Why Now is the Time for Getting Your Home Ready For Sale
There is a lot of uncertainty about the Sydney real estate market right now. And let’s face it, despite all our best efforts and predictions, no one really knows what is going to happen in the next 3 months, 6 months or in 12 months for Sydney real estate. Things here on the Northern Beaches are positive and, as we all know, given that this is the best place in the world to live, we are hopeful that the market will remain strong with plenty of buyers in the market.
Now is the time to prep your home
What I do know is that if you intend to sell your house, now or in the next 12 to 18 months, you need to be getting ready immediately. You need your house prepped and all the odds and ends complete so that when the iron strikes, you won’t have to hesitate and miss the window. When there is a supply shortage and you have a house ready to list - that is in the best selling condition. You will be in a position to demand a top price from multiple buyers.
On the Northern Beaches, there was a bubble in January and February 2020, when the Sydney real estate market was hot… and when it goes HOT again you need to be ready to get your property listed with your preferred real estate agent immediately. Nobody can actually predict how long that bubble will last but if you can have your house listed, before the masses jump on board, you will have the advantage of less competition and more buyers.
What should you do to get your house ready?
While we all wish it was as simple as listing our home with your preferred agent, it rarely is. Especially when it’s a family home and has been, well you know...lived in.
We know that to get the best price you need lots of interested buyers. But to do that, you need to attract the buyers first. To attract the most amount of buyers out there, you need to appeal to the masses. And that appeal is a finished looking house with all the trimmings.
Paint Job
This can be as small as patch work, or the whole house. It can be interior, exterior or both. A fresh paint job is a tell tale sign almost all buyers look at and appreciate. This would be a number one on the to do list before listing your home for sale.
Deep Clean It goes without saying that before every open inspection of your house must be pristine. However before you sell your home, you need to do a really deep clean. This will be the final piece of the puzzle, especially post any construction work that has been done. All those dust particles, stains and scratches and marks need to be cleaned and scrubbed. Some of the main areas you need to include in a deep clean include:
- Pressure cleaning and washing the external walls of the house
- Cleaning all the windows, inside and out
- Cleaning the gutters out
Bathroom and Kitchen Refresh While some vendors will choose to completely redo their kitchen or bathroom before listing their property for sale, for many, it’s just a case of needing a refresh. A bathroom or kitchen refresh might include:
-Tiling or repairing the floor
- Repairing and regrouting
- Updating the mirrors and glass
- Spraying the bathtub
- Replacing the hardware
Landscaping
First impressions count and often the garden is the first place that people see as they walk into an open home. Make sure you are making a good first impression with freshly mown lawns and a tidy garden. Weeds, overgrown shrubs and worn out decking and pavers can really put a buyer off. It’s great to get ahead of the bigger maintenance projects now, so that you will just have a low maintenance garden that needs maintaining in the lead up to and during your open homes.
While these seem like big projects on their own, they don’t need to be. You can outsource what you don’t feel you are ready to tackle and chip away at what DIY projects you want to do yourself. What’s important is that you use this time wisely so that you are ready to list your home when you think the time and market is right.