Want to sell quickly and for the highest possible price? So does everyone. But after working with hundreds of property sellers and the perfect real estate agents all over Australia, we’ve seen it all, and there are home presentation strategies that work and those that don’t!
Many people spend too much time or too much money preparing for a sale. Don’t make this mistake. Follow these 5 simple and low-cost tips to a quicker sale at a higher price. Who wouldn’t want that?
Cost: $0
Time: Half a day to a weekend, depending on the garden
The key here is to work smart, not hard.
Do: Work on the things that will have a big impact, such as clearing away mess. Don’t: Spend a lot of time and money on new plants or re-designing the space.
Cost: $0-$500 depending on your DIY skill level and materials
Time: Half a day to a day
The little things matter because they indicate to a potential buyer the condition of the overall property. A buyer who sees a well-functioning surface feels comfort that the things they can’t see are also well-functioning.
Cost: $500-$1000 to upgrade all of the above with brand new fittings
Time: One day
Get organised, arrange a handyman ahead of time, and then go to a big hardware store to buy everything you need. These simple upgrades can turn rooms and spaces that are terribly dated into charming and fresh looks.
Cost: $0, and if you end up having a garage sale you might make money!
Time: No more than a weekend if you are ruthless with yourself (it shouldn’t take any longer than moving house will!)
This tip is the one that is so often neglected, because it isn’t that fun to go through your things and throw stuff out. With that said, if you are successful selling your house then you will have to do this anyway, and you may as well do it earlier and benefit from a better looking property when you start conducting open homes.
The rule we use is: If I haven’t used this in the last 12 months, I don’t need it. That is a lot easier said than done, so another good trick is to rent some storage space ahead of time, and just store everything to get it out of the house. You may find even a couple of months later you are a lot less attached to items that before you “simply couldn’t live without”!
Cost: $0 to $200 depending on whether you clean yourself or hire someone to clean for you
Time: Half a day Think about what you would expect if you went to a 5-star hotel. Clean sheets, no dust anywhere, impeccably clean bathroom, right? The same is true of people coming through your home on Open Home day.
So for the sake of four weekends and under $2000, put your best foot forward to potential buyers. You will sell faster (less Open Homes!) and for a higher price (we all want that!). Also, if you get organised then this will make life less stressful later on when you need to move. You’ll be drinking champagne and searching for your next dream house instead of madly packing and cleaning out the old place.
Source: openagent.com.au