Tips for getting your home ready for sale

First impressions count when selling your home. A strategically staged home could assist in selling the property faster and for a higher price. 

Here are some tips for presenting your home for sale that could help make it more appealing to buyers.

Pretend you're a buyer

Stand outside your property and ask yourself: if you were inspecting your home for the first time, what would be your first impression of the property?

What words spring to mind? Does it make you feel inspired or uninspired?

Be honest. This self-feedback will help you decide where to spend time and money preparing your home for sale. Not sure if you can be objective? Ask a trusted friend to help with the assessment.

Outdoor area styling tips

Some home buyers decide whether to keep driving or stop and inspect based on what they see from the street. Before listing your property, spend time getting the front façade and garden in tip-top condition. 

You could add instant kerb appeal with a freshly painted fence, a tidy lawn and bright flowers. The garden should look well-maintained and a small herb or vegetable garden is right on trend.

Outdoor areas should be clean and free of clutter. A messy garage can give the impression that the property lacks storage space. A well-organised garage, on the other hand, can be a selling point.

Minor repairs can make a difference too. Ensure gutters and window trims are clean and paint isn’t peeling. Check that gates are securely attached, painted, and latches and locks work. 

A cared-for space could help push up your property’s value in a buyer’s mind.

Make sure the interior sparkles

A home that is squeaky clean, well maintained and obviously cared for by its owner, is potentially more appealing to buyers. Lots of homes are bought based on a buyer’s first emotional reaction so it could pay to engage in some serious elbow grease before going to market.

Here are some cleaning tips when selling your house:

• Pay extra attention to bathrooms, kitchens, other wet areas and appliances
• Cupboard doors, knobs and light fittings need a clean too
• Consider getting carpets and window dressings cleaned or replaced
• Touch up paint where necessary.

Help buyers feel at home by removing these items

Buyers often start to get excited about a property when they can picture themselves living in it. When presenting your home for sale, you should give buyers the opportunity to imagine how the space could be used without making them feel like they’re in someone else’s home.

It’s a fine balance, so here are three things you could remove from your home to make it more inviting for buyers.

1. Bulky furniture

Bulky or dark coloured furniture can make a room look a lot smaller. Try reducing the furniture to just a few basic pieces so the rooms feel more spacious. Make sure it’s easy to walk around the furniture and someone is able to flow easily through the home.

2. Collections and clutter

When your home is cluttered, it can give the impression that there isn’t enough storage. Many small items on display can also distract buyers from the details of the property, such as skirting boards, moulding or decorative carpentry.

You could impress buyers by taking a minimalist approach to the things in your home. Remove bulky appliances like blenders and microwaves from kitchen counters. Clear coats and bags from hallways. Hide away products in the bathrooms. 

3. Personal items and photos

Help buyers visualise how the home would work for them by removing any personal items that make it obvious it’s your house, such as photographs, keepsakes or awards. You might also want to remove anything that’s a bit eclectic or unusual that might make a buyer pause or distract them from the property.

Interior styling tips to add value

Present practical and functional spaces in your home. Move your furniture around to create comfortable groupings and define different zones in your floor plan. Repurpose small or awkward spaces into a study area, reading nook or children’s play area. 

If you’re using a spare room as an office or a gym, convert it back to a bedroom. More bedrooms sometimes means a higher sale price. When a space is styled as a study, buyers might assume it is too small to be a bedroom. Another great house selling tip is to replace single beds with double beds if you have the space to do so.

Give buyers the impression that there is plenty of storage by staging each storage space so it’s just one third full of your most stylish possessions. Remember you’re hinting at how each space could be used, then leaving enough room for buyers to imagine their own belongings filling up the space.

Don't forget common areas

If your home is an apartment, villa, townhouse or unit, you’ll want to make sure the property’s common areas, including entrance gates, gardens, pathways and driveways, are tidy and in good repair.

Common areas are usually looked after by the owners corporation, sometimes known as body corporate or strata corporation. Ask your strata or building manager for permission to tidy shared outdoor areas if necessary.

More house or apartment selling tips

Before you put your property on the market, you might want to get familiar with the process of selling your home and the typical costs of selling a property.