Are you looking to sell your home or investment property in the near future? Before you do, consider what improvements you can make to put its best face forward and maximise its appeal to potential buyers.
While it’s important for buyers to see potential in a property they don’t want to inspect it and keep a running tally of how much they’re going to have to spend up front on, say, new kitchen appliances or flooring, especially if you’re asking a price that’s at the upper end of your price bracket. When a potential buyer walks in and there’s little they need to spend in the short term, they’re more likely to offer you a better price.
A lick of paint – inside and out
Before you go on the market, a fresh coat of paint is essential. Aside from covering up any scuffs and scratches, it spruces up even the most tired of exteriors by giving a home a well-cared-for look. Think natural whites to make interiors look bigger and brighter, and steer away from anything too confronting. This is your chance to get rid of that experimental tangerine feature wall that never quite worked.
A kitchen to enjoy
A fresh kitchen is a big selling point for any home buyer. Whether it’s a forever home or an investment property, it’s a big tick to be able to move in and enjoy a property without having to live through a kitchen renovation first. The same goes for the laundry. If you’re not an experienced renovator don’t stress, because kitchens now come in a huge range of styles and price points, from flat pack to designer, so regardless of your budget you can find one that works for you. Kinsman are a one-stop shop for kitchen, laundry and wardrobes, offering a full service experience from consultation to design and build using their own team (and offering a good warranty), so you don’t have to find your own tradies and coordinate their schedules.
A user-friendly laundry
A multifunctional laundry has become a hot ticket in homes, with user-friendliness top of the list. The idea of making menial chores more enjoyable is on the rise which can be seen in cleverly designed spaces with benchtops for sorting and folding, clever storage ideas and even smart appliances that make washing a breeze by self-dosing detergent, like the clever new Bosch range.
Move-in-just-once flooring
Upgrading flooring is another one of those features where, if you’ll pardon the pun, potential buyers fear to tread if they’re planning on moving in straight away. So, make sure your flooring is saleable and you’ll reap the rewards.
No amount of white paint can disguise stained carpet that’s past its use-by date or tired, curled up lino. Hard flooring is without doubt the most popular choice for modern living areas, with timber always in demand for its good looks, practicality and versatility. Engineered timber is hugely popular due to its ease of installation and noise-reducing capabilities. It’s a cost-effective option that’s also great for apartment living because of its ‘floating’ design that reduces footfall noise through to floors below.
Choose a reputable flooring manufacturer that offers a supply and installation option to ensure the job’s done well. You might also want to check their environmental credentials. Royal Oak Floors has a huge range of engineered timber flooring using fast-growing plantation timbers that are sustainably harvested, and for the slower growing timbers such as Oak and Teak, they maximise their usable or wear layers in just the top 3-6 mm of the board.
Get the right advice
Remember, any way you can save your potential buyer from putting their hand in their pocket is potentially a dollar in yours. If you’re not sure whether it’s worth your while, speak to your agent to ask their opinion on the buyer feedback they’ve had from other properties they’ve sold. If you haven’t already appointed an agent, look for one with good local knowledge and a broad network, like Century 21. An experienced agent will have the tools and the experience to give you informed advice on all the boxes to tick before you go on the market, to help you get the best result on auction day.
