How to market your property: Mike Pero Real Estate
Marketing a property brings with it the opportunity to tackle those jobs too long put off – such as decluttering, and selling or donating items you no longer want.
Checklists are the perfect solution to keeping the marketing process on track and move it forward as seamlessly as possible.
Jacqui McBride of Mike Pero Fendalton shares some tips on presenting your home for both photographic purposes and for open homes.
Interiors:
– Remove or replace chattels that you don’t want to sell before the first Open Home
– Remove all visible clutter from view – i.e., dishes, magazines, toys, and rubbish bins
– Remove clutter from kitchens and bathrooms and clean them until they sparkle
– Clean all counters, mirrors and glass surfaces
– Keep knick-knacks to a minimum
– Make the beds and have bedrooms ready for viewing
– Open shades, tilt blinds, and switch on lights and lamps for ambience
Exteriors:
– Sweep entrances, driveways and paths
– Tidy backyards and store away garden tools, bikes, toys, bins and hoses
– Sweep decks, clean patio furniture, and uncover barbecues
– Have spa pools and entertainment areas clean and tidy
– Remove cars from driveway and property frontage.
When preparing your home for a photography session, the photographer will expect everything to be cleaned and dusted, furniture moved, toys tidied away, and no rubbish in sight.
Prep work not done or unnecessary interruptions, such as from children or pets, can result in the photographer having to reschedule to another day at an additional charge to the seller.
Poor preparation will result in unflattering photos, which can make all the difference in attracting interest or the kind of offers the seller might have hoped for.
For open homes, the guidelines are similar as preparing for the photographer, but there are a few extra tips that can help boost the property.
Consider hiring a storage unit to hold surplus furniture and other items from the house. Remember that less clutter always makes a home look more spacious.
With a decluttered home, you can now give it a thorough clean, including carpets. If you have time constraints, think about hiring professional cleaners to carry out a deep clean.
The deep clean means it is easier to keep on top of the freshen-up cleans before each showing or open home.
Finally, start to think objectively about your property, to help you distance yourself emotionally from it and see it from a buyer’s perspective instead.
Talk with your agent about the kind of buyers who are most likely to be interested in your property and discuss the ways you could try to capture their interest.
Know your market by attending open homes in your local area to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t.
Handy tips, such as those above, can make the presentation process less arduous, which in turn makes the selling process less stressful for everyone concerned.
