1. Fix what needs repair
Making some repairs to your home will make a better impression on visitors and, consequently, increase the selling price.
It's a good idea to advise clients to fix squeaky doors or loose cupboard doors, or to replace a broken tile or piece of flooring. Repairing malfunctioning appliances is also a must, as they tend to be expensive and no buyer wants to have extra worries when moving into their new home.
When more serious repairs are required, it's a good idea to paint the walls to remove any peeling paint or stains from daily use. Plumbing where there is a leak should be replaced (remember, visitors might want to test them!), dripping taps or damaged plaster should be repaired.
Look at what's outside the house: stuck or broken windows, missing roof tiles, and a run-down garden. Ask them to take care of all of this, because these small details can make a big difference in how you perceive the home.
Typically, people want to buy a home that is in good condition and ready to move in. They don't want to spend time and money getting their new home ready. Leaving the repairs to the next owner can turn off potential buyers and cause those who are willing to buy to negotiate down the price (because they're spending money on repairs).
On the other hand, allowing buyers to see the repairs that are needed makes your house look neglected, which may lead them to think there are worse problems (such as structural ones).
2. Remove the personal and highlight the strengths of the house
Your client's home probably looks like what it is: their home. That's why one of the most important steps when selling a home is to remove any items that mark their personality or associate the property with them, such as family photos, children's toys or pet beds.
If your client wants the property to sell chinese overseas canada database sooner and is willing to invest a small amount to make the property look as good as possible for potential buyers, they should look for a professional to do home staging. This is a marketing strategy to motivate interested buyers to buy the properties they visit, as it improves the appearance and layout of the property, and makes the most attractive rooms of the house stand out and attract the attention they deserve.
And, in case they don't want to pay for the service , they can (with your help or not) apply some of the principles of home staging themselves !
3. Organize and clear
Reducing the amount of knickknacks, clothing and other items is something clients should consider if they want to reduce the visual “noise” caused by excess objects. A cluttered or overstuffed home can give a sense of disarray, when you want to draw attention to carefully selected details.
Also, tell your client that buyers will be looking inside cupboards, wardrobes and kitchen cabinets to see if the storage space is sufficient and fits their needs. Therefore, your plan for staging a home for sale should consider the organization of the interior of these storage spaces, so that buyers do not misinterpret that the abundance of personal items is because the house does not have enough space to store them.
4. Pay attention to lighting
Next step: replace burned-out or flickering light bulbs and put them in unused spots. Why? Because a dark space makes it feel smaller and colder, like a cave. For your client's home to be perfect, it needs to be well-lit, so the rooms will appear larger and more pleasant. Good lighting can highlight the most beautiful furniture, the most incredible floor, and other features that make the home very special.
House ready for sale
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
5. Obtain an energy certificate
This document is mandatory in the European Union for renting or selling a house, so you surely have it in mind as one of the steps to selling a house.
But one very useful piece of information you should give your clients is the importance of making small improvements before the property is assessed. As you can see in our article on energy certificates, even the smallest changes can have an impact on the energy rating of the property and make it more attractive to buyers.
This is a fundamental aspect when selling a property, as future owners do not want to have to worry about the thermal comfort of their new home or be surprised by the increasingly expensive electricity bills. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them with a document that proves that the property is prepared for them to live in as well as possible.