Sellers: Prepare well for buyers visits

People buying a home do so with their heart rather than with their head, so it may be worth spending a bit on preparing your home to make it more attractive.

People buying a home do so with their heart rather than with their head, says Lanice Steward, MD of Anne Porter Frank Knight, the Claremont-based estate agency that upped its sales by some 30% last year.

The strong emotional reactions of buyers, says Steward, mean that just one or two unfortunate aspects of a home on view can put them off completely.

"Often the seller will be totally unaware of factors which are letting his property down," says Steward, "but so long as they are evident to some people, they will keep these buyers from a positive response."

Asked to give examples from her experience, Steward said,

"It all boils down to whether the home has a cherished, loved and cared for look. People want, subconsciously, to buy a home where the owners appear to have been happy and to have maintained their surroundings with pride. Any signs of neglect are a real put down and can result in a serious seller having to discount the price."

Sellers, says Steward, should be made aware of the emotional aspects of buying and should be encouraged in the weeks before the home goes on sale to devote as much of their spare time as possible to improving things as much as possible. Here are some suggestions:

idying up and replanting the garden : "A few hundred or even a few thousand rand spent on the garden can add many thousands to the home's value," says Steward. "Do not forget that the garden is the first thing a visitor sees on arriving at a new home. Even such simple tasks as weeding, trimming and mowing the lawn can make a very big difference."
- Painting (and possibly even replacing) the garden gates, portions of the fencing or boundary wall, gutters, fascia boards, balustrade railings and other woodwork that have been allowed to deteriorate.
- Thoroughly cleaning the carpets, the curtains and the cupboard interiors.
- Doctoring the pool - if there is one - so that it really sparkles.

"To ignore this particular piece of advice can be fatal to the sale of a home, but it is a surprisingly common mistake," says Steward. "Few things present a worse impression than green, murky water in close proximity to a house."

Certain wall plasters, said Steward are no longer in fashion, but R10,000 or more spent prior to the sale on a modern cretestone or similar finishes can add five times the sum spent to the value of the home.

"This may sound like an exaggeration but, believe me, we have seen it happen time and again," says Steward.

Steward warns, too, that wrongly placed furniture could also be off-putting.

"Look at your home through new eyes and move the furniture around to make rooms look larger. Too often a room is over-furnished and cluttered."

Steward says that any serious buyer will almost certainly make a complete tour of the home and garden. This can reveal such things as stains on the floor, damp patches, piles of rubble, garden refuse, old timber, empty paint tins, defunct garden tools and the like - all of which, says Steward, should be completely removed prior to the sales days.

"In most cases it will have to be removed anyway before transfer so you might as well do it at once."

"Do not expect your buyer to imagine how things could look after a major clean up," said Steward. "In my experience, at least 80% of buyers are unwilling or unable to do this."

On show days, she adds, sellers should make sure that all foreign smells - especially pet or toilet odours - are eradicated.

"One useful trick is to warm vanilla essence in your oven throughout the day. A very pleasant smell will then pervade the whole home and help create that warm, fuzzy feeling that this home could be a delightful place in which to live."

For more information contact Lanice Steward on 021 671 9120 or send an email.

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