Christies Beach 
With the holidays just around the corner, its the perfect time to start preparing for those house renovations and makeovers to put your house on the market in the new year! With the market booming at the moment and the weather warming up, it really is the perfect time to start preparing 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 a dirty or cluttered home, leaves buyers thinking there is work and maintenance to be done, and they can’t easily imagine the space being their own.
Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression, and as they say “first impressions are everything”.
From the moment a buyer pulls up in front of your property, you want them to think ‘yeah, this could be the one’ and really captivate them.
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. If you’re too busy, or just don’t have the motivation to mow the lawns every fortnight, hire a local gardening service.
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, cupboards or replacing a tired looking kitchen or bathroom sink can make a difference.
Now, if you’re furniture is dated or tired looking or perhaps just doesn’t match or flow well in the house, it is always worth getting a professional home stylist in to help give you an idea on how to properly stage and present your home for sale. Home stylists have an array of styles and different furnishing at their disposal and will know the best approach and particular style to best compliment the spaces in your home, they’re professionals when it comes to matching the right style to a property and know how to make the best use out of the spaces and rooms they’re working with.
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. Something that can sometimes be overlooked is, windows. Dirty windows can stand out like a sore thumb, especially in photographs, so if you’re not game enough to clean all the windows yourself, top to bottom – inside and out, you can hire a professional cleaner to do this for you at a fairly reasonable price and your windows will be glistening for your professional photos and on open inspection day.
Other than general cleanliness, it is also detrimental to de-clutter you home as much as possible, the old saying definitely rings true when presenting a house “Less is More”, this will not only make your home feel more open and spacious but will allow the buyers to really focus on the space they’re in, as clutter can be distracting and can take away from the home, no matter how lovely and impressive the house is.
Help brighten things up by adding some fresh flowers to a counter top, or some nice pot plants. Different textured throw cushions & comforters are always an easy way to add some flare and a pop of colour to the bedroom or lounge.
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. So leave windows open during the day when possible and buy some plug in air fresheners or even a couple of reed defuses – which can double as a decorative feature when placed in the right setting.
Nightly doses of home renovation and D.I.Y. television programs have also made home buyers 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 couple hundred dollars. So roll up the sleeves these Christmas Holidays and get cracking on the jobs you have been putting off, before you know it you’re home will be ready for sale in the booming summer market and be the envy of your neighbours!
If you’re stuck on where to get started, or you’re not a savvy styler or perhaps you’re just too time poor to get cracking on your home makeover, give us a call as we have an extensive list of extremely reliable and reputable tradies at our fingertips and we could get your home looking market ready in no time!
Call us today to find out how much your home is worth in today’s booming market – summer is a great time to sell! (08) 8382 3773
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