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Fast track the sale of your home by following these five easy steps.
By Maryke Roberts
It’s a new year and with the industry becoming increasingly competitive, properties that remain on the market for an extended period can often be forgotten by agents and potential buyers. Yet with simple and affordable changes, you can let your house stand out from others, making it more sellable. Follow these guidelines from Property24 General Manager, JP Farinha:
Cultivate kerb appeal
Look at your house’s exterior through the eyes of an outsider with no emotional connection to the property, and neaten its appearance. Make sure the garden and verge are neat and tidy; consider planting flowers or flowering shrubs. Wash down garage doors, security gates and your front door, as well as exterior walls; hire a high-pressure power sprayer for this job.
Wipe down light fittings and make sure that any pathways look good. Also, loose and sagging gutters can give a bad impression so mend these before a show day and make sure that the house number is clearly visible to avoid any frustration in potential buyers finding the right house.
Clear all clutter
Keep in mind that from the moment a potential purchaser walks through your front door, they start to imagine how their possessions will occupy the space. To encourage this, it’s wise to
make sure your house is clutter-free, so start getting rid of any unwanted items by throwing these out or donating them to a charity. Pack unnecessary items whose absence will not leave your house looking bare and make sure packed boxes are out of the way, storing them neatly in the garage or a storeroom.
Smaller rooms such as bathrooms and bedrooms can appear cramped with a bulky dresser or unsorted items in the way, so remove these. Also, remember that a clean house makes a better impression.
Depersonalise
Remove family photographs and children’s drawings from the walls and fridge door. You don’t want potential buyers to be focused on these, but rather want them to visualise their own personal belongings in the space. Make sure that important areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless, clutter-free and smelling fresh; these are often the rooms that have
the biggest impact on a potential buyer. By simply replacing or updating handles, you will be surprised at the improved appearance of kitchen cupboards and the impression it will leave on potential buyers.
Keep it neutral
The colour of walls, doors and fittings is a matter of personal preference; bright purple, red or black walls are seldom a good idea if you want to sell your house quickly. Where possible, paint walls in a neutral colour; not only is this restful and pleasing on the eye, but it will give potential buyers a clean canvas to work with and make rooms appear bigger.
Lighten up
Another relatively inexpensive way to brighten up your home is to consider changing light fixtures, says home renovations specialist Abri Perold of Brain Wave Living Projects: ‘Try to establish continuity by avoiding a different fitting for every room, unless you have an eclectic
house with a very specific style. If money is tight, concentrate on the kitchen and consider small downlights in the bathrooms. Ensure that every globe or downlight works.’
If some of the light fittings will not be included in the sale, take them down prior to a visit by potential buyers as this avoids confusion and costly replacements at a later stage, adds Abri.
