Get Seen. Get Sold.
Get Seen. Get Sold.
Article By Dylan Hasson
Whether you are looking at selling your home or renting it out, it only makes sense to get the most value out of it as possible. While renovations can fast run up into tens of thousands of dollars and sometimes these costs can even exceed the value they actually add (or don’t add) to the property. Here are a few low-cost tips and ideas you can do to your property to get more value out of it. Most of these tips can be done yourself with a bit of know-how, but can also be done by a reputable handyman at a reasonable cost compared to the value they add.
1) Add Curb Appeal.
First impressions count, so make that all important first impression a good one for potential buyers or tenants! Simply stand outside and take a good look at your property from across the road – look at all the little details. Overgrown grass, shrubs or weeds? Broken or hanging gutters? Old dull paint? Tired looking gates, fences windows and doors? Dirty and oil stained driveway? These are the very first things that potential buyers and tenants will see when they walk up to your property and these small details will already start making an impression in their minds. Make a good first impression by having all these small details taken care of and it will set a good tone for the rest of the viewing as well as make your property stand out compared to others in the street.
2) Landscaping.
Landscaping can be a great way to add value to your property for a low investment. There’s no need to spend thousands to have expensive plants and irrigation put in, but just a simple tidy up and some planning will go a long way.
Trimming overgrown grass, trees & shrubs will open up your garden and make it feel bigger. A few planter boxes and flower beds with plants around the garden and patio will also add a homely feel and allow potential buyers and tenants to picture themselves living there. If there are unsightly patches of dry grass, consider planting fresh grass or installing fake grass or simply laying pebbles down in the area to neaten it up.
Also be sure to remove any junk and refuse, as well as store any garden equipment and hoses away neatly.
3) Clean! Fix! Clean!
A dirty, unkept property with multiple things broken not only look unsightly, but would likely put a good potential tenant off from wanting to live there and a potential buyer will see more work and more repair bills after purchasing.
While some items may come with a large repair bill (which will reflect in the offers you may receive) there are also many things can can be done at a low or even no cost which could help secure higher offers.
Start with a good declutter! Things lying around that don’t need to be there will make your property appear messy – even though your property is likely to be empty once a new owner or tenant moves in, a neat and tidy appearance during viewings will help maintain a good impression.
Wipe Down walls and panels that are dirty or that have scuff marks on them and where paint is looking dull or outdated, consider giving these walls and areas a fresh coat of paint to freshen up the area.
Have Carpets Cleaned or consider replacing carpets that are worn out. Not only does a fresh looking carpet look good, it also helps remove bad odours – Nobody wants to live in a home that smells bad, so it’s worthwhile having carpets cleaned correctly or replaced if required.
Replace Outdated Fixtures & Fittings such as light switches & light fittings, faucets & handles. Although certainly not always necessary, replacing old and outdated fixtures and fittings can help modernize your property.
Replace Old & Broken Globes with new ones. Again, it won’t be necessary to install expensive globes, but replacing old globes to ensure they’re all working and having matching globes, especially in fittings that require multiple globes will help freshen up your property.
Ensure The Outside Of Your Property is also looking it’s best with a house wash or a fresh coat of paint. Also pay attention to gutters and windows – ensure they’re looking clean and repair any if required.
4) Create Usable Space.
Potential buyers & tenants will look at ways they can utilize the property’s space.
This may go hand-in-hand with the decluttering tip, by opening up more space to “live in” instead of being used up by clutter. Also look at ways of creating usable space outside where potential buyers & tenants can picture themselves using if they have kids or when they have visitors over.
Ensuring your property looks inviting, open and livable is a cost-effective way which will help maximize it’s value and achieve higher offers.
5) Good Photography.
Working in the property industry, I see poor quality photography every day and it’s such a shame when beautiful properties are not shown at their best. Although photography will not directly increase a property’s value, good or bad photography can be the difference from attracting the right buyers and tenants to view or simply putting them off from even considering a viewing, leading to losing what potentially could have been a higher offer.
This is not only applicable when private sellers or landlords are promoting their properties, but often salespeople fall short of good photography too when marketing a property. Here are a few tips to look at:
Photos That Are Aligned Straight – All too often, photos are used where the camera was held skew and walls that should be upright are made to look skew.
Photos That Are In Focus – Motion blur is great for action photography, but not so great for real estate photography. Prevent blurry photos by ensuring your lens is clean and if possible, use a tripod.
Angles & Framing – A good photographer will identify the best points from which to view a property and frame their shots correctly, capturing the feel, depth and space of the property.
A Good Feature Image – This can be of the outside or inside of the property and is the first image a potential buyer or tenant will see when browsing property listings, so make sure the feature image catches attention or risk having that higher offer simply scroll past.
Avoid Over-Edited Photos – Vibrant colours are nice to look at, but over-edited photos are simply unrealistic when promoting a property and will likely just annoy potential buyers and tenants when they come out to view and the property looks nothing like the photos. This is another area where a good photographer is worth their fee, as they will make use of correct lighting and will be able to showcase your property at its best, without making it look unrealistic.
If you choose to list your property with a sales or rental agent, ensure they understand what good quality property photography is. While many agents are perfectly capable of taking and editing photos themselves, far too often do I see poor quality photos in listings through sales agents and agencies – Good photography can be a great investment!
I hope this article has been informative and provided you with some value.
Remember, good property professionals are there to help you with your property needs, even if there’s no business in it, so don’t hesitate to reach out to your trusted property advisor for help. And if you don’t already have one, feel free to reach out to me.
Dylan Hasson
Licensed REAA 2008 Real Estate Salesperson at Barfoot & Thompson Ellerslie.
Thank you for reading my article.
If you're in the Auckland area and would like to seek real estate advice or discuss your real estate needs, please feel free to get in touch with me today.
Thank you for reading my article.
If you're in the Auckland area and would like to seek real estate advice or discuss your real estate needs, please feel free to get in touch with me today.
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