AboutTime Issue 13 | Page 8

How To Prepare Your House For Sale Clifford Ferreira - Director of Housing In modern times it has become more and more commonplace for a homeowner to sell a property for one reason or another; among these could be the need to re-locate to a new city or country, to buy a bigger home because the family has grown, to upgrade because lifestyle has improved, to downscale because children have left home, or simply the desire to buy that really nice new home Time Project have developed etc. Presentation of the property for sale is obviously very important when the time comes to sell. The following tips may assist in getting the best possible price: 1. A clean and neat property will create the impression that the seller is house proud and maintains the property well. 2. Presentation of the house can also be affected by the time of day it is viewed, the best would be when there is a reasonable amount of daylight around so that curtains can be drawn back and light can flow in creating a feeling of space and brightness. If the house has to be viewed at night make sure that there is adequate artificial lighting for the same reason. If necessary get new brighter eco-friendly light bulbs. 3. If the paintwork is not the best give the home a 8 4. 5. 6. 7. fresh coat of paint inside and out, also consider the approach areas such as the boundary walling, front gate, door handle and front door - make sure these are cleaned and/or repainted. Freshen up your flower beds and take out all weeds, mow the lawn, make sure there are no rubbish bags waiting to be collected. Even if the house is occupied at the time of selling it still needs to be prepared in a way that creates the impression of a show house. Look at house/home & décor magazines and try copy the way houses are presented, perhaps also visit other show houses to get ideas Tidy up all areas of the home and get rid of all loose items lying around that are not in use. Potential purchasers are not interested in personal items such as family photos trophies, certificates, picture posters, CD collections – don’t have too many of these around creating a cluttered appearance. Pack away neatly all clothes, do not have overfilled drawers or hanging space, if necessary pack unseasonal clothes away in a trunk in the garage or a storeroom. Bathrooms and kitchens in particular can “sparkle” and need to be sanitary, so clean the kitchen sink and