In our 5-part series, find out our top tips for
getting your home sold quickly and for top dollar through perfect presentation!
Whether it’s your first time or the fifteenth, selling a property is a highly
stressful time. Here, we will provide you with the top five presentation tips
based on our extensive years of experience in selling residential property.
Tip 1: Maintenance
The rule of thumb is -
if something needs repair - fix it! There may be several things in your house
that you have simply become accustomed to over time - things that you have been
promising yourself to attend to. Well NOW is the time!
It’s
important to attend to maintenance prior to listing your home for sale because:
- Appearances
are everything - you might be saying to yourself “these repairs aren’t a big
deal,” but the buyer is thinking, “if the owner didn’t take care of these
little items, then what about the roof of plumbing or air conditioner?”
- It
may cost you more in the long run - 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.
- Major
things will be discovered anyway – 90% of buyers will get a building inspection
done. If you’re at the stage where a building inspection is being done and
issues are found, you will either lose your buyer or have to re-negotiate your
price to allow for the perceived cost of repair for the buyer.
So,
where do you start? Indoors, a few things to check include:
·
peeling or chipped paint or loose
wallpaper
·
leaky taps and toilet cisterns
·
cracked tiles, lifting floor boards,
stretched or worn carpet
·
scratched kitchen benches or stove tops
Outdoors,
consider the following:
- retaining wall integrity and stability
- rusted gutters and downpipes
- swimming pool appearance
Large
repairs:
In
today’s climate of open disclosure and vigilant home inspections the “Golden
Rule” applies. Treat the buyer as you would treat yourself. Repair any problems
with major systems. If you don’t, it will only be found later during the
building inspection and you’ll risk either losing the buyer or having to lower
your sale price to allow the purchaser to pay for the repairs.
“At
first glance it may appear too hard. Look again. Always look again.” ~Mary Anne
Rodmacher~
If you would like to see all our tips, please email info@spartners.com.au to request a copy
of our Preparing Your Home For Sale booklet.
