Preparing & Maximising Your Home for Profit – Step 2
Regardless of whether you’re considering putting your home on the market or completely resolute on the idea of selling, this guide will guide you through the steps to maximise your outcome and ensure the result is the very best one. In the following blog post we will outline everything to help you in this process, over three key phases.
Step 2 – Your plan of Action
Think like a purchaser
The golden rule of thumb is: if something needs to be repaired, fix it! Walk through and be picky – try and see what a potential purchaser will see, not what you have overlooked for years.
Buyers will mentally add up their perceived costs of repairing all those minor flaws and end up with an amount that is generally much higher than your actual costs will be. You may believe the repairs are insignificant, however the buyer may question the maintenance and upkeep of the rest of the property.
Necessary, non-critical minor repairs and perceived owner neglect will either lower the price or lengthen the time taken to sell.
Look at the colour palette throughout your home. If you have used striking, bold colours, it might be time to neutralise them. Your objective is to make your home appeal to the largest possible segment of the market. The market is always driven by buyer demand and a buyer find it hard to look beyond bright carpeting and bold wallpapers.
Plan of action checklist
Outside
- The front of your house is one of the first things a buyer sees. Sweep and wash the driveway and walkways to remove debris, dirt and stains. Remove any oil stains if possible. Repair and patch any cracks
- Check your fence for any loose or broken posts and replace any rotted wood
- Check gutters for leaks or damage and remove debris
- Lawn care: mow high and often. Feed the lawn with fertiliser, treat weeds, and aerate the lawn in high traffic areas
- Trim your plants back with secateurs
- Promptly pull out weeds or spray with specialised weed killer as soon as they appear and before they set seed
- Mulch garden beds to prevent soil drying out too quickly and to hinder weed growth
- Inspect exterior paint and touch up as needed
- Clean and seal decks if needed
- Cut back overhanging trees from the roofline
- Repair/replace any damaged window screen mesh
- Inspect walls and ceilings for cracks, leaks, mildew or water stains
- Clean out your irrigation system twice a year to ensure your plants get the best quality water and at the same time remove material that can settle in the lines and block the filters.
- (Unscrew the drip or spray outlets, flush the line, then clean the filter)
- Inspect roof for damage
- Winterise the pool
- Reseal concrete areas to prevent cracking and deterioration
Inside
- Check smoke detectors
- Clean and disinfect the dishwasher by operating it when it’s empty and putting bicarbonate soda in the
- detergent tray and vinegar in the rinse holder
- Vacuum refrigerator coils and empty waste containers
- Check doors and windows for cracked seals and peeling paint –
- repair as needed
- Dust/vacuum the tops of cupboards
- Move furniture that you don’t normally move and vacuum thoroughly
- Inspect bathroom tiles, kitchen tiles and sinks – reseal where needed
- Soften potentially offending views, but always let light into your rooms, consider replacing heavy curtains with something lighter
- Wash and clean all windows, curtains and blinds
- Clean light fittings and skylights. If your kitchen has fluorescent lighting fixtures, use ‘warm-white’ bulbs for a bright appearance
- Clean kitchen exhaust hood and filter
- Clean sliding doors and window tracks
- Clean debris from ceiling fan blades/air conditioner fan blades before using
- Check taps and plumbing supply lines for signs of leakage
- Test the pressure relief valve on your hot water system to ensure it hasn’t seized up
- Repair loose knobs, latches or
- handles on doors
- Make storage areas appear generous and well planned, remove and store all out-of-season clothing
- Remove any items from the floor area of the wardrobes – this will make them seem more spacious
- Hang an air freshener in the
- wardrobe for a pleasant fragrance ensuring wardrobes smell fresh and clean
- Ensure all wardrobe lights are in working order
- Add battery lights to wardrobes that lack built-in lighting, as illuminated wardrobes appear bigger and more attractive
Notes and Contacts
Getting your home ready for sale can sometimes require the help of specific trades. If you don’t know of anyone who you could use feel free to contact the Reed & Co. Team and we can provide you with a copy of our “little White Book”, a valuable reference tool for the home, filled with highly recommended tradespeople and local professional.
When it comes time to market your property, there are no shortcuts to obtaining a great price.
A lot of preparation has to be undertaken to make sure your property hooks and pulls a potential buyer in. When a buyer sees your property online or in person, she or he must think, “that’s the one!”
Photographs of your property are one of the main ways to draw in a buyer. They matter because they are the first point of contact that a buyer has with your property. Therefore, it is essential that you present your property in the best possible way. Excellent presentation and high-quality photographs seduce a buyer into a home.
Preparing your home for photography or video go hand-in-hand. If you’re preparing a property for photos, that’s exactly the way it should appear for each and every open home, for each and every buyer inspection, and throughout the marketing campaign.
