SPRING HAS SPRUNG – SELLING YOUR HOUSE!

The warmer weather in Adelaide now that spring is here means as the gloom of winter recedes, there will be increased activity in the property market. Spring brings people out with more vigour to find new homes and there are some things you can do if you’re thinking of selling this spring and summer. People can sometimes spend large amounts of money preparing their properties for sale but often it’s just not necessary.

Before you outlay a lot of money one of the best tips I can share with you is to get a pre-sale inspection. At Jim’s Building Inspections Adelaide we believe they are a valuable tool in setting the sale price and accelerating the sale of your home. It’s also entirely possible your home has issues you’re not aware of including non-compliant renovations, building defects, or faulty internal systems like plumbing. You don’t want to risk having your sale derailed by the discovery of unknown problems. Many of our regular clients, who engage us to complete pre-purchase inspections, are able to negotiate thousands off the price of their new home due to the defects we identify.

Ensure you’re on the front foot; position yourself to make any repairs before placing your home on the market. You can also give potential buyers peace of mind by providing them with access to your inspection report and our full professional indemnity insurance coverage as these reports are available to all parties interested in your property on the Jim’s eBuy Reports page. We will provide you and your estate agent with resources to help market the report as one of a number of strategies that can help you control the sale process. This could be a deciding factor for a buyer who can see any potential problems were rectified and the house they are contemplating is in tip-top condition.

First impressions count so your next port-of-call should be your gardens. Get those overgrown or cluttered winter gardens under control, plant some spring flowers and repair and/or repaint anything that needs sprucing up including woodwork like fences and decking that might be looking a little dilapidated. The front of your home is an important focal point so spruce up the front door and surrounds, clean the driveway of any detracting oil spills, clean the gutters and make sure there’s nothing growing in them. You could consider some colourful plants near the entry way to make it more inviting and fix up any exterior lighting and ensure they’re all in working order.

They say don’t judge a book by its cover but often someone looking to buy a house will stop their car in front of a property and be turned off instantly if the front of the home is out of date or a little dingy; even a dilapidated letterbox is unappealing. Ask yourself if the roof could use a pressure clean if you have an older property and remember the small things like ensuring the number of your house is clearly visible so people can find your place!

Inside the home, well everyone loves a freshly painted house but remember that not everyone loves bright colours or a home with a different colour in every room. If you wish to liven a home up perhaps consider some feature walls but try to go for earthy tones which will have a wider appeal and is more likely to suit others’ interior furnishings. On that note, if your own furnishings are looking a little run down or the house is a little cluttered from living there for 10 years, consider removing some items for the duration of the sale, even pack up some of your knickknacks and store them. People have been known to hire new furniture and décor items to make a house look more stylish.

Carpets and other floor finishes won’t help your sale if they are thread-bare or worn. Contemplate a solution whether it’s just a clean they need or if replacing some or all of the carpet might make a big difference. If the carpets just need a clean, another tip is to wait until the week before your first open. Just ask my wife, you never know what the hubby, the kids or the family pets might walk into the house in between the clean and the open! Perhaps the floorboards could use a revamp if you’ve lived there for a while or a slate floor might need a reseal. Sometimes when we live with pets in the house we don’t notice they can leave an odour in our carpets that can be unappealing so once your carpets and house are cleaned, perhaps your dog or cat could take a holiday with family, friends or the local kennel. It may make a difference on sale day.

Once all these things are done to your satisfaction, if you haven’t then decided you might stay where you are now because you’ve done such a great job, head off to hire yourself a real estate agent and good luck!

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