If you’re selling your home it is important to create a competitive advantage over other homes for sale by ensuring your house is well turned out and appealing to prospective buyers.
Clarke says the most significant thing that the seller can do, says, is to prepare the home thoroughly, trying, wherever possible, to recall what he found appealing when he first saw the home and then doing all he can to enhance that feature.
All too often, says Tony Clarke, MD of Rawson Properties, the person trying to sell a home fails to appreciate that his chances of success will be greatly increased if he “teams up” with the agent – and plays his part in the whole process.
Clarke says the most significant thing that the seller can do, says, is to prepare the home thoroughly, trying, wherever possible, to recall what he found appealing when he first saw the home and then doing all he can to enhance that feature.
“Agents have for decades said that the home which has been loved and cared for will sell far quicker than the neglected or untidy home.”
In his time as a Rawson agent and later as a franchisee, Clarke says he tried to get his home sellers to work through an extensive list of “prep” items.
First on this list, he says, was always enhancing the kerb appeal – because first impressions are crucial. Fences, gates, walls, garage doors and boundary hedges must all be in spick and span condition. They must have a clean manicured look – and this must be repeated on the entrance path and driveway.
If the family has a too-friendly or aggressive pet, it might have to be kept on a leash or sent away for the day and its droppings should very definitely not be visible anywhere. Certain visitors will have an aversion to cats: this has to be acknowledged and acted on.
Along with the entrance path, the visitor will take in the garden – and the pool, if there is one. It therefore goes without saying that the lawns should be cut and look as if they have just been watered and, of course, a green or grey semi-stagnant pool is a disgrace – it must be “cured” before the house is viewed.
The front door, Clarke says is also a critical image creator - rehabilitate it if it has peeling varnish or paint or pet scratch marks. Similarly, broken windows should never be evident and all glazing should be shiny and clean, with the fasteners in good working order.
Clarke says wherever possible interiors should be light-filled. This may mean cutting back shrubs, which have gradually encroached on the glazed areas. Interiors should also never be cluttered: there has to be space.
All equipment in the home should be in good working order, door knobs must not come off with a pull, cupboards and drawers should open and close easily – and should never be overfull. Taps must not leak and lights should spring to life when switched on. Woodwork, especially wood floors, must not look worn or neglected. A few thousand rand spent on floor sanding or window frame painting will usually add much to the final offer.
Clarke says carpets can be a major deterrent if they are not in good shape or clean and advises sellers to replace them if necessary. Odour filled past-their-sell-by-date carpets have sent many a keen buyer away.
For many women – and some men – the kitchen can be the big drawcard provided it is in good shape. Cracked, stained or unwiped countertops, smelly drains and any sign of last night’s meal or this morning’s breakfast can be a real turnoff.
He notes it is always a good idea to play soft music in the background, to have flowers in vases and to turn on lights if evening is approaching.
On the way out, the potential buyer will get his second look from the road, so it is worth repeating, that it pays to enhance kerb appeal, he says.
“I can’t emphasise too strongly the importance of having your show house looking well cared for. Sellers who are negligent in this matter pay a high price because the buyers’ bids will be lower than they ought to be.”
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