Maximise your return by consciously preparing your property for sale.

If you’re in the market to buy a home, then chances are you’re in the market to sell as well. Make sure you are well prepared for the sale of your property by following these few simple tips from Interior Designer Jane Eyles-Bennett from Hotspace Consultants.

“When selling your property, think about how you will consciously prepare it for sale. Doing this effectively will not only help it sell in a quicker timeframe, you will maximise the price you get for it.

The three most effective things you can do prior to your Open Home days are 1) de-personalise and tidy the interior and exterior of the property, 2) take advice from a design professional if you are renovating, and 3) stage the property with furniture.

Number one is of course the most obvious but it is incredible how many people fail to do it (great for buyers though!). Look at your property with ‘fresh eyes’ – like the first time you saw it. What have you been glazing over for the past however many years? Notice what needs fixing and tidying and then do it! Get rid of rubbish and weeds in the garden and around the exterior of the house. Tidy away bench tops, cupboards and personal items such as shampoo bottles, photographs and your favourite 20 year old blanket! You get the picture.

Secondly, take advice from a design professional if you are planning on making any modifications to the property. You don’t need to spend a lot of money or make big changes to really improve its appeal to your potential buyers. A clever designer (like Hotspace Consultants – www.hotspaceconsultants.com) will help you avoid over-spending, make the property look fantastic and most importantly, add significant appeal and value to your property (and therefore demand) – without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Before	After

Be sure your designer is aware of your expectations – small spend, high impact. For the price of a plumbing job they could potentially help you save thousands or tens of thousands of dollars!

Thirdly, and probably most underestimated is furniture staging. You may use your own furniture or choose to hire some. A good furniture staging business will work with their client to figure out who the most likely buyer is going to be. They’ll then ‘dress’ the property to create a look and feel that reflects the needs and wants of that market; at the same time maximising the potential sale price and minimising the days it spends on the market.

There are many advantages to staging a property for sale and the spend vs value argument is easily won by the ‘for’ advocates. Consider this research conducted by American business StagedHomes.com. Staging a property for sale reduces the time it is on the market by an average of 50%. And the average sale price increase through staging a property is 6.9%.

A furnished property gives life and personality to an otherwise empty house. It defines rooms and gives areas purpose. It also helps to hide many of the imperfections that become obvious when a house is empty; Rugs and furniture can cover defective floors. Art work can cover imperfect walls. And well accessorised kitchens and bathrooms can detract the eye from areas you don’t want the buyers to focus on. Furniture staging also highlights the great features of a property; well placed items draw the eye to key selling features in the house and give it the ‘wow’ factor.

For a buyer, there is nothing worse than a ‘stale’ property. They will not go back if it didn’t appeal to them the first time. You have one chance to impress. Don’t let a potential sale slip through your fingers because you didn’t prepare well. Invest some time and money into preparing your property for sale and put your best foot forward before you put it on the market!

Jane Eyles-Bennett is the director of Hotspace Consultants.

www.hotspaceconsultants.com

Sunshine Coast
phone: 07 5430 6634
PO Box 113, Noosa Heads
Queensland 4567
AUSTRALIA

Auckland
phone: 09 846 9890
PO Box 46260, Herne Bay
Auckland 1147
NEW ZEALAND