There have been many news reports about housing prices and their fall from the big figures being achieved some 12 – 24 months ago, particularly in the Tasmanian real estate market.

The prices have fallen, and there appears to be less buyers interested in reaching into their pocket to commit to purchasing a new home. And those that do commit, have to make the contract subject to selling their own home.

This causes a substantial flow on affect in the market place as those wanting to sell their house to buy another have to wait for others to attract a committed buyer.

The local Tasmanian newspaper, The Saturday Mercury, today reported that home owners are having to wait an average of 79 days on the market to sell their home, up 14 days in the last three month period.

The thing is, the way your property presents is in direct relation to how buyers engage with the home.

We say it time and time again to our clients, people want to see the home they are inspecting, not your collection of China plates, football paraphernalia or preference in bright over the top wall colours.

A fellow stager from Canada introduced me to the term “It’s fine for dwelling, but not for selling”. This has to be the most simple, yet powerful, message we as property stylists can offer our clients. You may love living with your collections on display or your football team colours on the wall, but the buyers will not. They cannot see past this distraction to determine what it is they are actually looking at buying.

So when you are selling, be sure to listen to what a property stylist has to say. You may think it is rubbish and not worth the time, but the fact is IF you want a PREMIUM price when you go to sell your home, you need to PREPARE it for the market, NOT the way you like to live.

How many times have you walked through other open homes and questioned why certain things were done or designed a certain way? Chances are it was to do with the owner’s personal preference, not for future resale. This personal preference is fine for DWELLING, but not for SELLING.

A property stylist will prioritise tasks you need to complete in order to achieve that PREMIUM price. And don’t forget that presenting your home will also make it more appealing in the real estate guide and online, where most potential buyers commence their interest in your property.

The top 5 things you can do to get your home ready for sale are:

1) Declutter – remove the ‘stuff’ that clutters rooms, surfaces, and floor space in your home

2) Depersonalise – remove things that identify the people who live in the house to avoid distracting the buyer

3) Maintain – complete those odd jobs such as fixing the dripping taps, putting back up the broken cornice and putting light fittings over plain exposed light globes. These costs are an investment in your sale price.

4) Address any ‘smells’ in the house – animals, water damage, smoke, even overtly scented candles can put people off the moment they walk in the room. If you are unsure whether you have a ‘pong’ in the house, ask your neighbour, friend or relative not living in the house for their opinion, then do something about it.

5) KEEP IT THIS WAY!! Don’t fall for the trap of preparing your home and then, once all the work is done, fall back on bad habits. Follow a routine that allows you to minimise disturbing the hard work you have completed. Keep the house in good condition and buyers will have far less to negotiate price over.

For advice on how to present your property for sale, contact Shift by Design here or call us on 0408 744 381.