Top tips to ensure peace of mind and a great house sale result
As Spring approaches and things start to get a little warmer, usually the market tends to pick up and more people that are thinking about selling take that first step. If you are one of those people who want to get your home on the market in time for the Spring real estate sales, here are some helpful tips to prepare you and your property.
1. TIMING IS EVERYTHING
There are great times to sell and other times that may not be the most ideal. As previous years sales show, Spring sales are generally when sellers are more likely to sell and receive top dollar for their home. As you can imagine, with the warmer Spring weather, people begin venturing again outdoors which sees greater traffic through open houses.
With the warmer weather comes a warmer market. Source: News.com.au
Having said that, the time still needs to be right for you personally, it’s important to take into consideration individual factors and circumstances when deciding when to sell. Ask yourself, is the timing right for me? Which leads us to the next points.
2. THE COST OF SELLING
The main costs you would be presented with when selling your house will be Agent’s Commission, Marketing Fees and Solicitors Fees. Marketing fees include listing ads on internet marketplaces, advertisements in local newspapers like Wentworth Courier, signage, videos and more, depending on budget and how wide you wish to go in maximising exposure and interest. It’s important to know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing your home. As every home has a particular buyer, so too should your marketing campaign.
For an obligation-free appraisal, you can contact us where we’d be happy to meet with you at a convenient time to answer questions and give you the breakdown of different costs involved in selling your house.
3. GET TO KNOW YOUR CURRENT MARKET AND WHAT YOUR HOME IS WORTH
Do your research. Hop onto realestate.com.au or domain.com.au and do some research on similar properties in your area and surrounding areas. This will give you a realistic idea of what you may get for the sale of your property, providing you with a fairly accurate expectation before proceeding further.
Are you upsizing or downsizing? We encourage you to have an expectation of what your home can sell before proceeding to look at the areas you’d consider moving to. It’s also worth the exercise to understand recent sale prices of the desired area from where you wish to buy. From here, you can examine price differences in selling vs buying and calculate how much exactly you will be adding to your mortgage each month vs downsizing saving each month.
Want a rough estimate of what the potential mortgage repayments can be on a house you’re interested in or budget? Try JT Allen’s Stamp Duty and Mortgage calculator here
4. LESS IS MORE
When potential buyers view a house, they want to see the potential it has for them to live in. Thi
s means they can picture their own lives in that space and in order for them to do that you need to create that ideal and desirable space. Decluttering is the best way you can help them to see the potential your property has for them. Some ways you can declutter are:
- Remove items you don’t regularly use. The more open space the better.
- Throw away broken or damaged items from storage areas. Don’t let that potential buyer slip away because they couldn’t envision their car fitting in the garage you filled up with broken junk!
- Make sure open shelves aren’t too full and are neatly presented.
- Remove personalised photos and memorabilia. You want the buyer to picture themselves living there – not who currently is!
- Pack away all toys or equipment that is not decorative or furniture.
- Tidy up any cables by picking up some cable ducting available at any hardware store, like Bunnings.
5. SCAN
Scan your entire property for any broken windows, cracked paint, water damage, signs of insects or pests – we love working with Alex from Clever Pest Control and any other odds and ends that may need fixing. Don’t let something like a cracked window or damaged door get in the way from you attaining top dollar for your home at auction or negotiations.
6. SPRING CLEAN
Roll up your sleeves, slap on a pair of gloves and scrub up good! Not only will your home be pleasant for potential buyers at inspection – but it’ll be pleasant for you too!
When cleaning, pay close attention to these things:
- dusting on top of cupboards, shelves and skirting
- check roof corners for cobwebs
- wash windows and mirrors
- straighten out contents of cupboard, you could even get a home organiser – we found some great tips on this website: https://www.clutterfly.com.au/
7. PAINT
A fresh coat of paint can do wonders to a property. Choosing a neutral, matt colour like any of these gorgeous Dulux colours will brighten up your house and give your home a new, fresh feel and will appeal to a larger audience.
8. CHECK FOR BAD ODOURS
Even slight bad odours, can be a deal breaker for potential buyers. Get a third party to come in and see if they can detect any odours, as you may not be aware of them in your own house. Odours can come from pets, sewage smells from plumbing or any kitchen smells you may not be aware of.
