Selling Tips

PRESENTATION

Presentation of your property is a crucial factor in achieving the highest possible price for your property. This is similar to detailing or cleaning a car before you put it up for sale. The emotional appeal required to entice the spirit of buyers is unlikely to be generated by a poorly presented property. A neglected or poorly presented property sends out 'warning signals' to all potential buyers.

It is important to do whatever you can to have your property looking at its absolute best on come inspection day.

Turn offs for buyers include:

• Evidence of moisture in the walls
• Animal odours in the house are a definite turn off
• Cigarette or strong food odours can offend and turn a lot of buyers away and can significantly reduce what they will be prepared to pay for a property
• Doors, windows and gates should all work properly
• Any cracked glass, plaster or paint should be repaired
• Too much furniture or to many personal belongings cluttering a property is a turn off
• Damaged or stained carpet should be repaired or replaced

To improve the presentation, seek an experts advice, as many of these problems can be fixed over a weekend for very little expense. We believe the process is so important that we offer our clients the services of our preferred Property Stylist Kym Smirnoff from Re-Group Enterprises to help in preparing the property for sale.

Kym is happy to attend at no charge to give you a quote on what we believe could be your best investment throughout the entire selling process.

For vacant properties, we would also recommend the use of Re-Group Enterprises for furniture for the period of the sale. Advice on the best type of furniture for your property can also be offered by our preferred property stylist. The average cost to furnish a typical three bedroom house for six weeks is likely to be in the range of $4,000-$6,000 - in our experience this can be an excellent investment towards maximising the sale price of your property.

Sale Preparation Checklist

• The property should be detailed thoroughly
• A few hundred dollars invested in sprucing up the property will increase the saleability and more than likely increase the final selling price.
• A professional property stylist can improve the overall appeal of your property by enhancing its appearance. This helps obtain a higher sale price.
• The Contract for Sale should be prepared by your solicitor or conveyancer with all the essential terms and conditions. In NSW the law requires that a contract be available for inspection prior to the property being offered for sale.
• A certificate of compliance should be obtained from the Local Council if you have recently undertaken major building works.
• If there is a current lease, check the expiry date and termination requirements and advise your solicitor and agent accordingly.
• Make a note of all the inclusions. That is, everything that will be included in the purchase price and remaining at the property after completion. Standard items include light fittings, floor coverings, curtains and blinds. These can also be excluded if you prefer but it should be noted in the contract for sale.