When we decide to sell our home we want to get it sold fast and gain top dollar,  however in today’s competitive market this is presenting a challenge for some home owners.  

The best outcome for a seller is to increase the sale price of the property and get it sold fast, but there are some limiting factors to achieving this result.  One of them is the mindset and willingness of sellers to effectively invest in preparing and presenting their homes for sale. 

The recent statistics from REIWA were interesting and I would like to share them with you and then give you my perspective, based on my knowledge and experience in the Perth Property Market. NOTE these statistics do not include sellers who decide to sell their property privately.  The statistics are taken from REIWA agent listings.

1. Average selling time for a property in Perth is now 85 days (as at Oct 11).
2. Just over 72% of the sellers with their first listing,  to the time they sell their property have discounted the listing price by upward  of 7.5%.
3. Less than 30% of sellers in the market are able to achieve their listing price or above.
4. 12 Month growth for Perth properties is around negative 7%.
5. Median house price is $453,000.

WOW I was stunned when I updated my figures.  Lets do an example of how this impacts a seller.  If I take the median house price of $453,000 as my house price and then apply the discount value of 7.5% the lost value of my home could be upward of $33,975  and it may take me nearly 3 months to sell it.  Why is this happening?  

I believe there is a combination of contributing factors.  Sellers price expecations are too high.  Property presentation does not equal the property price.  Some agents over-value properties to gain the listings (not all).  Sellers feel the need to inflate their listing price to account for a potential buyer discount.  All of these are negative outcomes for a seller.

Not everything is doom and gloom based on these statitics.  There are the 30% of sellers in the market who are achieving their listing price or above.  This is where you as a seller want to be!  It's achieveable with your agent in hand and getting the balance right between the 3Ps of selling.

The 3Ps of selling a home are Price, Presentation and Promotion.  If the property is Priced Right, Presented Right and Marketed Right it will attract more buyers, create the right level of “hype” at home opens and gain multiple offers at once. Your agent can help you achieve a highly competitive market for your property like this.  This will increase the likelihood of you falling into the 30% of sellers who achieve an increased sale price. 

Multiple offers, creates bargaining power and means more buyers are emotionally attached to the home and therefore will most likely negotiate to win the home.  Negotiation is all about “win win”. 

When a highly competitive buyer market is created around a home and multiple offers are received, it creates bargaining power for the home owner. This means that there are a number of buyers who are now emotionally attached to the home and will most likely negotiate to win the purchase of the property. Negotiation is all about “win win”.

It's a combination of factors that will achieve the right outcome for your property. Remember this is your biggest asset and therefore it should be taken seriously and treated with the respect that it deserves.

Sellers can beat the statistics by:-

• Becoming more informed about their local real estate market, recent sales, current properties listed, how long they have been listed, have the reduced their prices etc.
• Understand your competition when you go to list.
• Invest in preparing the home for sale to be competitive in the market.
• Researching and interviewing local real estate agents as if you were employing then in your business.
• Reviewing the information provided by the agent against your researched information.
• Understand the target buyers for the area e.g. is there a special school nearby, are the buyers families, professional couples, first home buyers, overseas investors etc.

 Beat the statistics today!

Renovating or making over a kitchen and/or bathroom can be a big decision for any home owner, no matter if it’s a decision for you to stay in your home or in preparation for the sale of the home.  These are two key areas in the home and quality changes to these areas may increase the value of the property.  I caution may, as some don’t, as they are not done right or are over capitalised.  They key is understanding the cost benefit analysis to ensure you make the most from any renovation or makeover.

I am going to focus on home owners that want to sell their home and have dated or tardy bathrooms or kitchens and need to consider these areas as part of their presale makeover.  I always tell my clients that kitchens and bathrooms are two key areas that buyers will focus on and need careful consideration in their presale preparation planning.

A good presale makeover can unlock value of a property of upward of 3 times, however a poor makeover can make no difference or potentially discount the value.  One of the reasons that value is not shown when a home owner completes their own presale makeover is that they can’t remain objective and have style according to “their Style” and not invested wisely with their presale makeover.  I have seen this occur.  These personal decisions are only natural as home owners are emotionally attached to their home and style.

I am constantly challenging clients to think outside the box and think outside their own style and it can be very challenging.  I would consider Spruce Ups as styling mentors during the presale process for a client.  We continually mentor the client on what is suitable, what is not, where to focus their attention and energy and what the aim is for the best outcome.

