Bathurst Blog

The weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. Spring is a popular time for the property market – so if you’re making the decision to sell, now is the time to roll your sleeves up and prepare. The best way to start is to make a plan, so get a pen and paper. Let’s do this.

Clean & De-Clutter

Cleaning seems like a no brainer right? However, preparing your home for a buyer will require more than the average elbow grease. You need to start to de-clutter. This means unused or excess toys, old bikes, shoes, books or magazines that are stacked about need to be donated or thrown away. You want to ensure that every room has an air of openness and the illusion of space. Forgotten rooms for clutter are often bathrooms. Old towels stacked up and a shampoo collection that would envy aisle 4 at the supermarket can be an overbearing sight for a potential buyer. Take out any unnecessary items from the bathroom and use clean towels and bathmats. Keep the bench surfaces free of clutter, which means those old toothpaste tubes and ear cleaners will need to take a holiday in the cupboard. This same rule applies in your kitchen; make sure you have clean cloths, bench tops are wiped and shining. Dust and toast crumbs are not your friends. Lastly – a major player in first impressions are clean windows. Imagine your potential buyer contentedly wandering the living space, walking towards the window where they have been assured is a “stunning view over the town” – but instead they find handprints, paw prints or smudges. You are assured of a step back – which is the opposite direction we want them to head.

Odours

Having covered off the visual senses, were moving onto an area sometimes overlooked by vendors - the power of smell. Odours are a major player in first impressions. Smoke, pet smells and musty rooms aren’t overly inspiring to the imagination of a buyer. There is the temptation to mask these smells with a hefty squirt of air freshener before an inspection – but they aren’t always the best answer, as often their clinical smell can have the opposite effect. When it comes to odours – the best option is fresh air. Opening your house up and letting the air in can make a huge difference with the added bonus of letting in natural light. Common advice is to bake something – but how many of us have time for that? Comforting smells like fresh fruit, coffee and flowers can be a quick and simple improve on a space. Flowers really are the clear winners here, not only do they smell wonderful but are visually pleasing to the eye – so there is a double effect. If you do have your pets inside, move their bowls and bedding outside and give their nesting spots a good vacuum and airing out.

Keep Your Canvas Plain

When you prepare your home, you can’t go past the power of a good lick of paint. But hold your horses Picasso – overhauling your tired house with bright colours may not be the way to go. A plain pallet is pleasing on the eye, opens up a space and allows buyers to better imagine their possessions occupying the space. Stick to neutral tones and minimal decorating. If you’re happy with the existing colour, then just a touch up any chips will suffice to ensure the walls are smooth and clean. 

To-do Projects

From painting we move to that pesky list of ‘to-do jobs’ that every household accumulates - the leaky pipe in the laundry, a panel of cracked glass in the sunroom, the scratch on the kitchen floorboard. Whatever the job – it needs attending to. While your kitchen may be of master chef quality, you don’t want your potential buyer touching admiring the finishings only for the handle to come off. There is nothing visually appealing about a broken cupboard. Your buyer isn’t Indiana Jones, they wont know to avoid the wonky back step on the veranda. Do yourself a favour and tend to these booby traps. Let them leave with a good impression, not thinking that the house is falling apart.

First Impressions

They last. First impressions count for so much when it comes to selling your house. Make the right one with a clean entry to your home. Ensure the lawns are mowed, driveways are clear and that there is no unnecessary clutter at the front door. Can you see your street number? Is there unwanted junk mail bursting out of the mailbox? Stand back on the street and look at your house – is it inviting? If the answer is no, then you can’t go past the power of a pressure washer, some potted colour and a tended lawn. Hand in hand with street appeal is the impression your buyer gets entering your house for the first time. Ensure all of your lights are working so that when they come through the front door in they are impressed right from the get go.

Leave It To The Experts

You have done the prep work and put in the elbow grease, now it’s time to let your agent handle things. We understand it’s a huge decision to put your house on the market – but you’re in safe hands. It can be hard to hand over the reins to your biggest asset, but your best course of action is to let the agent deal with potential buyers. Your wellbeing and home is important to your agent and they will strive to get the best result for you. If someone wanting view your property approaches you, contact your agent, they can take it from there. When your agent holds inspections or open homes, if you can, pop out and give them the space. You want buyers to feel contented and imagine themselves in the house – which is a little hard to do if you’re lingering in the corner. Your agent lives and breathes this – trust their knowledge of the market and the buyer.

If you're ready to list, get your plans into action and contact an agent at Raine&Horne Bathurst today.