Christies Beach 
Presenting Your Home for Sale
It’s no secret that a well presented home sells quickly and often well above market value. Buyers immediately associate clean with quality, while dirty, cluttered home leaves buyers thinking you have something to hide.
Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
From the moment a buyer pulls up in front of your property, you want them to do a double take and think ‘yeah, this could be the one’.
This is why it is so important to keep your garden looking meticulously groomed and tidy until sold. If it lacks a bit of style, hire a landscape designer for a day to help you give it a mini makeover. The results can be spectacular.
When it comes to the interior, attention to detail is paramount. If it is looking tired and dated, painting the walls is a very cheap way to make a dramatic improvement. Just remember, use neutral colours that will appeal to a broad cross-section of the market. Even replacing the handles and knobs on drawers and cupboards can make a difference.
When it comes to cleaning, spotless is the word. Get into every nook and cranny. Dust high, dust low. Buyers can and will discover those marks or dust balls that may be oblivious to you.
It’s also very important to eliminate smells and odours, particularly if you have pets or smoke. This means plenty of ventilation, and thoroughly cleaning carpets and soft furnishings.
Nightly doses of home renovation and D.I.Y. television programs have also made homebuyers much more aware of possible structural issues. For example, a musty odour in wet areas could alert buyers to potential moisture or ventilation problems, while flaking or chalky patches of render on exterior walls could mean that there is a problem with rising damp.
If there are any problems that need to be fixed, deal with them before buyers have a chance to discover them. It is amazing how often a sale stops dead in its tracks simply because of an issue that could have been rectified by spending just a few dollars. What makes it worse, is that buyers very rarely tell you why.
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