The kitchen and bathrooms are key areas of any presale makeover and property styling process and these areas need to be spotlessly clean, sparkling, light and bright and updated, taking into consider the home owners budget.  The other thing that needs to be considered is timeline to completion.  If you do want to renovate, then lead times can be upward of 6+ weeks to start a renovation and then at least 1 month to complete. 

The alternative to a renovation is a Spruce Up to a tired and dated bathroom or kitchen and there are many cost effective solutions for home owners that can be considered but will depend on the type of bathroom / kitchen, age, condition, overall house condition, budget, market and buyers etc.  These all need to be considered so that you target your makeover to suit some or all of these factors, rather than just spend money because you think it will make you money.

Simple Bathroom makeover tips:

1. Seriously clean, scrub, preen and sparkle up your shower and sink area.  With this I mean remove all scale, calcium stains, mould, other stains etc – get this professionally clean if it is in poor condition. There are grime busting companies that specialise in this type for work;
2. Change out tap ware for cost effective silver tap ware from your local hardware store;
3. Change towel rails, toilet roll holders and hand towel rails.
4. Replace badly stained /broken mirrors – cheap options are available at your local hardware store;
5. Paint the walls in an off white tone, something like Dulux Whisper White or Dulux Natural White (test to see which one suits);
6. Always paint your ceilings white.

Simple makeover tips for the Kitchen:

1. Seriously clean, scrub, preen and sparkle up your kitchen sink and appliances, remove burn stains from stoves, scrub the sink to remove brown stains and around tap and drains, clean oven, get toothbrush into and around knobs on dishwashers, tap ware and ovens;
2. Clean the front of cupboards to remove dirt and grime build up and don’t forget the inside;
3. Clean kick boards;
4. Clean grout in the splash backs and around sinks area;
5. Remove old mouldy silicone and reapply;
6. Change out tap ware for cost effective silver tap ware from your local hardware store.

Well these are some simple tips to get you started, there are many more to consider they are property dependent and budget depending.  However, we are here to help sellers to maximise their property value, wisely spend their presale makeover budget and get the most from their presale makeover and styling.

Sandy

Great Article in the Weekend Australian Property Section about property makeovers before you put your home on the market, can add dollars to the deal and gain you a faster sale. All indications are that if you invest $1000 you are most likely to get a return upward of $3000. It is about being smart on how you spend your presale makeover budget and not just willy nilly. Sellers are generally emotionaly attached to their home and their style, but your style may not be the best style to suit the potential buyers for your property. A Property makeover before selling is not just about doing a full renovation, as in some cases you may over-capitalise, it is about editing what you already have in the most cost effective way, this may mean a bathroom update, but not in all cases. We help clients to independent see the cost vs benefits of what they do and what they can do within their budget. At Spruce Ups our focus is to minimise your presale investment and to maximise your return at sale. This can only be achieved with our independent advice and recommendations to ensure you target your presale makeover in the right areas. What is good for one property may not necessarily be right for the next property. In a competitive real estate market, it is more important that sellers get serious about the sale of their home and invest before they go to market. Poorly presented properties stay on the market and even at heavily reduced prices may not sell for months or years. There is a cost invovled to the seller by not selling a house in the shortest possible time. The full article is available by clicking here. In the US and UK presale styling is called Home Staging, here in Australia there are so many various terms such as, presale makeover, property presentation, property styling through to home styling, but it all means the same. It is about dressing your home to increase the appeal and desirability to suit the widest range of buyers. The article definately provides one very good tip..... You must fix what is broken and finish what is not finished. If you don't do this simple task, it can reduce your sale price by thousands and I call this the "buyer hassle factor discount". Essentially buyers will discount your price accordinly to the hassle factor of anything that they may need to do to the property prior to or upon moving in. A $simple repair that might cost you $500 could see $5000 off your sale price. Why would you risk it? For more information on our Proven 5 Step Spruce Up Process call Sandy on 0417 995 579.

Paint

- this will refresh your homne instantly and remove this from the buyers check list. 2.

De-clutter

and re-declutter - there is a 4 step process to successful de-cluttering for sale - focus on only keeing items you need to live with or style with. 3.

Clean

- Spring Clean like you have never spring cleaned before. Get the toothbrush into those corners that you can't reach. Scrub and re-scrub your home until it is sparkling. Don't under estimate the power of spring cleaning. (Contact us to enquire about our services and we will send you our In-depth spring cleaning guide to ensure you get it right) 4.

Garden Tidy Up

- any garden can look neat and tidy, but if you have a few $$ fill the gaps with a few little plants, use potted colour to add colour at the front door, mulch, tidy and trim the rest. 5.

