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DRESS TO IMPRESS
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
What’s the secret of presenting a home for sale to get the best price? Buyers are hip to tricks like the aroma of fresh coffee, so savvy sellers must find new strategies. Before we get to those though, it’s worth stating basic rules that still hold true.
The first step is to dispose of junk and clutter. It makes the place look uncared for, distracts potential buyers and detracts from the feeling of space you need to promote.
Next, do what you can to improve the street appeal: mow the lawns, tidy the garden and clean all the windows, paths and gutters and paintwork. Inside, fix all the faults that are likely to be noticed during inspections, from leaking taps to torn fly screens. Even keen buyers may demand a big reduction in price to take on these problems.
If you’re tempted to pull out a paintbrush, it’s better to paint the whole place rather than selected rooms, to prevent unpainted spaces from standing out like the proverbial sore thumb. Alternatively, touch up only those specific areas that look really shabby. Use light, neutral colours to appeal to the broadest audience.
If you have pets or smokers in your home, you probably don’t notice the associated odours anymore, but househunters certainly will. Have carpets, curtains and upholstery cleaned, then impose a ‘no pets, no smoking’ rule until the property is sold.
During open-house inspections, open the windows and curtains to let in fresh air and sunshine. No-one likes a dark or musty house. And keep it clean throughout the sales campaign: ovens, showers and swimming pools should all sparkle.
If you’re really serious about getting the best price, consider using a home stylist or a ‘stager’. A stylist will bring in new furniture, bought or rented, whereas the newer concept of home staging, all the rage in the US and UK, involves rearranging your existing furniture and accessories, with perhaps just a few new touches. The second strategy minimizes the cost but, hopefully, will still help achieve that higher price.
If you’re selling an empty property, styling it with hired furniture, artworks, lamps and rugs is highly recommended. A potential buyer is likely to notice every stain and crack in a bare room, but will respond quite differently to a stylishly furnished space.
We have a couple of stylist firms that specializes in renting out furniture and homewares packages for short terms, offering a home presentation service in Perth. A stylist views the property and comes up with a complete package. The company then brings in the furniture, hangs the pictures and fluffs up the cushions. All this can be arranged in a week, “Clients tell us the service can add $10,000 to $30,000 to the asking price” stylist Leigh says.
Lorraine, takes a different approach. She looks at the target market for the property – perhaps a young family or professional couple – and devises a plan to rearrange existing furniture and accessories. Depending on the price range of the home, she may also recommend adding a few new pieces or making specific improvements, such as stripping old wallpaper. Once again, the first step is to get rid of clutter, including family photos. “These distract buyers,” Lorraine says. “They’ll focus on the photographs instead of the house, and it makes it hard for them to imagine living there.”
On a recent home sale through RWR our seller used the services of one of our stylists, and the results were phenomenal. The property sold in an extremely short time and was sold for full asking price.
For more information on arranging a stylist for your home if you are thinking of selling contact our office at RWR Real Estate.