When it’s time to prepare our house for sale, we often don’t know where to begin. What matters the most to prospective buyers? How can we capture the attention of the best buyers to land a truly good sale? Those whose business is house styling for sale tell us that preparing a house for sale is like eating an elephant. The sheer size of the project can seem overwhelming.

If you’re going to manage this goal, it has to be broken down into smaller, more manageable parts. Just like any other mission in business or in life, all the parts deserve individual attention; you cannot do it all at once. It’s simply easier and more effective to concentrate on one room at a time but this can’t be done until you’ve established a few rules.

Budget

Know ahead of time how much money you’re willing to spend on sprucing your place up for the sale. It’s very easy to veer off the budget path once you’ve begun, so agree with yourself to stay married to the budget through thick and thin. Overspending on renovations or updates can land your house in a place from which it won’t recover. If you spend too much money you may not be able to reasonably expect to get it all back. That’s a disappointing way to end your real estate adventure.

Will you be doing any renovations? If so, each of those projects will demand a budget of its own. Painting can be done on your own or with the help of a contractor and the cost difference is dramatic. On the other hand, if you’re not an old hand at painting, it may be better to pay to have a professional job done.

As a rule of thumb, having a home stylist at your side through this maze of possibilities is the preferred route. Home stylists do this kind of thing every day. They can advise you about which of your possible renovations will pay off and which will not. They can also help you find good tradesmen who won’t cost you an arm and a leg for their services. If you want, your stylist will take on the entire project from the planning stages forward. This will mean a higher bill in the end, but if your time is taken up with a real job and a family, it can be the best option. House styling for sale really is a full time job.

Prioritise

Which of the rooms in your house will do the best job of selling the place? Most often, kitchens and bathrooms get the most attention since they are fairly fixed in their configuration and will not likely be re-done immediately by the new buyer. (Actually, today’s buyers are not much interested in doing any renovating. They want a house that’s ‘move-in-ready’.)

By concentrating on improvements to these rooms – updating appliances, perhaps changing lighting fixtures and cabinetry – you can go a long, long way toward improving the value of your property. Start in these places, and then go on to the next most important area, the entry — which happens to be another place where little changes mean a lot.

Street appeal is the best way to make a sensational first impression. Exterior shots of your home among your listing photos will help to sell the place if your entry is in tip-top shape. Make it look as inviting as possible. Freshen up the paintwork. Paint the door. Add a few potted plants and a wicker chair if you have the space. The entry way is your house’s “Hello!” Make it gracious and welcoming.

Stay Focused

It’s very easy to become distracted in the sometimes chaotic process of preparing your place for sale. You may want to change the plan or veer off the list of priorities from time to time. Bring yourself back to the budget when this happens. Remember, changes to the original plan can be expensive and time consuming. Time really is money, remember.

Changes can certainly be made, but, please, only after careful consideration. We urge you to consult with your sales agent and your expert at house styling for sale when the urge to go off on a tangent seizes you. The point of having excellent advice is to save you money, time and, in the end see a more lucrative sale. Whoever said, “Plan your work – work your plan”, was a very wise individual.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of CSR Gyprock Plasterboard.