Ok, so you have made the decision to put your house on the market.  You have decided on the agent to best represent your most precious asset. What now….

It’s now time to prep your home for sale.  It is not necessary to do this prior to the agent viewing your home as they generally can see “through” a lot of things, but it will help them see it in its best possible light.

1. The biggest and best tip that I can give you is “Disassociation” (lets define that the state of being unconnected in memory or imagination).  You need to change the way you “look” at your home.  Make the decision to let it go.  It will be someone else’s castle soon, and you will have a new one.  You will take all you memories and heirlooms with you but the home will stay and your life will move forward.   Why have I made this my first point, well everything else will become easier after you make this mental adjustment.
2. This step will be easier now, but it’s still a tough one.  De-clutter!  Over time, you will have accumulated a lot of different things, some loved, some useful, others not.  Some items that you truly love and have hundreds of all over your home may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For example my Mother-in-law loves angels, and they are lovely, but they are everywhere in her house.  I mean everywhere. You can’t even go to the bathroom without an angelic audience.  When she had her house on the market, we carefully pack up her treasured angels ready for the next house.  Think of this as an early start on packing.  Try and clear bench tops and arrange cupboards.  Yes, potential buyers will look in the cupboards to ascertain storage space, so keep that in mind.  My rule of thumb is “if I  haven’t used it in 12months do I really need it”?  You can also look at this process as a money making venture.  All those items you no longer need may have potential new homes. This is a great chance to have a garage sale, or sell some items on eBay etc.
3. Make any minor repairs, or call in the experts if they are bigger issues.  Even things that you consider a small fix.  Light globes need replacing (you would be surprised to how many lights are switched on and off during an inspection).  Any walls need a fresh coat of paint.  Painting can totally freshen up a house that may be looking a little tired.  If you do choose to paint try not to let your inner Picasso come out at this point.  Save that for your new home.  Keep colours simple and neutral.
4. CLEAN!   Clean like you have never cleaned before.  CLEAN EVERYTHING!  Windows cleaned – in and out, dust everything, remove spider webs from eaves, clean lights, clean fans, clean the filter in the air-con, clean your teenage son’s room (sorry had to add that because it’s a issue of contention in our house).  Keep it as clean as humanly possible throughout the selling process. Yes potential Buyers will appreciate you are still living in the house day to day, but presentation is so vital.
5. Gardens. Trim back, weed, re-bark, mow, whipper snip – make Don Bourke proud!  Gardens are an ongoing concern throughout the selling process as well, as street appeal is a BIG consideration to Buyers.  People generally will not come through your home if they don’t like it from the street no matter how beautiful it is on the inside (humans are funny creatures).  Is there something you can change easily on the outside of your house that would help this street appeal?
6. Consider getting a building and pest inspection prior to going on the market.  This will help you highlight issues that you may need to address. The last thing you want is to spend time and money on marketing your property, find that right buyer, negotiate the deal only for it to fail due to an issue which could have be rectified before the process commenced. The old adage a stitch in time saves nine, can certainly apply here.

 Now wander through your home with your “BUYERS” glasses on and change anything you think a buyer wouldn’t want to see.

 As a final note, remember that you and your agent are working together for the same outcome.  Don’t be shy to be involved in the process but also allow the agent to do their job and take into consideration what they say.  Don’t be afraid make course corrections throughout the sales process and adjustments to keep to goals on track.  Similarly a good agent should always work in consultation with their client.

 Best of luck

 Shawn Kristofer