With the housing market booming you might be thinking it’s time to sell and no doubt you’d like the dollar figure on the contract to be as high as possible. Fortunately there are things you can do to increase the value of your home without excessive outlays. Here’s 6 must dos for you to get your home ready for sale.
Declutter – The truth is people accumulate a lot of “things”. They might be your treasured possessions however the hard truth is that everyone else may not like your “things” as much as you do. In fact your worldly possessions can reduce the likelihood of people visualizing themselves living in your home. Get rid of anything you won’t need moving forward and store the rest in the meantime. The goal is to create a feeling of a display home. Not sure what that looks like? Go to your closest home display centre and take a walk through. Compare photos of display homes to photos of your own home.
Clean, clean, clean! – A clean house always sells faster and that means screens, ceilings, door tracks, everything! Cleaning will ensure your home feels as close to new as possible, extra light will enter through windows and your home will smell fresh. One good clean should easily get you through to sale day but clean like you never have before.
Clear the Air– When people come through your home you probably don’t want them to smelling the dog or last nights curry so consider the scent in your home. Naturally cleaning your home will assist here, but also use common sense around the scent of meals right before an open day. Ensure any drains are well cleaned and disinfected and check your toilets right before an inspection. Then add a scent for people to enjoy. It used to be considered appropriate to use the scent of fresh coffee or baked biscuits. These days we would opt for candles, foliage and fresh flowers instead.
The Prettiest House on The Street- First impressions really do count so don’t neglect the outside of your property. Make sure gardens are mulched, neat and thriving…that means cutting back or replacing dead plants and extra watering if the season is dry. Decks should be oiled, letter boxes well maintained and house numbers visible. Keep sheds tidy and pools sparkling clean. Check your front door. The paint and hardware should look fresh. Even more importantly can prospective buyers find your front door? If not a garden path is highly recommended by real estate agents. On open days, hose down paths, mow the lawns and put the welcome mat out (literally, a fresh beautiful welcome mat).
Finish the To Do List– Fix up any niggly little repairs around the home. Whether it’s a loose decking board or a plaster repair job new buyers don’t want to feel like they have anything to do except move in. If it’s not something you’re skilled at call in a local handyman.
Get The Experts to Help- Finally, hire a Property Stylist and display your asset to its full potential. By styling your property correctly you can reduce sale time by up to 50 days and increase the value by up to $100, 000. The cost of staging is usually a very small part of what most owners will spend on readying their home for sale. The average home usually costs between $4000- $6000 with most clients finding they easily earn back this investment on sale day . Not convinced? In association with the Interior Design Association, highly successful Brisbane real estate agents Cape Cod Residential have published the first long term retrospective, observational study ‘The Impact Of High-Calibre Property Styling On Residential Property Sales’
Hiring a stylist means all of the pretty details are carefully considered and you won’t need to worry about a thing- Image – Cape Cod Residential
