Your property is usually the biggest asset you’ll ever own. It’s a tremendous commitment and just like all big commitments you’ll want to take care of it. Then one day, if the time is right, you’ll most likely sell your property to make a profit – then you can downsize, upsize, move for a seachange or a tree change or just any change you want. Maximising your margin is the goal for all property owners so if you’re lucky enough to own a Noosa Hinterland property then your location is working to your advantage but there are loads of small things you can do to ensure your home bumps up to the next bracket when it’s time to sell.
So, if the ‘time is right’ and you’re considering selling, here are some useful hints and hacks to make the most of your property.
1. When inspecting homes for sale we tend to lean more towards aesthetics.
This may sound superficial but when prospective buyers view your home they take it at face value. Initially they do in any case. With that in mind the below advice may come in handy.
Improve Street appeal
How your house looks from the street has a huge influence on your home’s desirability. It’s time to get critical and view your home from the outside as a passer-by. Pay close attention to your fence’s condition, are the gardens facing the street maintained, and how does the lawn look? Does the driveway need a good clean? Could your gutters and roof use a pressure clean? They’re small things and can be kind of a nuisance but they’re easy enough to do and very cost-effective.
Cost-effective updates
You may be tempted to go overboard when selling your home and may be wondering if you should go as far as a renovation. Our advice? It’s probably not worth it and the chances are high that the next owner will likely want to do their own remodelling. However, there are some cost-effective upgrades that will certainly present your home better. Small, but modernising updates like replacing the handles and taps to elevate the appearance of rooms. Places like Ikea offer an affordable range of doorknobs, curtains, tapware and more which help to freshen and modernise your home.
Improve outdoor spaces
Having a great outdoor space for entertaining will maximise your home’s appeal. Small additions like shade cloths, fire pits and some maintenance will certainly make this area stand out and help attract the right buyer. After all, we live in Queensland and (usually) have the weather for outdoor entertaining.
Storage and Storage solutions
Unless you know that your next buyer is going to be a hardcore minimalist having the right amount of storage space is super important. There are some effective storage solutions for homes and loads of clever hacks and tricks that can go a long way when trying to increase your home’s storage – it’s time to get ‘Googling’ and get inspired.
New paint
A lick of new paint in a neutral tone (usually white) is the most cost effective way to revamp your property and boost value. Look critically at your home and decide whether it’s just a few rooms or even the entire home that could use this facelift.
Heavy Cleaning and organising
This can be kind of heartbreaking as it usually results in a trip to the dump as you throw out a bunch of stuff that has a memory attached to it. But, cleaning and organising your stuff does wonders for your home’s appearance and allows the next buyer to envisage themselves in this space. Bring your rubber gloves, some gumption and a ‘can-do’ attitude. Get behind fridges under stoves, into the oven and over the walls and even ceilings and fans. It’s probably a long time since you’ve done a bond clean – but that level of cleaning is what needs to get done. Prospective buyers look closely at cleanliness and the assumption is often that a clean home has been well maintained.
2. Foundations, pests and roofs
Having nothing to hide is the best way and will improve your chances of a quicker sale at a better price. As a welcome addition it will also improve your agents confidence. We’re not sure about you but when you keep seeing the same house reappearing due to contract failures you start thinking that something must be wrong with the property. It’s best to avoid this if you can. Having a building and pest inspection completed on your property prior to sale can raise any red flags and helps with transparency to the buyer which in turn massively increases confidence.
3. Your tastes don’t matter
What has made your house a home is a very personal thing. From the little things like height marks from where children grew on walls or verandah posts to the colours of bedrooms. When you’re making the move to sell, it can be hard to remove the emotional attachments which made the house a home. Looking at things objectively or as a house to be sold will set you on the right path. Take plenty of pictures to reminisce on then get painting and do some finishing on walls and high traffic areas.
4. Banks Are Cautious and err that way
Finally, the banks will err the side of caution when they value a home. They will do this for your home too. It’s the job of our agents to maximise the value of your property when going to the market. Essentially, the banks will be cautious about your home’s value when assessing loans for potential buyers. It’s something that may affect your market price. They do this for their own assurance in case of loan default. Ultimately the decision will be yours but don’t expect that the above will add a tremendous amount to your home but rather that not-insignificant extra and a quicker sale.
There’s plenty more that you can do to increase your property’s value if you’re keen for more tips and tricks make sure you read our blog for more.
If you’re thinking of selling your Noosa Hinterland home make sure you get in touch with us at Countryside Realty Noosa and we can help you out and strive to get the best value for your property.
Contact us today!
Further reading and useful links
https://www.homestolove.com.au/increase-the-value-of-your-home-22722