Bright Lights

- update your light bulbs to bright white lights and install the maximum watts the light fitting can take (check fitting for max watts). There are so many cost effective options for sellers without having to spend thousands of $$$$. It is proven that well presented homes sell faster. Poor presented homes, stay on the market and don't sell. Why risk it?. Contact Sandy for more information call 0417 995 579.

WOW some exciting colours in the 2011 Dulux Colour Forecast. The internet page doesn't show the true colours, but the fandeck surely does. My current colour love are yellow tones..... Dulux Elusive Gold and Dulux Neutral Intrigue Design Metallic from the Momentary Collection.... how great would they look with some chic/elegant wood based art deco furniture. Also check out the Dulux Lost Memoirs collecton with the real earthy orange tones... Are you thinking of revamping your home and need some help with Home Styling (Interior Decorating) Spruce Ups by Sandy can help you. We help you blend your colours, furniture and soft furnishings. I find that my clients just need someone independent to say "Yes that is OK" or "just tweak it this way" and it will work. Many clients have ideas but can't bring it together, we can help bring your Home Styling together and also show you the latest Dulux Colours. Contact Sandy today and ask us how we can help you.

I spend many hours looking at homes on the various real estate web sites and I am surprised constantly by the lack of quality of the photos on the web. I see properties that look nice, but the photos are not capturing the features of the room, over exposing areas that don't attract buyers, overuse of the wide angle lens, too much ceiling exposed the list goes on. Today, the first impression a buyer will have of your property is through the Internet, so you must get it right. Do you pay for the advertising? If YES, then sellers need to take a keen interest in what you are paying for and become actively involved in the photos of their home with the photographer and agent. If you paid for a family portrait with a professional photographer, would you just let the photographer or someone else select the photos for you? NO! You are personally invested in the selection of those photos. So my question is.... Why are sellers not involved in their real estate photography? Sellers are either unaware they can be involved, or are too scared as they may offend the agent or the photographer. They are working for you. You must be involved to ensure you are satisfied with each step of your sales campaign. NOW it is different if you are not paying for photography or advertising, then you are most likely going to get a "happy snap" of your home, that will be OK Here is a great analogy for sellers to consider - Selling the Car.......... We prepare the car for sale by washing, vacuuming, polishing, servicing and putting a nice smelly in the car. We take a few pictures and select the best ones to put on the net. We pay a fee for the Internet advertising and possibly advertise in the newspaper. Lets say for a 4-6 week sales campaign you have invested $350 in your car presale makeover, photos and advertising. Your car is worth $20,000 you listed it for that and you get $19,500 (everyone wants a bargain!!). Now lets look at the figures.................... WHAT'S your investment in selling your car 1.8% of the sales value of the car.It is generally recommended that sellers consider a minimum budget of 1% to invest in your presale makeover (e.g. car cleaning, polishing, servicing) plus advertising and photography (of course not everyone has the money or needs to invest that much). For example - 1% of $400,000 = $4,000 you want to ensure you invest it in the right areas for your presale makeover, photography and advertising.

Get this

... we seem more comfortable investing large sums in selling our car which is a depreciating asset - reduces value as soon as you drive out the car yard. VERSUS Investing in our biggest asset which is an appreciating asset - increases value over time, our home - to maximise the sales price. Plus we can in some cases, add value through our presale makeovers.

WHY?

Property Presentation and your real estate photograhy are key to getting buyers through the door and getting them to fall in love with your property. It all starts with the First Impresssion. Remember, in this market buyers have lots of properties to choose from and they will prioritise which properties they want to see first based on the presentation and the photos on the internet. Investing in your presale makeover will benefit your promotion (advertising/photography) and will benefit your sale price. You generally can't increase the value of a car but you can a property! DON'T risk it! - get involved from the start or get Spruce Ups to be involved for you. Written by Sandy Anderson

Another Spruce Ups success story. This is a beautiful home and the client completed all of my recommendations and the investment in the Presle Makeover was under $5,000 and the property sold at first home open, 2 offers. Currently under offer. Click here to view

I did a Walk n Talk Assessment with these clients and they completed most of my recommendations. Sold under 4 weeks and they got a great price for the property. Don't under estimate the power of property presentation. It can be the simplist of changes that helps your property sell. These clients got their consultation fee back by not wasting their presale makeover $$$$ on areas that would not benefit their presale makeover and styling. SOLD in 6 weeks click here

