When it comes to selling real estate for the best market price, presentation is everything. This should seem obvious, especially to the sellers, but surprisingly a lot of people believe that buyers should be able to see the potential of the property through layers of grime, dust, clutter and overgrown gardens and lawns. It seems that once they have made the decision to sell, they don’t want to work on the property at all.
Sellers with a Successful Approach get the Best Price
This attitude places us as their selling agents in a difficult position. If we continue to market the property as is, eventually the sellers blame us for not generating enough interest to find a buyer. If we keep pointing out to them that none of our recommendations for improvements have been followed we are accused of wanting everything perfect to make our job easier.
Here at Prudential Real Estate in Macarthur, our most successful approach so far has been to impress on the sellers that for a small investment of time, paint and cleaning they can expect to get a much better price for their property than taking a “fire sale” approach. This is especially important if the property is being purchased as a rental investment. As Astute property managers Macarthur, we know that no buyer in this situation will be interested in a property that needs weeks of work before it can be rented to tenants.
Some Top Buyer Turnoffs
The top buyer turnoffs we have observed are the easiest to remove and often involve just some well-overdue painting, general maintenance and a thorough once-over with cleaning products. We are still amazed at the sellers who present cluttered, untidy, smelly properties where even the effort of making the beds before inspection day has been too much.
Who would imagine that dirty dishes would be left in the kitchen sink, laundry left hanging on the line or pet bowls and litter trays with smelly deposits stashed beside the fridge when an inspection was imminent? Sadly, we have seen all these presentation errors. Simple things like making sure all the light fittings are working when photos are being taken for marketing can make thousands of dollars difference to the selling price.
Immaculate Presentation Often just Routine Cleaning
Bathrooms and toilets are areas where the presentation must be immaculate. This is easily achieved by removing all clutter from the floors. Things like spare toilet rolls, the toilet brush and old magazines need to be hidden; and please put the lid down. In the bathroom everything must be spotless and lotion bottles, deodorants and other toiletries put into cupboards. Removing the usual household clutter leaves the house looking fresh and gives the impression of space.
A property with a tidy yard, freshly cleaned and painted and everything inside in its place makes getting a good price much easier and is worth the effort.
