Selling Simply
Don’t bother with the expense of renovating your home just to sell it on, make these small but significant changes instead, writes Bea Taylor.
“What are the best ways to spend your money for return?” This is how Terry Connell from Harcourts approaches any new sale. There’s no point spending thousands when you can spend hundreds for the same result.
Buyers, she says, are looking for reasons not to buy, “so take any possible objections out”.
Ilse Evans, sales agent and marketing consultant agrees: “Take out any tiredness, it’s important to show the house has been cared for.”
WHO’S BUYING IT?
Evans says there are two fundamental ways to look at how you’re going to sell your home. “You’re either marketing it as a finished product or you’re marketing it as a potential product.”
First home buyers, says Connell, are more likely to view a house as a potential product. “They want to do it themselves,” she says, either through structural changes or by “beautifying” the place with new paint colours and new furniture.
If you’re selling to a family, who don’t want to have to make adjustments, then you might have to put a bit more time into more permanent changes.
INVEST IN THE OUTSIDE
Both Evans and Connell say a neat, good-looking exterior is something that will appeal. It’s worth spending money on a gardener, says Evans. “People are looking at the whole picture,” adds Connell, “a messy garden is like a nice outfit with bad shoes.”
DOOR HANDLES
Think of tired, scratched and worn handles. Replacing door handles is a relatively inexpensive change, but one that will give your interiors an instant boost.
THE KITCHEN
It’s the heart of the home and high on the priority list for most buyers. Anything that’s a bit dated can be a turn off.
Nick Cowdy of Cowdy & Company real estate says his best tip for revamping the kitchen is something that he’s done himself. “I repainted the joinery from maroon to white, I changed the handles from wooden to a more modern look and added a pressed tin splash back.” All of which cost around $500, but looked like a new kitchen, he says.
THE FLOORS
Connell says, if it’s possible, lift the carpet and polish the wooden floors underneath. “People love polished floors, it’s almost the Kiwi dream.” It will instantly give a dated room a modern edge.
If lifting the carpet is not an option and replacing it will cost too much, have the carpet washed and stretched. It will cost less money and achieve the same result.
“Chuck a couple of rugs over top and it will look fresh,” says Connell. “But if the carpet is thread-bare, then you will definitely need to get it replaced.”
SIZE AND SPACE
Declutter and depersonalise. Two changes that won’t drain you of money, but will make a big difference to how potential buyers view your home.
“People need to be able to visualise themselves in your home, so take anything away that is too personal,” says Connell.
And while you’re at it, take away the clutter too. “You want to make the space appear as big as possible,” says Evans.
“If you’ve got a small bedroom with a bed crammed into it, take the bed out so they see the space, not how little space there is.”
Connell suggests styling your house with open bottomed couches, glass coffee tables and smaller dining tables, which will all make a space feel bigger.
PAINT AND CLEAN
“We’re in a market where buyers are judgemental and often can’t look past a bright coloured wall,” says Connell.
If you can spend a couple of hundred on repainting the walls a neutral colour, then this is money well spent, she says, But remember, it all comes down to who you’re selling to: if it’s a new house buyer looking to do-up, then this might not be necessary.
In that case, “clean, clean, clean,” says Evans.
“If you’re not going to paint, use sugar soap and make those walls look brand new.”
Evans’ biggest bug-bear is people not paying attention to the entrance.
“Paint the doorsteps and make sure it’s clean and tidy. Not only is it a first impression, but people often look down when they cross a threshold and you don’t want them looking down into grime.”