Property Sale Preparation

Everyone wants to get the best price for their property, and sometimes you need to spend a little money in order to make a whole lot more. Whether you have the budget for a pre-sale renovation, or are tight on funds and trying to get the most out of a small investment, we can help you out. Our team will work with the property owner and the real estate agent to work out the best plan of approach.

Some of the types of property sale preparation works that we recommend that you consider include:

Pre-sale repairs

This can be one of the cheapest ways to get a property up to scratch for sale. It’s also a basic necessity, because small problems and issues are often perceived to be indicative of greater problems. These problems also imply that the place has not been well looked after by its previous occupants. Taking care of all of the little bits and pieces might not seem like much, but they do wonders for putting a prospective buyer’s mind at peace. The sorts of repairs you will want to consider include:

• fixing rotten window frames
• patch and painting holes, scratches and cracks in the plaster
• repairing door hardware, especially hinges, so that they all operate smoothly
• removing any mould or discoloration on ceilings and walls
• fixing up grossly discoloured or damaged grout
• patching threadbare carpet
• fixing scratches on timber floorboards, and removing any ‘squeaks’
• ensuring all taps work well and do not leak
• making sure all lights work
• replacing any damaged glass windows
• cracks in render or brick mortar
• leaning or damaged fences
• general presentation of garden and removal of overgrowth
• and replacing any old or damaged fly screens.

These sorts of basic repairs don’t cost much to do in the big scheme of things, but will improve the initial impression of your property.

Property painting

This is a fantastic thing to consider if you’ve got a little money to spend on a pre-sale improvement. Fresh paint not only helps make the place look significantly newer, it is also an opportunity to modernise the place. This can be especially helpful if you have an older-styled home in an area that young couples and families find attractive. There’s many places that you could consider painting in your home, including:

• internal painting, including painting of doors, walls, ceilings and skirtings
• painting window frames
• external painting, including painting gutters, roofing, walls, or even your driveway
• or maybe, if you can’t afford to do the whole house, just consider doing the rooms that need it the most.

While internal painting is usually the first thing people will do with their available painting budget, exterior painting can actually also be equally valid in some scenarios. Remember that the exterior is the first thing people will see about your property. It’s the immediate street view, and usually the first photo up on a property listing. These first impressions do really count.

Renovations

Now we’re getting to the big, juicy pre-sale improvements. If you’ve got a decent amount of money to spend, a renovation is definitely something to think about. There’s nothing wrong with a stylishly old-fashioned approach to a room if that’s how the home is styled, but if a room is just plain old, run down and makes the prospective buyer feel uncomfortable or grossed out, you’re in trouble.

Renovations can run the gamut from bathrooms, kitchens, garages, or even room conversions. If your 3 bedroom, 1 study home with only 1 bathroom is located in a suburb that is highly popular with families with young children, it might be worth converting the study into a more useful bathroom.

The extent of the renovation itself can be as far as you really want to go. However since we’re talking about getting the best return as you’re  selling and not living in the property, your best bet is to go simple on the renovation. Clean and modern doesn’t necessarily mean boring, and it can be less offputting than being ritzy or going for a super niche style that many people may not like.

With all of this in mind, the best approach really is to arrange to speak to us in person at the property to review your ideas and your budget. Our seasoned repair and renovations divisions are happy to work with you on your pre-sale improvements and will also have suggestions for you to consider based on an inspection of the property itself.