As I am sure many of you know from the countless articles and news bulletins, that the current residential property market is still being challenged following the market downturn, and in many suburbs there is an oversupply of property on the market giving the buyers the upper hand when it comes to negotiation.
Given this competitive climate, it has never been more important to spend some time preparing your home for sale. After all, a well presented property is much more likely to generate the emotional appeal required to stir the spirit of the buyer.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing with you the tips we’ve learnt over our 30+ years in property sales. The aim is to help guide you through ways to enhance each aspect of your property, so you can really wow your buyer and get the price you want!
Our first focus is on the external appearance of your home.
Step 1: External appearance “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”
Your first step is to walk outside and imagine you are a potential buyer turning up for an inspection – how does the outside of your home present, is it worth a second look? An inviting entrance creates an important first impression!
Here’s a few common sense tips that might help to enhance your property for sale:
- Make sure you clean any windows and all glass balustrades
- Clean and maintain driveways and footpaths
- Hide garbage bins if possible
- Remove spider webs from your eaves or under the verandas
- Check that things such as roofing, guttering, paint, woodwork and paving are all in good condition and fix as required
- Mow the lawn regularly to enhance growth and to give a neat and tidy feel
- Trim hedges and rake up the leaves
- If you have a pool make it sparkle and hide away any pool equipment
- If your fence or gate needs to be repaired – do it now!
- Clear out your letter box each day and ensure no flyers or newspapers are left lying around
- Place a door mat outside your front door as this shows you care about keeping your property clean
These simple ideas can really make a difference to how a potential buyer feels about your property and whether they want to inspect it or not.
Next week we’ll share with you tips on how to refresh your entrance – to help you create the right feelings with the potential buyers.
