Selling Your Home: The Little Things That Seal the Deal
30 Mar
First things first: disassociate yourself with your home.
Say to yourself, “This is not my home; it is a house — a product to be sold.”
Linger at the entrance to every room and try to look at it with fresh eyes. What might a buyer feel about this room? Don’t forget to pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls.
Clean like you have never cleaned before!
Wash windows inside and out, polish shower heads, taps and mirrors, clean until every table top, window and floorboard sparkles! The kitchen and bathroom will need to be absolutely spotless.
Get your carpets cleaned, too, vacuum every day and be sure to air out any musty smelling areas (see: Wake Up and Smell the Success: How Odours Affect property Sales). Clean out cobwebs, dust your furniture, bleach any dingy grout or mould, and get up on step ladders to clean the top of cupboards, every ceiling fan blade, the smoke detector cover, and all your light fixtures. Remove stains wherever you find them. (don’t forget the often overlooked skirting boards).
Remove or replace anything you are taking with you.
You don’t want a buyer to fall so deeply in love with the chandelier that once belonged to your great grandmother that it blows your deal when he/she finds out they can’t have it.
Make a good first impression.
Go outside, open your front door and stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you? Think about what you can do for your foyer or hallway to make the house more inviting.
Wash down the exterior of the house with a high pressure hose, trim hedges and mow the lawn. The front path that leads to your house should be well paved, clean and safe with no loose stones, as well. (See: Why external presentation matters.)
If you have anything in need of repair, make sure this is attended to.
This includes leaky taps, drawers that don’t close properly and cracked floor or counter tiles. Even the smallest things can cause a buyer to have second thoughts, or push for a price reduction!
Be pedantic with the finishing touches.
Do window coverings hang level? Are the rugs straight? Is the painted side of the vase facing out? Take a careful look at how your furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense. (See: Tips to de-clutter your home: Why Less is More).
Door and window frames can make a big difference to the overall impact of a room. Do yours need to be repainted or cleaned? Last but not least, hang up fresh towels in the bathroom (tip: they look great fastened with ribbon and bows!)
The Quality Check
Now, step back and admire your work!
Ask yourself: “Does it look like nobody lives in this house?” If it does, you’re probably ready!
Thinking of selling your home in Nundah, Geebung, Clayfield or other north Brisbane suburbs?
Be sure to contact Clark Real Estate to see how we can help!
Together, the schools, their students and their families filled box after box to the brim with toys, clothing, linen and school equipment for over 40 children who have lost everything. They called them Angel Care boxes. Donations of tents, tarps, toiletries, cots, prams, highchairs and mosquito coils were put together by these generous Northside communities.
