As property inspectors, we’ve seen our fair share of properties on the market. From small apartments and family homes to large corporate investments – we’ve seen it all. Here, we’ll give you some tips on how you can prepare your home for sale in order to make a great first impression on potential buyers.
One of the first things you will need to decide is whether you plan to sell your home while you’re still living there, or you’d like to move out first. Having your home vacated does come with a lot of benefits and can mean less disruption to you and your family when it comes time for organising inspections. However, this option is not always possible. You may need the funds from this sale in order to secure your next property, or can’t move into a new property for some time.
Once you’ve made this decision, there are a few things you will need to consider. Let’s get started.
A clean home is a welcoming home
When it comes to purchasing a home or even a small product, first impressions really matter. One of the best ways to intrigue buyers is to present your home as a clean and welcoming space they can see themselves living in. Cleaning, then, is a must.
Now, we don’t just mean giving the property a good scrub – although this is important too! There are few factors that will come into play to present a clean home. This can include:
Decluttering: You want to show off the space you have. The best way to do that is to ensure you space isn’t filled with a bunch of furniture or clutter.
Depersonalise: The best way for buyers to imagine themselves living there is to visit the space without seeing a heap of personal items from the family currently living there.
Paintwork: A fresh coat of paint can work wonders. Neutral tones are best to cater to the masses.
Little touch ups: Got a leaky tap? Broken door handle or scuff marks on the walls? All these little details make a difference.
Staging
Staging isn’t essential, as we’ve seen empty homes that attract attention just as much as staged ones. However, it does make a great impression on buyers and can help them picture themselves in your home easier. By having furniture throughout the home, it can also give clearer indicators on the available space; rooms can look smaller without anything in them!
For those who are choosing to live in their property while selling, this could mean purchasing some plants, new lights, bed covers or little decorative pieces to make it more appealing. In some instances simply decluttering will be enough.
For those who have moved out, there are plenty of staging services available where furniture is placed in the home for you until you sell.
Put your best property forward
One of the best tips we could provide is to put yourself in the buyers shoes. What would they be looking for and what would they want to know before making the purchase? Doing a thorough Building Inspections of your property allows you to identify small fixes you can do now that may have a big impact on the price you receive later.
