Preparing your home to sell.
Property owners getting ready to sell usually have two major tasks ahead: Preparing their homes to go on show to potential buyers,
and then keeping them in that condition while still living in them.
“And while this may seem like a tall order, it can be done with some forward planning and co-ordination with your estate agent,”
says Kevin Croft, MD of the Realty King Group property group.
“Before you even list your home for sale, for example, you should start clearing out your garage, tool shed, spare room and cupboards and donating, selling or throwing away anything you no longer want or need. If you’ve lived in your home for several years, it’s likely that you’ve accumulated quite a lot of extraneous ‘stuff’, and if you clear this out now, your home will show better
– and you’ll have a lot less to do when you move.”
Next, he says, you should aim to remove at least one item of furniture from every living room and bedroom (more if necessary) and put them in storage, along with any heavy, dark curtains.
“You will have less things to tidy and arrange when your agent calls to arrange a viewing, and your home will definitely show better if the rooms appear light and spacious and potential buyers can easily visualize themselves living there. Clutter interferes with this process.”
Sellers Guidelines for Property Photo Shoots.
First Impressions Last! The first time a buyer sees your house (whether it is a photo on a website or they are seeing in person) they will form an opinion of it. Your best chance as a seller is to give the right impression and there is a lot that you can do to help the buyer decide this is the right house for them.
Firstly, pack away any personal belonging (cell phones and chargers, laptops and other valuables, paintings or photographs or other items you don’t want shown in the photos. Remove fridge magnets & other items from fridge & keep the space on the surfaces in the kitchen free & uncluttered by only keeping a few appliances on them. Remove toothbrushes in bathrooms and other personal toiletries & place toilet seat down).
Tidy away all clutter. The likes of piles of books next to the bed (a few magazines neatly stacked is fine), pack children’s toys neatly away in cupboards or on shelves, remove any spare handbags and scarves hanging from cupboards or chairs. Makes sure all dishes are washed and packed away. Pack away any personal documents in your office/study and leave the desk as clear as possible.
Check your Garden & Outside areas. Take away the automatic pool cleaner from the pool (if possible), remove your pool cover (make sure your pool is as clean as possible- preferably blue & with no leaves in it), remove all pool cleaning equipment from garden area (e.g. HTH & pool brushes etc.). Make sure that all Pet blankets, cushions, bowls of food etc.. Have been removed from view and Patio furniture has been arranged neatly. Make sure your grass has been cut. Remove bins on wheels and any other clutter lying around outside in the garden.
Moving tips for Downsizing.
When we stay in larger homes, we tend to worry less about storage space. We accumulate drawers full of magazines and unused gifts, and garages full of sports equipment and forgotten hobbies. However, when the kids grow up and leave the nest, and it's time to move to a smaller home, it may be difficult to part with things that hold so much familiarity, despite the fact that they no longer serve a functional purpose.
By getting rid of all the unused items, you will be able to fit into your new home with all your most beloved things, and you will save on furniture removal costs. When there is no other way other than to get rid of excess baggage, since you have to downsize, you can follow a few of our moving tips as below to make the process easier.
