How to Prepare a Property for Selling

It could seem that when a property is up for sale, there is no need to invest any money in it as it is supposed to change ownership anyway and the new owners will take care of anything that’s required. But on the contrary, because of that very belief many proprietors miss the opportunity to sell their home. Or worse, they reduce its value.

Experience shows that when potential buyers come to see a property, they first check its appearance. The buyer’s attention may be distracted, and the potential of the home may not be obvious, if the home is stuffed with personal items, not looking its best, neglected and apparently in need of a lot of work.

It is customary to think that if you describe the immense potential of a property to a buyer, this will prompt the buyer to overlook the mess, be attracted by the possibilities and make the purchase. However, the reality is different. In many cases the place needs to be spruced up before selling, in order to display it at best advantage. And all the more so in order to obtain the best offer for it.

Prettifying the Home Before Selling

The process of presenting a property to potential buyers can help you close a deal. When the home looks ready for transfer of ownership you can impress the buyers, receive offers, and obtain the best price. Preparing the home for selling is somewhat like preparing the stage for a play. You need to ensure that everything is in the right place, perfectly organized, clean, aesthetic, and spacious; and equally important, the design must be neutral so that the buyers can visualize themselves living in this space. It is advisable to hire a professional interior designer who will help you perform the appropriate changes, in order to achieve the desired transformation as well as possible and thus allow you to present the home at its best.

Put Yourselves in the Buyers’ Place

Many buyers have difficulty visualizing the potential in what they actually see. Perhaps highly experienced investors can do so, if also presented with specific plans, but for most people it is preferable to show the property in its optimal state. For this purpose, professionals can help you to raise the value of the property by a few simple activities, to receive the full attention of the potential buyers, and to make sure that the appraisal reflects the true value. If you are lucky all you will have to do is add some flowers and make a few simple repairs, while in other cases you will have to invest in painting the place, upgrading the kitchen, and replacing the old lamps and faucets.

Don’t Forget: It All Starts with the Land Registry Office

Naturally, a property will be very difficult to sell if debts are owed to the authorities and other offices, or warnings are on file at the land registry office. Therefore, you need to check that all the paperwork for the home is cleared up and pay any old debts too, apart from adapting and improving the home’s appearance. At the same time, the preparations mentioned above should be done, making the property presentable for potential buyers. Handle the yard first. If the house is a condominium, tell the tenants’ committee about the sale and do the work yourself. Make sure that the entrance to the building will be clean and the yard as well tended as possible. Moreover, a functioning elevator and a clean staircase with well-functioning lighting are also necessary to impress potential buyers. The better the external space looks, and especially all the small details, the greater the chances are that the visitors will make an offer and, as follows obviously, the higher the offer will be.

Investment: Paying Off in the Future

If you think that right before selling a property, any more money invested in it is wasted, look a few steps forward and you can easily understand that the investment is very sensible and incomparably worthwhile, since there is an excellent chance that the investment will pay itself back and even yield profits. Furthermore, when the property is completely in order and looks impressive to potential buyers, they will have no reason to request a lower price. Thus, you need to ensure that if anything in the home has anything wrong with it, it gets replaced, repaired, renovated, or cleaned as appropriate. What do you need to do? Replace broken sinks and toilet bowls. Take care of leaks and other plumbing problems. Ensure that the electrical system is intact on both the inside and outside of the property. Replace lighting fixtures as necessary, and so on. And of course, it is important to ensure that the home is clean and tidy before any visit of a potential buyer.

To summarize:

With only a small investment and some attention, you can sell your property at its maximum price. Therefore, it is important to show the buyers — and make them understand — how important the property is to you, and how it served you well throughout the years, even though you are planning to part with it.