Guest written by Breeda O'Sullivan of Upstaged Properties
How do you prepare your property for putting it up for sale?
There is one chance to get this right and a well-presented home will attract potential buyers when they first see your property online.
When those buyers visit the home, we want them to connect with the space and imagine themselves living there. Only 10% of the population can see beyond what is in front of them so it is well worth the investment to get the presentation right. The potential buyers will open every cupboard and drawer and if they are jammed packed because you wanted to hide everything, then an alarm bell will be raised in their head that there is not enough storage in the property!
The following are the steps to take to make sure your property is market ready for a successful sale.
Step 1
Declutter, declutter and declutter again! Now is a great time to get rid of items that you no longer need, don’t bring boxes full of stuff you don’t want to your new home. The best way to declutter to make three piles:
- What to get rid of
- What to keep
- What you are not sure about
Empty a cupboard or a drawer at a time and put them into different piles. Items to keep go back into the cupboard or drawers, items to go will be packed up and donated to charity, or to be recycled. Go back to the items that you are not sure about, it will be easier to make the decision after the first two piles are sorted. Don’t forget the attic and the garden sheds.
Step 2
You will want to make the most of the space and the light in your property and it may involve moving some furniture out of the house and rearranging the existing furniture to improve the flow of the house. Adding mirrors will bounce the light in the room and the space will appear bigger.
Remove all personal items such as photographs, framed diplomas etc, as these can be a distraction to potential buyers. The buyer will want to feel that they can imagine themselves living in their new house and not living in yours!
Clear all the surfaces in the kitchen, use white towels in the bathrooms and white bedlinen on the beds and invest in new pillows. Keep colours of cushions and throws to neutral colours and avoid loud colours such as red or turquoise as they appear very strong in photographs.
Step 3
Repairs... now is the time to address the repairs that need to be fixed. You want the purchaser to feel like the property has been well looked after. You may need to repaint to give the property a fresh look and always choose a neutral colour, this will make the space appear bigger and will appeal to the buyers. Check that all the light bulbs are working, increase the wattage of the bulbs to brighten a space if necessary.
Step 4
Deep Clean... time to give the house a really good clean to include the windows, inside cupboards, gutters, carpets etc. Remove all traces of animals for the photographs and the viewings. Add flowers - white and green work best for photographs - also add some nice diffusers in the hall and bathrooms.
Step 5
Curb appeal. Walk out to the front of the property and view the house through the eyes of a potential buyer. Make sure the garden is looking great, power wash the driveway or path if necessary. Add some flowers to pots or hanging baskets, does the front door need a fresh coat of paint?
A professional home stager will offer a consultation of how to prepare your property for sale and guide you through the process. This can be done in person or over a WhatsApp video. We will advise on how to present the property for the photographs and manage the home for the viewings.
For further details on Breeda's work visit Upstaged Properties here.
Follow MyHome on WhatsApp for all the latest property news and advice.
