Home Staging Your Property Successfully - Get The DIY Jobs Done Before You Sell Your Property
Posted: Sunday, October 01, 2006
by The Property Coach
The Property Coach
There are some people who seem to always have things under control. Desk tidy, e-mails sorted, filing done.
And there are those who seem to live in a world of almost total chaos. Never quite on time, always in a rush, trouble finding things because they don’t put things away in an organised manner. Maybe when you ask them, they often say.
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“Oh give me 5 minutes, I’ll do that next" |
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“Oh give me 5 minutes, I’ll do that next"
or
“I haven’t got round to it yet… so much to do!"
You see in the case of person #1 (the organised person) you don’t really notice the organisation.
They don’t say
“Oh yes I did that 5 minutes ago"
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“I haven’t got round to it yet… so much to do!" |
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They just give you what you want.
They don’t say.
“I left myself a couple of minutes to be ready on time" They just meet you at the time you arranged.
However, no matter how much you like the disorganised person (person #2)
ISN’T IT A BIT ANNOYING?!
Well in the world of Home Selling
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“On the uphill path to selling your home – Having everything in order and well maintained is the fourth level of the ascent" |
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Have a think about this...
I went to see a client recently who asked me to rate his home for its RTS (readiness to sell ).
As I approached the front of the house I saw a pile of bricks in the front.
On entering and walking through other things were apparent.
- I door missing on the landing cupboard – the door was resting at the side.
- The meter box was half boxed in.
- The front room was nicely decorated but the new windows still had bare plaster around the frame.
- In the kitchen the splash-back tiles were half done.
- At the back of the house the walls were only ½ rendered.
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“Have other things been left undone. Perhaps important maintenance that I can’t see?" |
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As we walked through, my client kept telling me how busy he was and that he hadn’t had time to finish off the bits & pieces.
“But it’s structurally sound" he said.
Well maybe, but any buyer will think:
- “I have to finish that off before I am happy to live here"
- “Have other things been left undone. Perhaps important maintenance that I can’t see?"
The bottom line is if you leave jobs unfinished, you’re giving a green light to any potential buyer putting in a lower offer because they will have to finish off the DIY jobs that you didn’t do.
What’s More …
Buyers always over estimate how much things cost to have repaired/ finished/ put right.
So a job that you think will cost £500, your potential buyers think will cost £1000.
In the end you could lose double the amount of the cost of dealing with the unfinished work.
Don’t put it off – DO IT YESTERDAY!
Other clients I have worked with have said to me.
“I know it needed doing but I thought as I was moving someone else could do it once they had bought the home"
BIG MISTAKE
Why should someone, who you want to pay top dollar, do your work for you?If you don’t want a low offer on your home, don’t give the potential buyers an excuse.
| Tip 1 - Did It Yesterday |
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Take A Snapshot Of Your Property.
Take a sheet of paper and go through your property room-by-room. make a note of all the DIY, big & small, that you see needs doing
You may be surprised about how the little things
add up.
- A missing handle.
- A broken light switch.
- A cracked pane of glass.
- Some loose wallpaper.
- A chipped tile.
Now be honest with yourself, you know your capabilities.
Can you tackle all or any of these jobs?
If ‘yes’ go to Tip 2 if ‘no’ see Tip 3
| Tip 2 - Did It Yesterday |
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Break Down The Jobs
Give yourself 1 week per room – every evening or whenever you have your free time, tackle 1 thing on the list for that room (this is the gentle slope). You could do it all in 1 day if you’re happy to put a day aside.
Buy yourself a decent DIY book and tackle the jobs you feel confident about. Those that you are not so sure about, get some professional help in to carry the work out for you.
Break it down - Make it less painful.
| Tip 3 - Did It Yesterday |
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Get A Little (or big) Man (or Woman) In
If you aren’t DIY minded or you simply don’t have the time or inclination to do it, get someone 
else in to give you a quote to do all of those little jobs.
If you’d made your list it will be much easier and clearer for the handy person. It wont cost you as much as calling them back when you realise that you’ve forgotten something that needed doing when they were last around.
Can’t afford to pay someone else to do it for you? Use your charm. Is your sister, father, uncle, best friend good at DIY? .. Use good old fashioned bartering … cook them a meal, do their laundry, babysit … find something they need in return for helping you out.
If You Can’t DIY - Get Someone Else To.
| Tip 4 - Did It Yesterday |
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To Fail To Prepare Is … Expensive!
Whether you choose to DIY or get someone in to DIFY (do it for you) save yourself time & money.
Be Prepared.
- Have the tools you need.
- Have the paint, paper, new tiles, washers, taps or whatever to complete the job.
- Clear the space & make room to do the job.
When I work with clients, I give them the option to go and buy all the things needed to get the place ready. If they ask me to, I charge them for that time.
To fail to prepare - is giving money to everyone else!
Remember
Today’s buyers are:
- Busy – They don’t have time to do your undone jobs.
- Fussy – They don’t want to see things half done.
- Savvy - They know what to expect – and expect it.
- Expect A Lot! – because they are paying a lot! – give them their money's worth.
Before you sell you need to get a valuation – You need to impress your Estate Agent. He wants to have a property that’s easy to sell. If he sees lots of unfinished DIY he’ll reduce his valuation price accordingly.
Don’t lose out on the asking price.
Remember
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“Buyers don’t come with ‘Rose Coloured’ glasses they come with ‘Magnifying Glasses’" |
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I say
“Buyers don’t come with ‘Rose Coloured’ glasses they come with ‘Magnifying Glasses’"
Don’t let them find clues that lead them to suspect poor maintenance.
You know I talked about spinach on your teeth?
Well here are some more stains to worry about:
- Old damp patches on ceilings & walls.
- Cracks in ceiling.
- Old holes where pictures used to hang.
- Chipped patches of paint on the woodwork.
- Rusty patches on radiators.
- Cracked glass in the windows.
- Broken sockets and switches.
- Dysfunctional doorbells, switches, lights.
- Missing banisters.
- Creaky, wobbly floor boards or tiles.
- Ripped lino.
- Threadbare carpets.
- Loose wallpaper.
- Flakey paint.
- Missing door handles.
I could go on.
Don’t send out the wrong message when those potential buyers are viewing your property.
When it comes to DIY make sure that you – DID IT YESTERDAY!
Why not visit the website www.property-coach.co.uk for loads more ideas and advice on the process of preparing your home ready for the buying market.