Checklist: Preparing your property for sale

When preparing your property for sale, it is important to remember that you're not just selling a home, you're selling a lifestyle. We want to engage buyers on an emotional level, which put simply, they can imagine themselves living in the home.

Follow our checklist to help make the best first impression and, in-turn achieve the best sales result.

HOME STAGING

Consider this the first step into moving into your new home! Keeping the end goal in sight will help take this from being laborsome to actually helping on the other end when it is time to move!

Grab some boxes and start packing - just a few bits and pieces anyway! Here's where to start;

• Remove the more highly personal items such as family photos, children's artwork, and identifying documents such as certificates from the walls

Next, de-clutter - the aim here is to make the home appealing to MORE buyers and MAXIMISE space and light. It's really just removing things from sight that just don't need to be there (pro tip: pop the non day-to-day items away in packing boxes now, and consider what can be donated or recycled)

• Work from room to room;
  • Kitchen - remove magnets etc from fridge, clear as much as possible from bench tops leaving only a kettle and bowl of fruit for example, tidy the pantry
  • Dining - simplify as much as possible and decorate with a small plant or fresh flowers
  • Lounge - stow away toys, excess knick-knacks and personal effects, remove any shabby cushions or throws and replace with your best
  • Bedrooms - tidy clothes, put on your best bedlinen, pack away excess toys and knick-knacks
  • Bathroom - remove items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo bottles from your vanity top and inside the shower. Use your best towels
  • Laundry - clear any bench space, pop laundry in the basket, wipe down appliances
  • Home Office - clear desk space, remove any identifying documents from view, tidy up cords/electrical

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Cleaning - the key is to focus on the visible items. Wipe clean all surfaces particularly kitchen and vanities; clean your floors (indoors and out); clean mirrors, sliding glass doors and windows of any smudges, particularly those that are capturing a view; clean bathroom showers, vanities and toilets.

Maintenance - fix any lingering maintenance items such as faulty door handles, leaky taps, and obvious wall and paint touch ups.

CURB APPEAL

First impressions are everything, and the first thing the buyer will see when they attend an open home or inspection, is the front exterior or front facade, before heading to the back and side.

• Keep the lawn mowed
• Tidy gardens - removing visible weeds, dead plants, trimming back any overgrown shrubs or trees
• Check fences/gates for any maintenance requirements
• Address any pests such as spider webs over the front facade, lawn grubs, or obvious wasp or ants nests
• Stow away excess toys, garden tools, or pet supplies

OPEN FOR INSPECTIONS

Once you've completed the initial de-clutter, clean and maintenance requirements, open for inspections will be that little easier to prepare for.

• Empty your household bins
• Clear your kitchen benches, bathroom vanities, bedside tables, coffee tables and dining table of any excess clutter (the day-to-day necessities)
• If you have pets, ensure you clean up any mess and if possible, put away or freshen the litter tray
• Ensure all dirty clothes are neatly stored in your laundry basket - and consider keeping the washing line empty
• Consider the aroma of your home - light a candle, turn on the diffuser or brew a fresh coffee
  Tidy up the yard -sweep out the alfresco, roll up the hose, remove any visible weeds, and ensure your council bins are neatly stowed.

We will always arrive well before your open home, and considering the overall feel and ambience of the home, we would also;

• Switch on fans/air conditioning if it's a hot day
• Turn on lights
• Adjust blinds/curtains to appealing heights/capture views and open specific windows for natural light and ventilation
• Ensure external access doors are unlocked for entry into the yard or balcony
• It's also best if you're not home during the open home, and if possible, take your pets out with you.