Selling your home in 2020
Styling And Home Presentation Attainable For Everyone
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Before you sell your house, you live in it. You get used to that broken door, blown lightbulb, and scratch in the wall, they’re just a part of your home. But new, perspective buyers aren’t used to these quirks like you are, they will notice everything. Making your home “move in ready” means more than making it liveable, it means that the owner won’t have any handy work to do when they move in.
Patching and painting
Walk around your house and make a list of all the little things that need to be fixed. Scratches and holes in the wall are a big one! For the smaller marks and stains try a Magic Eraser cleaner! They can get rid of most marks from scuff marks to pencil marks. In order to patch up holes in a wall you will need to buy some spackling paste and a small putty knife. Head down to your local hardware store and ask for tips to make a clean patch. You will eventually need to paint over the patch so make sure you have access to the original wall colour! If you don’t, take this opportunity to paint! Your real estate agent may suggest this, and even have some colour suggestions. Putting a fresh new colour on the walls can do wonders for a home on the market! You can choose to hire a professional or do it yourself, be aware that painting the interior of a house is a large job so put lots of time aside and do lots of research. Be sure to protect your furniture and flooring with drop-sheets and use masking tape to create strong lines and avoid painting the wrong section. Remember to smooth over any cracks or bumps before painting, and don’t forgo a primer! It takes longer but is well worth the extra quality it adds. You can consider painting the exterior of your house as well but bear in mind this requires more equipment than the interior, let a professional take over if you’re unsure.
Once the walls are looking good as new it’s time to get to those other repairs you know need to be done. Cracked flooring, broke doors, leaky faucets, and blown light bulbs. All of these things can be done DIY style if you’re up to it! There are some great tutorials online and make sure to utilise that one very handy friend… but if a job looks too hard to handle it is always best to call in a professional! By attempting to fix a leaky faucet or broken flooring you could make the damage much worse and end up spending a lot more money.
Lighting
The first thing at affects people as they walk into a space is the lighting. It’s the kind of thing you don’t notice unless it’s bad, and if you have been living with dodgy lighting for a while it may not register to you anymore. Rooms should be filled with light. Make sure you maximise natural light during an open house, but most importantly, get light bulbs replaced. The right kind of lighting can determine the perceived size of a room. A dark room will always seem smaller to potential buyers, whereas a well lit room will enhance it.
Consider replacing old light fixtures, they are a give away to a homes real age. This can cost a bit of money but will definitely change the perception of your house.
Kitchen and bathroom
These two rooms are some of the biggest selling points you have. There is definitely the option of renovating one or more of these spaces, which will add a lot of value to your property. Unfortunately it also costs a fortune, so stick to some minor touch ups.
There are three main upgrades that can vastly improve the look and feel of a kitchen or bathroom. Firstly, painting. If you’ve chosen to paint the rest of your interior, don’t leave these two rooms out. Consider painting just these rooms if you can’t do the entire house and talk to your real estate agent about finding the right colour.
Secondly, upgrade the fixtures. A new tap and basin can do wonders for either a kitchen or bathroom, bringing in the feel of a renovation without the heavy price tag. If you’re replacing one fixture, try to replace them all. Matching fixtures create coherence and flow, whereas one odd tap can make your beautiful new fixtures look like patch work.
Finally, there’s the countertops. This is the next step towards a renovation, but don’t let that scare you. Replacing the countertops, especially when paired with new fixtures, can change the style of a bathroom or kitchen. Turn your 1970’s room into a modern master piece with a whole lot less work and money than a full renovation.
Flooring
If you choose to replace your entire flooring, or even just one or two rooms (which your real estate agent might suggest), it can be a huge amount of work. Of course it will add more value to your home, but if this isn’t an option there are some things you can do to spruce up your flooring.
Carpet is one of the easiest floorings to replace. If your carpet is stained or ripped you can try to patch the area and follow with a professional cleaning. Older carpet might have too much damage to patch, in this case it’s best to replace it.
Hardwood floors can be scratched very easily, so it’s very likely that you’ll have to repair them. This type of flooring can be damaged very easily so it’s best to hire a professional for the repairs. If there are only minor scratches, try scrubbing them with steel wool or a fine sandpaper.
Each type of flooring will require different repairs. Get a quote from a professional and talk to your real estate agent to work out what the best course of action is.
Cleaning!
Before you do a final clean for the market… you need to get in there and clean out the mess that is life. If you’ve already bought your new home start moving things over that you don’t use on a regular basis. Better yet, move out entirely! If this isn’t an option, find somewhere to store as much of your clutter as you can. Once all the clutter is gone, there is space to see and style the home.
Now it’s time to really clean. I mean the pressure washing, polishing and recaulking kind of clean. Lots of people hire a professional cleaning crew for this job, as it’s a big one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it yourself if you really think you can. Take a few days and dedicate them to cleaning your house, start with a classic clean and then go room to room polishing a scrubbing every inch. Washing windows, polish chrome faucets and mirrors, vacuum, mop and wax floors, recaulk tubs, showers, and sinks, and keep the kitchen absolutely spotless (a well-maintained kitchen is a big selling point for lots of buyers). Make sure there is no dust lying around and air out any musty areas the night before a showing.
Once the inside of your house is sparkling, it’s time to move outside. This will quite literally be the first thing potential buyers see when they arrive at an inspection. Rent a pressure washer for the pavement and driveway, pull out any weeds or dead plants and mow the lawn! If you have the time and money, a bit of landscaping can go a long way.
Styling
So, a property styling company telling you you need to get your home styled. It’s a trick right? Or is it… Lets look at the stats.
Styling your home isn’t just about making it pretty, it allows potential buyers to picture their life in a new home. Potential buyers should walk into a professionally styled home and be inspired and comfortable. Rather than walking into somebody else’s home, or an empty house, they are walking into a home they can picture themselves living in. Getting your home professionally styled can also be beneficial for custom and high end homes. This will help you sell a lifestyle, rather than just a home.
Property styling can boost the price of your home by up to 12% while only costs between 1.5-2% of your homes value. You may outlay $4000 and get a return of $16,000 to $20,000. 98% of real estate agents recommend property styling because they see how it can effect your property, especially in a buyers market. Home stylists want your home to sell as fast as you do so they can move on to styling the next property, houses that have been professionally styled sell on an average of 10 days compared to the Australian average of 85 days!
Property styling can range on price depending on what service you’re looking for. A complete package involves getting all new furniture, accessories and everything else into your house once it’s been emptied. This often looks the best, but if you find a good stylist, you’ll be amazed at what they can do with your own furniture! An accessories only package means they will come into you home, declutter, and style your existing furniture with their accessories.
If you want to find out more about how property stying can affect your marketing strategy click here!
