To prepare your home for profit, start with a comprehensive checklist. Consider deep cleaning, pre-listing repairs, and cost-effective upgrades to increase home value and attract potential buyers.
Boost curb appeal by staging your home and implementing inexpensive home improvement projects. Take advantage of virtual tours and open house strategies to showcase your property effectively. Consult a real estate agent for guidance on navigating the competitive housing market and maximizing profits while minimizing closing costs.
Preparing & Maximising Your Home for Profit
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 maximize 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.
Your Plan of Action
1. 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 their actual costs. 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 color palette throughout your home. If you have used striking, bold colors, it might be time to neutralize 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 finds it hard to look beyond bright carpeting and bold wallpapers.
2. 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
Lawn care: mow high and often. Feed the lawn with fertilizer, treat weeds, and aerate the lawn in high-traffic areas
Trim your plants back with secateurs
Promptly pull out weeds or spray with specialized weed killer as soon as they appear and before they set seed
Mulch garden beds to prevent soil from 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 the roof for damage
Winterize 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
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, and 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
3. 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 professionals.
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, you must 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 goes hand-in-hand. If you’re preparing a property for photos, that’s exactly the way it should appear for every open home, for every buyer inspection, and throughout the marketing campaign.
