Six things most sellers miss when preparing their homes for sale

It’s time to prepare your property for sale, and you may already have the basics covered when it comes to ensuring positive feedback during the open home, but did you know there are six common things most sellers miss when it comes to preparing their home for sale?

1. De-cluttering

De-cluttering your space may seem obvious, but most sellers miss the opportunity to de-clutter properly. Why? Because we tend to become so used to the way we’ve styled our homes, we often miss just how cluttered some parts of the home have become.

This is why it’s so important to cast a critical buyer’s eye over each room in your house to assess what can stay and what should go.

Some typical examples of clutter that’s often over-looked:

• Too many pieces of furniture in one room, which can crowd a space and actually make it feel smaller.
• Too many decorative pieces stacked on shelves and mantle pieces or hung on walls. Pare back these pieces to complement the space rather than overwhelm it.
• Using rooms for something other than their intended purpose. Is your garage currently your number one storage place rather than used to house your car? Then it’s time to de-clutter.

2. De-personalising

When buyers take a look around your home, they’re trying to picture themselves already living there, that’s why it’s so important to de-personalise as well as de-clutter.

This means putting away the family photos, taking down motifs and stickers from the kids’ bedroom walls, and storing away any quirkier knick-knacks and pieces that might be personal favourites, but don’t necessarily add to the look and feel of the property.

3. Repair and maintenance

We often put odd jobs and maintenance off for another time, even finding ways around the odd repair job rather getting onto fixing these things, but when selling it’s crucial these maintenance tasks are taken care of.

A leaky tap, loose roof tiles, cracks or holes in the wall, or a patchy paint job may seem like small, insignificant repair jobs but buyers can actually start to detract dollars from their offer the more of these issues they spot during an open home.

It’s true that buyers often over-estimate how time-consuming or costly some maintenance tasks can be, and you don’t want to miss out on attracting the best possible price for your home over a task that could take very little time and effort to fix.

4. Room staging

Sometimes it pays to get the professionals in. If you have a wonderful property to present to the market, but are holding off on updating your old or dated furniture until you’re in your new home, then professional room staging may be the answer.

A stylist will come and assess your home, and can help as little or as much as you need, from simply giving advice on how to style your current furniture and décor in the most attractive way, to hiring out and styling several rooms in your home with furniture, décor and paintings.

Well-styled homes once again really help buyers to visualise themselves in the home, and could help to attract a higher sales price, covering the cost of home staging.

Check out http://www.homestagingbrisbane.com.au/ to see for yourself the advantages of staging.

5. Curb appeal

You can’t always expect that your property will speak for itself, often times we need to make sure our properties are in the best of shape to make the best first impression. That means focusing on curb appeal.

So, you may have cleaned and tidied the interior of your home, but don’t forget about the first thing a buyer will see, your front yard! Make sure the lawn is mowed, weeds are pulled, patios are swept and cobwebs and any outdoor pests are dealt with.

It might even be time to plant out the front garden beds if you’ve always meant to, with gardens often being an inexpensive way to add instant curb appeal to a property.

6. Ambiance

Ambiance, or creating a warm and inviting atmosphere can make all the difference during an open home. It’s the finishing touch that can take a property from being one on the list, to the one a buyer falls in love with.

Create ambiance that’s in keeping with your property. Here are some examples:

• If selling during the winter months, make sure the fireplace or wood burner is going during the open inspection, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
• Want to ensure buyers linger in the home’s impressive kitchen? Light a candle with delicious scents like vanilla, apple and cinnamon or something with citrus.
• Does the bathroom in your home have a wonderful soaker tub? Create atmosphere by stacking plush towels, new soaps and scrubs nearby, inviting buyers to picture themselves using the space as soon as they move in.
• If you have incredible views from a room, make sure buyers are invited to stop and take notice. Draw those curtains back, make sure comfortable seating is nearby, and perhaps add some throws or cushions.
• In the summer, make sure those outdoor spaces are at their most inviting. Stack beach towels on the recliners next to the pool. You could even stage your outdoor table, adding lovely placemats and settings.
• Do you have a veggie patch, orchard or flowers on the property? Make the most of these! Stack your lemons in the fruit bowl, or cut lavender or roses and display these on the dining room table. Let buyers see exactly what makes your property so special.

If you’re ever unsure what needs to be done around your property before you list it for sale, speak with your agent. They’ll know exactly what buyers are looking for and cast an un-biased eye over your property. They want to help you sell your home as quickly as possible and for the best price, so their advice is invaluable.