Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale During Lockdown

Spring is almost here. The weather is warming, the financial year has come to an end and there is still enough time to make plans before Christmas is upon us. Generally, activity around this time starts to boom.

Things are a little different this year as we approach Spring with those of us in NSW currently in lockdown as the pandemic continues and we find ourselves spending most of our time at home.

Even if it sometimes seems hard, it’s good to look for the positives in trying times, so if you’re thinking of selling come Spring or after the stay at home orders are lifted there are lots of things you could be doing now to prepare your home for sale.

The market in Orange has stayed strong through the pandemic and there are still buyers ready and waiting to buy property and with a shortage of supply any properties listed are sure to be the focus of buyer attention as soon as they come on the market.

Did you know that a few well considered, yet minor enhancements, could easily result in $5,000, $10,000, or even more added to the eventual sale price of your property?  So, it’s a great investment of your time to do a little planning and work before offering your property for sale. What better time than now is there when we are spending most of our time at home?

We have put together 10 tips of things you can do to get started and hope you find them helpful.

Tip 1

Clean an area of your house that you have been putting off for a while such as a section of your garage, a cupboard or the oven. You can easily tackle each task one at a time, so it doesn’t seem so daunting.

Tip 2

Make a list of repairs / maintenance you wish to complete before listing. From that list decide what you are going to do yourself and what you are going to outsource.

Even the smallest of problems can make buyers wary about other less obvious issues. So, it’s best to fix what buyers will see and make it obvious the property is well cared for.

Tip 3

Attend to the garden. This is a great way to get outside in some fresh air as well as improving the street appeal and the first impression people get of your house.

If you’re spending time and money on your property’s presentation, a small investment in finishing off gardens can be extremely worthwhile. We live in a beautiful town where the outdoor areas can be just as valuable as indoors for many buyers, so make sure they add to the property’s appeal.

Some quick and easy jobs in your outdoor areas are:

• Remove children’s bikes and toys where possible
• Make sure bins and composts are out of sight
• Clean outdoor furniture as well as clear paths of moss and leaf debris

Up to 90% of your plants annual growth can occur in Spring, so being prepared will help your garden look spectacular by the time you’re ready to list. Here are some specific areas to focus on:

• Prune shrubs and roses
• Remove spent flowers from bulbs
• Pull weeds from garden beds and lawns
• Fertilise and mulch garden beds and fruit trees
• Spring is the best time to start a new lawn from seed
• For established lawns, start mowing more regularly for a thicker, greener lawn.
• Spring is also a great time to fertilise lawns.

Tip 4

Practice an Open home / Photo shoot. Imagine walking into your house for the very first time. Start outside on the footpath, what will potential buyers see? You become familiar with your own surroundings and may not immediately notice something that will stand out to a potential buyer.

Once you’ve had a good look outside, repeat the same exercise inside. If you were seeing your property at an open or a private inspection, does it have a feel that will appeal?

Decide where you want your furniture to be placed and how you will dress each room to make photos and open homes look their best.

Space sells, so clear the clutter. When your home feels spacious it offers more possibility to purchasers and a good de-clutter will help your rooms feel more spacious. It will also make it easier to keep the property tidy both while you’re in lockdown and then later for inspections.

Tip 5

Make a grand entrance. First impressions count, particularly if you’re about to put your house on the market.

By painting the front door in strong colours such as red or blue or in timeless classics like fresh white or glossy black, updating doorway furniture and the entrance mat, you’re sending a message that your home is up-to-date and well maintained before anyone even crosses the threshold.

Give the area around the entrance the once-over by cleaning the path, removing cobwebs and trimming plants. Check the letterbox isn’t shabby and fix any loose pavers or fence palings.

Tip 6

Refresh the master bedroom. This room is an important one for purchasers. Make it as inviting and relaxing as possible with candles, beautiful bed linen, cushions and throw rugs. If the room is large enough, include a comfy chair, coffee table and a few magazines or books.

A major plus is that you will benefit from this refresh while in lockdown. Never have we needed comfortable and relaxing spaces to escape to in our home more than now.

Tip 7

Consider the kitchen. A good kitchen can help sell a property. Not only is it an essential part of the house, but it can also be the most expensive and inconvenient room to refurbish and its condition may influence the value of your property.

If your kitchen is a little dated there are a few simple ways to help increase its appeal:

• Change cupboard handles
• Put appliances out of sight and keep bench space clean and clear
• Pay special attention to the cleanliness of sinks, stoves and ovens
• Wipe marks from cupboard doors and splash backs

Here are some other DIY tips you can try: https://www.pfisher.com.au/2020/09/easy-diy-to-spruce-up-your-kitchen/

Tip 8

Refresh with paint. Refreshing the exterior of your property with a modern lick of paint can broaden your market and you can appeal to more buyers. It isn’t too expensive and can be done with some help from household members and hard work. It will make your property look more valuable than before. (TIP: The industrial paint spray guns will save you hours of work.)

Painting the interior of your house can lift the mood of your home and it’s inexpensive if you’re willing to do the work.

You might be able to get away with giving skirting boards, doors and window and door frames a good clean with sugar soap or a natural alternative such as washing soda.

If you’re taking the DIY approach, tackle one room at a time. Choose a warm, dry day to start, move all of your furniture into the middle of the room and do the first coat in the morning. As most paint needs only a few hours between coats, you can do the second later in the day and have the room finished by the evening. Bigger rooms will take more time of course, but the one-room-at-a-time method limits disruption.

Tip 9

Look at your windows. A good clean of your windows both inside and out will go a long way to lifting the presentation of your home. With the weather warming up it’s a great time to get outside and clean your windows, brush off dust and cobwebs and get them sparkling.

Inside you can do the same and take the opportunity to wipe over your blinds and windowsills as well. It’s easy for mildew and dust to build up over winter when we are using heating and windows are not often opened.

Consider updating your window furnishings. New blinds or curtains can instantly change the look and feel of a room and so many places home deliver now so you can easily make these changes while in lockdown.

Tip 10

Email or call your solicitor / conveyancer to be sure you will be ready when you are ready to launch your property. They can have a Contract for Sale prepared and waiting ready for marketing to commence when the time is right.

Bonus Tip

One last bonus tip. If you are wondering about your most likely buyer profile or need any help identifying ways to increase the appeal of your property, give our Sales Team a call. They would love to help you out.

One Last Thing

We believe, based on what happened last year after the lockdown ended, that there’s going to be a lot of pent up momentum from buyers that will be released following the end of the current lockdowns. It’s very likely that even more people will be looking to make a lifestyle change away from the city and will turn to regional areas like ours and we are going to see a surge in buyer enquiry and the demand for properties to buy will be even higher than it has been recently. Great news if you’re a seller looking to sell your home or investment property!