One of the most commonly asked questions I get asked as a Real Estate Agent is – what can I do to add more value to my house and how do I present my house for sale……
When you think about it, there is a pretty simple formula to follow:-
First impressions count
In my opinion the best way to begin thinking about presenting your home for sale is by thinking what initially caught your eye when you bought your house – more often than not it is also what will attract the next buyer too…
First impressions do matter. When I think about the number of homes I have shown and sold over the years it can sometimes come down to the fact that someone is prepared to write a contract to buy a house because simply put “it feels like a home”. It is the same feeling you get when you walk into your own home at night with your family and all of your worldly possessions around you.
Think about the garden or paths that lead up to your front door, does it look welcoming and inviting. Do you need to trim back those hedges or need new gravel on the paths and pea straw on the gardens that are neat and tidy…… Put the lights on, so that they welcome your potential purchasers into the home, does your front porch or door need repainting. If you are thinking of any of those things when you walk up to your front door, then so are your potential purchasers…
The biggest tip of all is to ensure that you de clutter your home. If you are outgrowing your home, then take out any unnecessary pieces of furniture or clutter to give the impression that you are not. A couple may be wanting to buy your home, not a family with children like yours……. You just need to give them the ideas so that it inspires them to start planning where their furniture goes, the rest is up to them….
When looking around your home another great example of what to get done is to look at your walls and ceilings. Just because you love blue feature walls, it doesn’t mean your buyers will!! Paint in neutral colours and ensure that any maintenance has been done around your home. Potential buyers will always look at the things that they will need to do and the costs associated with doing them and deducted them from your selling price. Remember, the house doesn’t need to be perfect -but presenting and styling your home will certainly attract more buyers and hopefully also mean achieving a better price at the end of the day.
The last point is also such a simple one, but one that can be so often forgotten. Fragrance or the smell in your home (depending on what you use or whether you have pets for example), can also have a big impact on potential purchasers. A good example of this can be a subtle fragrance or oil burner that is calming and welcoming. Another example of this is the smell of dogs or cats (if you don’t have pets, or are allergic), this smell can be very off putting for some people. Again a simple solution is to light a candle with a subtle smell or oil burner to mask some of those smells.
Smells in our homes can be such a personal thing, however it can be important to get these right!!
Some of the best inspections can sometimes also be conducted at twilight, when vendor’s dinners are cooking in the oven and the smell and warmth of the house is inviting – as again it makes the house feel like a home.
Good luck with your styling and preparation to get your properties on the market.