How to make your home ready for sale

How to make your home ready for sale


The decision to put your home up for sale is a big one, and certainly one that you would have put a lot of careful thought and consideration into. That being said, it is also only the first in a string of decisions that will have to be made once you have decided to sell your property.

Everybody who sells their property hopes to get the best possible price for it, and one of the most effective ways to ensure that is by going all out to make your home ready for sale. Engaging the property styling services of an expert is certainly a good idea, but there are a few other things you can do as well. Here are three of the most important ones:

1. Maximise your property’s street appeal
Like with all things, first impressions of your property really matter. If your garden is unkempt and covered in weeds, your fence is falling apart and your exterior walls look like they badly need a fresh coat of paint, potential buyers will lose interest before they’ve even stepped through your front door.
Clean and tidy up your garden, make sure your bins are tucked around the side and out of sight, and get a painter to spruce up your exterior walls if you need to. For a nice touch, leave some exterior or front lights on so it looks warm and welcoming.

2. Go through your home and clean, clean, clean!
Now’s the time to spring clean: de-clutter and throw out all that rubbish you have accumulated over the years, clean everything in your home from top to bottom, and don’t forget to check fixtures and fittings to see if anything needs replacing or repairing.
Air out your property and make sure there’s plenty of natural lighting, especially on days when your home is open for inspection. Nothing turns off potential buyers more quickly than a home that is untidy, dusty and dirty, and filled with all kinds of clutter and personal effects.

Besides, having too much furniture or too many items in a room only makes it feel smaller, which isn’t what you want potential buyers to think when they inspect your property!

3. Don’t overlook the importance of the right property agent
Factors such as fees and commissions aside, picking the right property agent will impact how well you are able to make your home ready for sale, as well as the result you get to walk away with at the end of the process. When deciding on which property agent to go with for your property, here are some good questions to ask:
  • Are they familiar with your suburb?
  • Will they go the extra mile to secure your business and make sure you get a good price for your home?
  • How do they plan to market your property?
  • Do they have the right expertise and negotiation skills?
Don’t just pick a property agent based on the company’s reputation. Make sure that your particular property agent is the right fit for you. Sometimes, a smaller company is more likely to go the extra mile for you.