Preparing your home before selling

How to prepare your house before you put it on the market

Helpful advice on how to best prepare your property before putting it on the market.

Preparing your home for sale requires attention to detail, being thorough, and thinking like a buyer.

Many people spend too much time or too much money preparing for a sale. Don’t make this mistake. Here are some low-cost tips to a quicker sale at a higher price. Who wouldn’t want that?

When it comes to selling your property, you can't pass up street/curb appeal. It's the first thing buyers notice, especially when they do a drive-by to check out the property before an open home.

Tip #1 Landscaping: Landscaping is one of the BIGGEST factors in curb appeal.

• Prune back unruly shrubs
• Clear away dead leaves
• Weed the flower-beds
• Mow the lawn, and use an edger to tidy up any messy lines
• Clean paving, driveways, and the outside of your house
• If appropriate, buy some new soil or mulch, for a fresh-looking garden

Work on the things that will have a big impact, such as clearing away mess. Don’t: Spend a lot of time and money on new plants or re-designing the space.

Tip #2 Repair: show buyers a functional, well looked after property

• Check that the lights work and replace any blown lightbulbs
• Tighten-up loose hinges and wobbly doors
• Spray some Q10 on creaking doors and fittings
• Fix any cracked glass on windows
• Paint over cracks and patches on the walls

The little things matter because they indicate to a potential buyer the condition of the overall property. A buyer who sees a well-functioning surface feels comfort that the things they can't see are also well-functioning.

Tip #3 Freshen up: modernise your look with a few low-cost upgrades

• Check your light fittings: are they cracked, old or outdated?
• Look at light switches and power plugs: do they take you back to the 90’s and have a yellow tinge to the plastic?
• Next is door handles: all the same and in a classic or modern style?
• What about cupboard and drawer handles?
• Finally, check your bathroom fittings: are they in desperate need of upgrading?

Tip #4 Declutter: Purge, pack and store

• Remove all excess furniture – think chests of drawers, filing cabinets, bookcases, additional seats, etc.
• Clear away all ornaments, piles of paper, books by the side of the bed, appliances that sit on the bench, etc.
• Inside your cupboards, drawers and storage areas take the excuse to have a good cleanout and remove at least 50% of what was inside!
• Everything you are able to remove makes the space look bigger to prospective buyers, so be ruthless and clean out all those things that are “practical” but take up floorspace.
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This tip is the one that is so often neglected, because it isn't that fun to go through your things and throw stuff out. With that said, if you are successful selling your house then you will have to do this anyway, and you may as well do it earlier and benefit from a better-looking property when you start conducting viewings of your home.

Tip #5 Spring Clean: have buyers feeling ready to move in

• Once you have de-cluttered (or during), it is time to give the place a thorough spring clean. 

  

• As you are cleaning out the linen cupboard, wipe the shelves out and refold the linen so it looks neat and tidy
• In the laundry, wipe down all the shelves and clean the dryer filter as well as the appliances themselves
• Vacuum all those hard to reach places under the bed, behind the couch, underneath the rug, etc
• Clean out the pantry and wipe down the fridge as well as all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen
• Give the bathrooms a solid clean so that the shower, basins and tubs look fresh and sparkling
• Give all the windows a good clean inside and out

Put your best foot forward to potential buyers. You will sell faster (less Open Homes!) and for a higher price (we all want that!). Also, if you get organised then this will make life less stressful later on when you need to move. You’ll be drinking champagne and searching for your next dream house instead of madly packing and cleaning out the old place.

Particularly if your home is attracting first-time buyers, creating a home that can be moved into immediately without any major renovation, decoration or repair could give your property the edge over others in your area. Imagine what you want from your next property, and try to replicate it to entice buyers with limited budgets.

We need to talk.... about "voetstoots....

Voetstoots clauses still exist in property sales but disclosures are mandatory

In terms of the Property Practitioners Act, the property owner must disclose to their agent and potential purchasers (or tenants) everything in or on the property that is defective, causing problems, or is not approved.

“You might prefer to leave all defects as they are and rather drop your asking price,” but you don’t want defects to put potential purchasers off.” Buyers back away from a leaking roof, damp, mould, and mildew in the bathroom, unmatched or cracked tiles and flaking shower ceilings. “Sort out problems like these, or at least get quotes from local specialists, handymen, or builders.”

Finally, the most important aspect of selling a home is the price. “It must be reasonable, or you will turn buyers away. Consider the market value, the condition of your property and the location.

Request a free property valuation here.

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