Home buyers are flocking to Sydney’s suburbs. More affordable home prices are certainly not the only reason for this migration, but money is a big part of the move. People who crave more space and whose financial position can’t buy that space in the city proper look to the suburbs for a place they can spread out and enjoy a more un-citified environment. For some, this can mean not walking up two flights of stairs to their apartment or actually owning a lawn to mow and a garage or workshop where they can pursue a hobby. Those who specialise in property styling Inner West or other suburban locations remind us that sometimes that workshop or garage can make a surprising difference in your home sale.
Understanding the motivation behind a buyer’s move from the city can help you, the seller, to earn a more handsome price for your property. We tell you often here that the proper staging of your home is critical to your success in real estate sales. We also tell you that the more living space you provide, the more attractive your place is to buyers. Somehow, though, those garages and workshops rarely come into focus when it’s time to stage your home for sale.
The street appeal of your property should extend to all outbuildings, as should the basic steps to home staging including vigorous decluttering, depersonalisation, cleaning and repairs. The garage has a few challenges that often get forgotten in the process of moving, so today we want to give you a list of garage-specific tasks to make your entire property buyer-ready.
The Garage Door: Make sure the garage door opens and closes smoothly. If it does not, call in a specialist. The springs that make a garage door work can be deadly. Do not try this repair on your own.
While you’re at it, if you don’t have an automatic garage door opener, install one. This little feature has become the norm, and people expect it as surely as they expect your home to have air conditioning.
Make sure the door itself is freshly painted and looking fresh and new. Ditto the exterior walls if the garage is a freestanding one. Give the garage the same special care as you would the rest of the house.
Inside the Garage
Remove all the clutter. If you’ve filled your garage with the boxes and crates that store your own home belongings, rent a storage space and stash them there. You want your garage to appear as an ample space for storage of things like bikes, sports equipment, and your car(s) without feeling crowded.
Install sturdy hooks on the walls for storage of your bicycles and other toys. Dedicating at least one wall to peg boards and S-hooks is a cheap way to demonstrate that your garage will handle the storage of tools and gardening equipment and still leave room for the cars it was designed to house. (Your buyer may be moving from a non-garage location. When we talk to property stylists Inner West, they assure us that a garage is as attractive to buyers as an attic. Perhaps even more so.)
Sweep down cobwebs and dust. By all means, paint if the garage looks dingy and install lighting that truly illuminates the garage interior and its features. Install a smoke detector and remove those unsightly oil-stains on the garage floor. (This can be a laborious process, but it’s worth the effort.)
If your garage or workshop has a workbench area it can be an added incentive to buy. Make it look tidy and useful. (Remember, buyers don’t always know how to do carpentry or basket weaving, but many of us have the desire to learn. A ready-made space for such activities can be the catalyst for bonding between your house and a potential buyer.)
Discuss the staging of your garage with your home stylist in order to understand if the company you’ve hired provides garage accessories or other amenities typical of property styling Inner West. They may deem your garage to be perfectly acceptable as long as it has been spruced up along with the rest of your home. Just don’t forget to make the most of this valuable space in your property.
