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When you decide to put your house on the market, you will often see a shift in the way you see your old home. That stubborn mark on the wall that annoyed you for years after your child scribbled on it in permanent marker now has you feeling nostalgic (what the?!) And that wrecked, overflowing box full of movies you used to watch on a rainy day with the whole family makes you feel teary (and not because it’s hideous!)
It’s inevitable that selling your house will have you reminiscing about the great times you and your family have had in it and that’s totally fine! But when it comes to selling, you really need to put the objective goggles on and look at giving your home a pre-sale makeover. I’m here to help you do just that with my Pre-Sale House Preparation Guide below.
1. Change your mindset
When you make the commitment to sell your home, it’s essential to change the way you look at the property. The property can no longer be considered a home, it needs to be transformed into a product! It can still be a wonderful space to live and to share with friends and family, but when you are looking at its presentation, you need to tune into the mindset of a home buyer.
2. De- clutter and De-personalise
There is so much information on the internet about the importance of de-cluttering. Where I find people often go wrong is that they struggle to find the happy medium! Many of my clients often get confused with their version of clutter and mine. Alternatively they strip the place of all sole and any warmth by removing all the books, all the art and all the images. This often leaves a place looking like a ghost town. I strive to create that “welcome and homely” feeling in every property I work on, so a great start is to not have the soul ripped out of it during de-cluttering.
3. Mend the tired bones
Our climate all around the world now days is relentless and unforgiving to many aspects of our property. Under our noses the small maintenance issues seem to slowly build up. In a busy life it is easy to find that the decks go without oil for a few months too long, the air conditioner vents need a good scrub and our bathroom grout has looked better in its younger days, juts to name a few. These are all things that when combined can have a huge positive impact on the sale of a property if attended to! So give your property some love.
4. Shine Shine Shine
You are now at the exciting stage where you get to make that place of yours shine!!!!! To make sure you cover every items you need to start at the ceiling centres and work down! So start at the ceilings, walls, windows, skirts and everything in between. Lean no stone unturned. From the perspective of cleaning you can never over do it!!!!!! If cleaning is not your thing it is certainly something I would outsource to make sure that it is done well. Research shows that the number one turn off for buyers is a dirty space and then one that smells, so don’t risk letting your house down when it comes to the finer details.
If you complete these first four steps you will be well on your way to increasing your property value! Next step is considering upgrades and styling. More on that later.
For more help on getting your property ready for sale why don’t you click on the link below and head over to our crash course and our free 30 tips to help you increase your property value, which will certainly help you make sure you meet the market in today’s amazing real estate industry.
Naomi Findlay is an experienced interior designer, project manager and stylist who also loves sharing her passions and experience by teaching others.
I agree decluttering is definitely important to make your house spacious, clean and organized. Awesome blog by the way. Thanks for sharing!