A Renovation-Free Guide to Preparing Your Home For Sale

Posted On Tuesday, 25 August 2020 21:55

Owning your own home is the great Australian dream. It’s more than a place to live. It’s a castle; to quote a great film. A home is as much a state of mind as it is a physical location, and that’s why we decorate and renovate to make it comfortable.

Although we also don’t stay in one place forever and eventually, whether it’s due to upsizing or downsizing, it comes time to sell. If you want to get a reasonable price for your home, then it is critical that you put in some effort into preparation so that you get your asking price.

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to mean renovations. Let’s explore a guide to getting your home sale-ready, without breaking out the sandpaper and paintbrushes.

Update Your Window Dressings

You’d be amazed at how a new set of bathroom blinds can spruce up a room. Go through each room in the house and inspect your curtains, drapes and blinds. If they’re looking a bit worse for wear, upgrade them. This might cost a little, but you’ll dazzle the buyers and will make money back anyway.

Tidy the Garden

First impressions last. Your front yard is the first thing potential buyers inspecting your property will see. Imagine what they will think if they are met with an overgrown lawn, weeds choking everywhere and dead shrubbery. Spend a few weekends in the garden and get to work watering, weeding and pruning. 

You should also do the same for the backyard. Get both gardens in tip-top condition, and you’ll be one step closer to preparing your home for sale.

Remove Sentimental Decorations

When people inspect a home, they want to envisage themselves living there. They will picture sitting in your lounge, sleeping in your bedroom and washing in your bathroom. 

If your walls are covered in family photos and your shelves covered in personal awards and trophies, then the buyers’ illusion is ruined. They see that this is a home, not a house, and they will subconsciously be turned off from the sale. They’ll want to make it their home, so let them.

Remove all family photos and personal memorabilia, everything else can stay in place but you want to make these buyers to put themselves in the home. Leave up some necessary art and decorations - enough to make the home look presentable, but not enough to make it feel like you live there. 

Clean and Tidy

A home that is open for inspection needs to be clean and tidy. Again, buyers’ want to imagine living there, and no one likes to live in dirt and mess.

So break out the spray, wipes, vacuum, mop, gloves and get to work. Clean the home from top to bottom before each inspection. Have it gleaming and sparkling and with that freshly cleaned smell, as they will remember these touches and assume that every part of the home (even what they can’t see) is in premium condition. 

When your home opens for inspection, you’ll be out somewhere having a coffee, safe in the knowledge that your home looks and smells great.

Pleasant Scents

Finally, right before you open the home up for inspection, put on an essential oil diffuser or a wax melt to get it smelling gorgeous. This is a subtle but effective way of creating a positive atmosphere for buyers. Stick to simple scents like vanilla, lavender or citrus will do the job. Don’t get too exotic because you might overwhelm some people and have them leaving your home quicker than you would like. 

Update your window dressings to give your home a breath of new life. Tidy the garden, front and back, because first impressions last. Remove any sentimental decorations, like family photos and other memorabilia. Make sure your home is clean and tidy before each inspection, and finally - employ aromatherapy to make your house smell great for buyers. Follow these tips, and with some luck, you’ll net the perfect outcome for your sale. 

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