Inspecting a property is a pivotal experience for buyers, either inspiring them about how they might create a new chapter in their lives or sending them home disappointed.
When a prospective buyer conducts a walk-through of your home, it’s essential that you’ve done everything you can to give them the best impression.
There’s no better way to present a home than by “staging” it. This means using a consultant to select and hire furnishings to put your house or apartment in the best light.
While this can be an expense – and can require you to put your furniture in storage – the dividends can be tremendous in shortening the marketing campaign and achieving a great price.
Preparation when selling your home is key as it can add thousands to your final selling price. Equally, there are some mistakes to avoid as these can cost you thousands.
So, when you’re getting your house ready for sale, we never want to see this:
- Blocked doors – Clutter is the curse of a home that’s for sale. If you can’t even shut a door properly because it pushes up against a piece of furniture, buyers will think the space is inadequate.
- Bed against a wall – This shrinks a room. Even if it’s a small spare bedroom, move the bed away from the wall, ideally with a bedside table each side and it will appear larger.
- Desk in the bedroom – Working from home may be all the rage, but don’t have your work desk in a main bedroom. It destroys the vibe of a restful place in the home.
- Toys – These need to go in a cupboard. They are unsightly, and buyers might trip over them, which potentially creates a whole new level of drama.
- Washing up – Clear the sink and the draining board. Nobody wants to see your breakfast dishes, or worse, last night’s dinner plates. If you have a dishwasher, put them in there and turn it on.
- Dirty clothes– Even if they’re in the laundry, make them go away. Stash them in a cupboard nobody would bother to open. Clothes drying on the line isn’t ideal, either. Bring it in and stash in a cupboard.
- Dust – It’s always a good idea to run a duster and vacuum over the house before a viewing. Nobody is expecting the cleanliness of a pristine showroom because yours is a home that’s lived in. But the more cleaning sparkle you can add, the better.