Part of the plan of selling your home is to make it look its best for an open home. You can improve the value of your home and therefore increase your selling price by presenting your home in an attractive way. An open home can be nerve-racking, so as a bit of reassurance before any potential buyer steps foot into your home, make sure you do all the things on the following list so that your home is looking its best…
Take a step back and view your property with a critical eye. What improvements can you make? How would a potential buyer see your home? Can they easily see themselves living there? What is its curb appeal?
Remember, first impressions count and the property should be presentable both inside and out. Here are a few tips in preparing your property for photography and marketing:
Inside General:
- Clean, make sure the house is spotless!
- Eliminate clutter – kitchen bench tops and bathroom vanities should be clear and clean.
- Remove magnets from the fridge.
- De-clutter rooms – remove bulky furniture if necessary, take down family photos, and put away knick-knacks – including TV remote controls, kettles, toasters, mugs, magazines, pet dishes.
- Clean curtains, blinds, shutters.
- Open curtains – create a feeling of space and light.
- Paint interior walls if required – neutral shades are best.
- Make necessary repairs / replacements eg. Shower curtain, broken curtain rods.
- Clean carpets / polish floorboards professionally to remove stains or re-carpet if appropriate.
- Photography Time – select the best showing time of day for sunlight. If you do show at night, make sure the house is well lit.
Bedrooms:
- De-Clutter.
- Make all the beds.
- Pick up and put away anything on the floor eg. dirty washing, clothes, handbags, etc. Clear all bedside tables and vanity units.
Bathrooms:
- Clean bathrooms thoroughly – get rid of mould and water stains and replace the bathroom towels with dry fresh ones or remove all towels and mats completely.
- Remove all bathroom clutter and materials.
- Put toilet seats down.
Outside:
- Mow Lawns (and council strip)
- Rake leaves / Sweep paths.
- Weed Garden.
- Plant perennials.
- Prune trees and shrubs.
- Clear gutters and paint if necessary.
- Remove toys and yard clutter, including hoses, pool cleaners, etc.
- Remove / Hide bins & pet dishes.
- Wash windows and flyscreens.
- Clean away cobwebs.
- Wash the exterior of house with high pressure hose or investigate rendering or painting costs.
- Clean or paint front door.
- Clean or replace front door matt.
- Clean pool if you have one.
- Organise / tidy garage.
- Remove Car out of driveways and from directly out front of the home