nothing more frustrating than a broken switch or a fader that looks like it could set the house on fire! Go into the kitchen and have an objective look at the taps. Do they drip? Do they look the part? Do they meet water standards? If they don't, then buy a set that will. It is probably a good idea to replace all the washers in all the taps, inside and outside. Dripping taps and leaking toilet cisterns are one of the greatest causes of potable water wastage in residences. Clean up any water stains. If this means repainting, then so be it! It's one less cost and one less painful job for the buyer. Fix any broken tiles if you have spares, if you have carpets, get them steam cleaned. Remember that you are moving out! A prospective buyer most likely will have a different taste to your own. If that is the case, they will simply remove whatever you have put down, even if it's brand new. Clean all of the windows on the exterior and interior. If any are cracked, replace the glass. Remember to conduct the squeak test! Recheck the windows with a can of WD40. Make sure that all doors and cupboards have handles and that all doors swing open and closed without difficulty. The garden and surrounding grounds A drought stressed garden is very hard to look at, so give it that lift it needs just before and during the campaign. Save water from the shower with a bucket. If the whole family does this you will find that your garden will hang on and will look the part on selling day. Re-use of laundry water or grey water is a good solution to water restrictions. Display the outdoor furniture setting to show off a certain lifestyle. Don't have any washing flapping in the breeze during inspections. Make sure that driveways have had any oil stains cleaned up and that the pathways and sideways around your house have been swept. If you have a fishpond, birdcage or other animal enclosures, make sure they are as clean as you would like them to be. A pool looks great on a beautiful sunny day when it's clean and free of leaves. Make sure you pay extra attention to it during the sale campaign because it will give the place a fantastic lift. Fences should look presentable! If there are a few loose palings straighten them up. It's a good idea to give painted or oiled fences a touch up. If the walls of your house are timber, give the exterior a wash, but only if water restrictions allow. Hoses cannot be used for this purpose during water restrictions. |
T E S T I M O N I A L S "Thank you for making the sale of father's estate properties so easy at such a difficult time."
"What can we say - an absolutely fantastic result. You handled all situations professionally, with good humour and a totally positive attitude."
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