Present your property in the best light with these tips

Kitchen

Many home buyers consider the kitchen to be the most important room of the house. When they look at your kitchen, they’ll pay attention to the cleanliness, layout and storage capacity. Make sure all appliances are spotless, fix dripping taps, tighten loose cabinet hardware, and change outdated light fittings.

Storage

Remove half of what’s in the wardrobes and storage areas to make them look bigger. This might be a good time to throw out, donate or sell things you no longer need. Remove excess furniture, even if it’s only temporarily, to make rooms seem spacious. Garages often end up as a dumping ground so make sure they are well organised and give prospective clients the impression that there’s plenty of room for their belongings.

Outside

Your buyers will make their initial assessment of your property as soon as they see it. Mow the lawns, weed the gardens, trim back overgrown trees and sweep up leaves. A neat and tidy entrance also creates a positive first impression.

Walls and Ceilings

Repair any cracks in the walls or ceilings and repaint if necessary. Clean finger marks off high-traffic areas and get rid of cobwebs. Consider replacing outdated wallpaper.

Windows

Clean windows inside and out. Replace cracked glass, broken sashes and cords. When your home is being shown, open curtains to let in as much light as possible.

Floors

Carpeting has a major impact on the look of a home. Vacuum thoroughly or have it professionally cleaned. If it is badly worn, or stained, consider having it replaced. Check if wooden floors need to be refurbished. Clean tile floors, and repair or replace cracked tiles.

Paint

Take a good look at the paint on the inside and outside of your home, is it cracking, peeling or chipping? If it is, a fresh coat of paint for your exterior may cost you a bit of time and money, but may elevate your home from “fixer-upper” to “move in and enjoy.” If it does need painting, choose colours that are appropriate to the style of the house and that blend in well with the neighbourhood.

Roof

Buyers will pay close attention to its condition. Paint corrugated iron or clean tiles, fix leaky corroded downpipes and gutters. Clean or repair watermarked ceilings as this is a sign to buyers that the roof has leaked, even if it has been fixed.

Open homes

To put buyers at ease, we recommend you and your pets are absent during open homes. If you do stay, please let your sales consultant do the talking.