Preparing Your Home For Sale

It’s widely known in the real estate industry that within the first eight seconds of viewing your home, buyers will know if they like it or not. The rest of the time spent inspecting your property will be based on those all-important first impressions.

Here is a quick list of areas to address when preparing your home for sale.

Inside Presentation

• Ensure your home is clean and tidy
• Think about hiring furniture or employing the talents of an interior designer
  (especially, if the property is vacant.)
• Make sure all doors work well
  (especially, if the property is vacant.)
• Open curtains to allow as much light in as possible
• Remove clutter
• Rub lavender oil into door-jambs to provide a soothing clean smell

Outside Presentation

• Replace all cracked or broken glass
• Make sure all gates work well
  (handles turn and lock smoothly and doors don’t jam
• Remove leaves and sticks from gutters
• Replace broken fences or missing palings
• Mow the lawns and mulch where necessary

Inspections & Open Homes

• Try to be out of the house when buyers inspect as they will feel more comfortable.
• Make sure the house is a comfortable temperature
• Brew some coffee before each inspection (freshly ground is best) the aroma creates pleasant associations for buyers
• Ensure your agent knows what makes your house a home – explain why it has that special ‘feel’ for you, point out its highlights. This will also help the photographer create advertising materials that really capture the feeling of the home.

Preparing your home for sale is all about making smart choices and knowing where to spend your hard earned dollars.

We recommend inviting one of our experienced real estate agents to look at your home objectively.

Our agents talk to buyers every day and know exactly what they are looking for when buying a property.