Time to read: 3 mins
Taking a step back and looking at your home with fresh eyes is essential when putting your home on the market.
Engaging with the right agent, pricing well, and spending money to market are crucial pieces of the puzzle, but how you present your home can make a huge difference to the time it spends on the market, as well as the final sale price.
Follow these four simple steps to ensure your home is dressed and presented to find its perfect buyer, quickly!
Who is your buyer?
While you want your home to appeal to as large a market as possible, there are often signs in your own neighbourhood as to who the future buyer of your home may be.
The first thing to do is look around you –
- Who lives nearby? Are they families, young couples, retirees?
- Who does the area appeal to thanks to its facilities such as schools, transport, distance from the city etc
- Is you home suited to a family, couple or retiring couple?
With this in mind consider the aspects of your home to showcase such as what is in walking distance, the storage space, the nearby business, reputation of the schools.
Look with fresh eyes
Chances are you still feel fondly about your home, even though you are getting ready to sell, however it is important to look at your home with fresh eyes when getting ready to place it on the market.
The idea is to look at your home as though you are seeing it for the first time and identify any potential ‘issues’ a buyer may notice. Don’t be afraid to ask for unbiased help if you have trouble removing yourself to look objectively.
Start from the street and make notes on the following points:
- What parts of the home are most attractive?
- Which areas look run down or need maintenance?
- Make notes of anything broken, damaged, marked, or dated.
- What little things have you lived with that should be fixed? Dripping taps, squeaky doors, cracked tiles…
From here you can consider what projects will be simple to complete and won’t require much budget. Buyers are looking to save, so they will be looking at what needs to be done and if they can negotiate a lower price because of said faults.
Remove your mark
Part of getting ready for an open home is making it look lived in, however you don’t want it to have too much of your personality so they cannot see their own.
When prepping your property for prospective buyers it is best to remove your personal photos, souvenirs, gifts, personal mementos, or collections.
The idea is to keep everything on the side of neutral so people can imagine it becoming their home.
Clean, clean, and then clean again…
Most agents will suggest you pay to have your home professionally cleaned and landscaped to maximise its potential.
If you choose to do the cleaning yourself these are the areas that need the most attention – bathrooms, kitchen, windows, floors and walls. Be sure all marks and damage is dealt with and ensure the front landscaping is at its best.
While it is an outlay up front, the costs will pay off on the final sale price of your property.
