A messy or decrepit property conveys negligence, and the last thing that you want when selling a house is to instil doubt into your prospective buyers. It is also well known that renovations can increase the value of your house in a significant way. A shrewd investor can make back their money many times over by spending a little time on reworking their property, but what if you just want to sell up quickly, without investing in major renovation work?
Presentation
Cleaning your property is not only a way to make you feel more comfortable in your own home, but it's also a great way to impress visitors. We're not just talking about giving it a quick vacuum, either. Clean your gutters, remove cobwebs, and tidy your garden - if you have one. When presenting your house, a good rule of thumb is to keep a neutral look; for instance, you might love your retro '70s decor, but a dated look may be off-putting to some people. Other tried-and-tested ideas include using single beds to create the illusion of larger bedrooms; using mirrors or conservative paintings to cover wall space; and using decor and furniture effectively to give the house a friendly and positive vibe.
Photography and videos
It has become quite popular these days to hire professional photographers and even video editors to put together an advertising package. There is no reason to stop here, however, as voice-over artists are also commonly subcontracted by real estate agents to give a personal touch by adding a voice-over narration to a video montage of a property. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from putting this together yourself, but sometimes it is just easier to pay the experts to ensure your property gets the most professional online presentation possible.
Comfortability
When holding inspections, make sure that your house is pleasant to be around. This means that you should clean up after any pets; this includes any odours, as the smell of a wet dog isn't very appealing to most people. If it's a cold day, and you have a fireplace, it might be a good idea to light a fire, as this not only warms up your house, but it will give a cosy vibe that potential buyers will be charmed by (In lieu of a fireplace, an adequately set climate control system will suffice). The classic trick of baking some cookies may be clichéd, but it got that way for a good reason. Few smells are more pleasant than the scent of freshly baked cookies wafting around from your kitchen bench, and you can even offer them to prospective buyers as a token of goodwill!
Test run
Now that you've got some of the basics down, it may be a good idea to give your house a test run as if you were the prospective buyer. Don an imaginary monocle (or a real one if you really want to get into character), and proceed to be as critical as you can with your own house. Is there a crooked picture frame? Is the lawn trimmed? If you own pets, are they out of harm's way? It may not even hurt to have a trusted friend give you some honest feedback.
Lastly
You might also want to consider getting and building and pest inspection done as there's no point going to all this effort only to have an inspector find issues you weren't even aware of. Compare Inspections has a range of solutions, whether you're looking to sell or buy property. For vendors we offer the ability to purchase an inspection report which you can then onsell to prospective purchasers at a discount and earn money back from those resales. This not only provides you with essential information regarding the property but also makes it easier for purchasers to obtain a report and hopefully easier to buy your property.
By Darel McBride
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