ABOVE Decluttering creates space and avoids distracting your potential buyer with excess ‘stuff’.

Selling a property is like a first date. To make a good impression, you go out of your way to make them notice you and remember you. Let them see that you stand out from the others, are worth a long-term commitment and you’re good value to have around.

When it comes to presenting your house for sale, you need to take this same approach. There are plenty of properties available for sale, so what is going to make yours stand out? A few moments looking at your house online and running numbers may determine if a potential buyer decides to pursue your house as an option or looks for something better. The goal is to give prospective purchasers every reason to turn their interest into action – to enquire, visit and make an offer.

While investors purchasing are often focused more on the numbers, when selling a property you do not necessarily know who the purchaser will be – so appealing to a wide market may achieve the best outcome. Here are our steps to presenting your property for sale.

FIX MAINTENANCE ISSUES

If there are works required on your property, big or small, they may impact the sale price or level of interest. There is a cost and time investment to address these, but at a minimum we would recommend addressing maintenance issues on the house before listing. Items like leaking taps, joinery that doesn’t open properly, damaged floors, marks on walls. Put the focus on the positive elements of your property when people first visit. That it can be purchased and used immediately, not the to-do list they need to address from day one.

DECLUTTER

Decluttering is simply removing all the excess “stuff” inside and outside the property. Clutter gives the impression that there is less space, distracting from the house itself and often appears messy or disorganised. Decluttering removes the personal presence from the house and gives the potential buyer a chance to imagine themselves owning it. When you don’t declutter your belongings, open home attendees can feel like they are intruding into someone else’s space, and become distracted by the “stuff” rather than the property itself.

Tip: If you require space to store your clutter, consider adding storage to your property. It provides you a place to put things, but also shows purchasers they too have storage options available.

LEFT Staging your property gives your buyer inspiration.

ABOVE Don’t forget those exterior living spaces.

STAGING AND STYLING

Staging a property allows people to visualise how a property could be used, lived in, and lets them picture themselves living in it. Rather than leaving it to the imagination, it helps create an appealing property – creating interest both online with photos and in person. The intention is that purchasers can picture themselves living there to develop a connection with the property.

Staging can be done using your own furniture, a full house stage of an empty house, or a partial stage which may focus on certain rooms or only accessories and decor. Often less is more, so don’t go overboard to fill a room, and balance costs with what you might have available to use.

Key aspects we consider when staging.

• Define spaces with furniture placements.

• Play off natural light and existing features. Add lighting if there is not enough.

• Make bedrooms feel fresh and spacious.

• Emphasise comfort with pillows.

• Use large pieces of artwork and prints. These can create a statement. Or a large full-height mirror.

• Have fresh and clean linen and towels – remove any stains on furniture.

• Don’t forget the outdoors, a well presented exterior living area helps people picture themselves living there.

CLEAN EVERYTHING

Waterblast your exterior, sweep your drive and pathways, wash all your windows inside and out, wash away marks from interior walls, dry clean your drapes, have your carpets shampooed, have your stainless steel shiny, your toilet bowl glistening, mow the lawns and get rid of the weeds. Although it may sound like a lot of work, a clean house is a must for presenting your property – in photos and open homes. If you don’t have the time we highly recommend adding cleaning services to your marketing budget for the house sale.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Before your open home begins, there is plenty you can do to create a welcoming environment and ensure buyers feel at home. If you are selling in winter, make sure the house is nice and warm. In summertime, it’s great to open up all the windows and doors as well as emphasise the outdoor space. Have music playing gently in the background, scented candles lit, all the lights on and the doors open to each room in the house.

CLOSING

There is a reason why people invest into their property when it comes to sale – it pays off. Be it through greater interest, a shorter sale time, or a higher price – it is a proven method to achieve better results. Be mindful of the costs before you start, but consider the investment as part of your marketing costs. Especially in a buyer’s market, following these key steps will help to create interest in your property.