There are currently around 2,480 homes for sale across the Sunshine Coast right now – that number will go up and down depending on more than a few factors – but for the first quarter of 2022, lets agree that’s pretty substantial. In addition to this number, it’s interesting to know that during the house hunt, the average buyer will look at more than 300 property listings and attend more than 11 open for inspections before they get even get serious enough to make an offer. [Source: realestate.com.au].
Make no mistake despite the current ‘sellers’ market you still need to stand out!
As a seller, you want to achieve the maximum value for your home – that’s a given. Can you remember buying your first home? For the majority of purchasers of property, it’s an emotional decision. Something about the place just resonated and a switch came on that screamed “this is the one!”. In our experience, that’s something you want, a potential buyer to come onto your property and fall in love.
Currently, South-East Queensland is experiencing a boom – 2021 was a huge year for property with most of the regions recording a 20% increase in value and 2022 is tipped for growth as well (forecast at 6%). The long and short is this, whatever your motivations are if you’re thinking about selling your home now is a good time to do so. Which begs the question, what are you going to do to stand out? What can you do as a seller so that on your first inspection someone falls in love with their new home? And not one of the other 300 listings they looked at or one of the 11 other inspections they attended.
Countryside Noosa realty has some pretty solid advice for anyone asking those questions. Read on for some pro tips to help the right buyer make up their mind.
1. Stage your home
You’ve probably heard of staging – essentially you want your home to appeal to the highest number of would-be buyers to maximise your return on investment. Think all those display rooms in Ikea – they’re all staged and they all make you want to buy. But, it’s more than just styling your home. Staging intends to bring multiple ideas and uses of the property into the buyer’s mind. For example; repurposing a room into an office space, de-personalising rooms, decluttering, investing in some storage solutions such as shelves… there’s a lot more. Arguably all the below are staging tips but we’ll leave how far you want to push it up to you.
In a nutshell, staging intends to emphasise to buyers that the house will meet their needs on a practical level as well as an emotional one.
2. Make your garden and yard look great
First impressions count. As soon as your Sunshine Coast property goes on the market people will start looking, whether that’s online or by driving by. Your yard and lawn presentation will feature in both of these instances. Our advice is to make sure that your lawn is well maintained, gardens are looking great and weeded, with some fresh mulch and if your property is fenced consider a lick of paint. We’d also encourage you to make sure kids toys (bikes, basketball hoops, etc) and personal items are not on display. If you have outdoor furniture make sure it’s clean and positioned properly, the gate swings easily on its hinges and for extra points consider some potted colour flowers around the entrance – the little things add up quickly.
3. Give the facade some love
Now your yard looks great, your paths swept, the weeds are gone now it’s time to make sure the front of the property looks up to standard as well. Would-be buyers look for a well-maintained home, this means they feel like they’re buying a ‘solid investment’ rather than something that will require a lot of fixing from day one. It also subliminally puts people on the back foot and they’ll start looking for faults throughout the inspection process – which you don’t want.
Make sure the front door is clean, even painted if needed. The entranceway is clean and free from clutter, everything is swept, shoes put away and the doormat is in a good condition, if you have furniture on display make sure it’s clean and consider some cushions, make sure the globes at the front of the housework and finally make sure the font of the property is clean free from debris, cobwebs etc.
4. Declutter and spruce the entrance inside
The entrance to your home is the first thing your buyer will take in once they’ve stepped over the threshold – it’s important to make sure they’re greeted with something that leaves a good impression. Aim to make the entrance a clear space. Remove any obstructions, declutter and consider some fresh flowers for colour and a welcoming scent. The entrance is often, where your agent will greet visitors so getting it right and welcoming will help this process.
5. Clean… like a lot
A clean, aired home provides buyers with an opportunity to see a well-cared home that has been looked after and not neglected
You will need to do a very thorough clean. Walls, carpets, ovens, windows, floors etc must be done.
Consider patching walls and painting if the home has taken some knocks over the years, replacing mouldy grout and having the carpet and tiles professionally cleaned will showcase a home that has been cared for, even renovators are turned off by dirty homes – so this one is simply a must-do.
If you’re not up the challenge there are a few bond cleaners across the Sunshine Coast that can make this journey easier.
Need some advice, thinking of selling or curious about the market in the Sunshine Coast, Cooroy or Noosa Hinterland? Drop-in for a chat or contact us today – HERE