My clients engage me to do a Presale Makeover Assessment and the client had a specific limited budget. Therefore I needed to work my magic with their Presale Investment Budget to ensure they spent it wisely and maximised their return. The clients completed the work themselves and followed my recommendations and styling tips to use their existing furniture to maximise the style nad presentation of their property. The week before home open, I returned and helped them do the final styling tips, provided cushions and other accessories as required, to ensure their photos for the web were pefect and they knew what was needed to style it for each home open. Not all properties are show homes, but you can achieve so much with your own furniture and by adding little bits here and there. It worked they sold in 4 weeks - that is such a great success in this market. They saved their consultation fee in many ways through my cost effective recommendations. Paitn colour is very important and what you like in colours may not be suitable for the sale of your home. Therefore it is important to ensure the colour you paint is suited to the home and for sale but don't take the personality out of the house. I see the same mistake many times over, with clients saying they have painted the house already a neutral colour. When I get there I just wished they had called me first. They have either painted it with what they consider is neutral and it is not, or they have sterilised the house rather than neutralised it. Colour can be used in a home for sale, but getting it right with professional advice is best, that way you make sure there are no mistakes. Click here to view client property

The aim in many cases when client are styling their property for sale and have limited budgets, is to try and sell under the average time on market and to not discount their listing price. This is a very tough ask given the current market. But the old saying, well presented properties do sell and you can still maximise your dollar even in todays market. The key is that you can use your furniture as long as it is not too tired and dirty and it is simple in colour and structure. Loud, flowery, bright colours and large furniture tends to be over powering and takes up too much room. You want to create space in your environment. Also refer to my gallery for more information on this property makeover before and after (click here) Click to view client property

I had a great experience with Dominic from Domain Force Shade Sails and wanted to share it with you. They quoted, hassle free, installed the poles when they said they would. Installed the shade sails. Great service, great price, quality product and I am very happy with my experience. Check out his website Domain force.

The Currambine Makeover is progressing well and there are some great learnings that I will share with my followers. visit my Blog

That is the question. See what I have to say visit my blog on my thoughts about feature walls. Cllick

here

I was special guest on 6PR's Talking Property with Harvey Deegan and Rob Druitt. It was a great day with a few questions posed to me but the key highllight of the program was the need to increase your property appeal. Many sellers don't realise there is help out there for them to ensure they spend their Spruce Up budget wisely. As Rob indicated, it is more important to invest in your presale makeovers and as discussed there is the right way to spend money on preparing your property. I personally have saved many clients from wasting their budget on areas, that will make not difference to the sale of their property. The reason this occurs is that they are too emotionally close to their property and put their likes first, rather than being able to objectively consider how best to style the property for sale. As Rob indicated there are nearly 17000 homes for sale and it is a buyers market and therefore every seller needs to pull out every stop to gain a sale. Not all properties will sell in the first week, but if we can aim to get your property sold under the average, then it is a bonus. As discussed on the program I am independent of any real estate agents, however work closely with key agents in a number of areas, as they see the benefits of the service that I provide. The best investment you will make on your property is to get our Walk n Talk Consultation to ensure you target your presale makeover.

I have bitten the bullet and started a blog. Please feel free to visit Spruce Ups Blog

Spruce Ups by Sandy is excited to be launching a huge marketing campaign this month. Our aim is to make sellers aware that there is affordable presale makeover help here in Perth. We are proud to be sponsoring the “Talking Property” segment on 6PR with Harvey Deegan each Saturday. I hear too often from clients, “we wouldn’t have thought about the items you have raised”, or "best money we have spent on getting you in to help point us in the right direction and you saved us from wasting some of our money” ...... The campaign is targeted at increasing awareness amongst buyers, sellers and real estate agents that we are here and that our services are affordable. So tune in each saturday with “Talking Property” on 6PR (882 AM) 9am-10am During the campaign listeners can get $30 off our Walk n Talk Presale Makeover Assessment by mentioning that you heard us on the radio. Contact us for more information by clicking here

Clients and real estate agents are seeing the benefit that Spruce Ups by Sandy provides to the Perth property market. Being Perth's Presale makeover specialist's enables us to provide the best advice and quality to service to our cllients. I get asked by lots of people if "styling with hire furntiure really works" and "do I have to have a million dollar property" to Spruce it up. The answers of course are YES and NO. Sprucing Up a property works for all property value in any location. The only difference is most likely the budget you would set for your Spruce Up. Real Estate agents and clients are realising the success and benefits that Spruce Ups by Sandy Presale Makeovers bring. Sales are quicker than the market average, save money in advertising costs, mortgage payments and other outgoings. Statistics show that returns on presale investments are between 3 to 5 times. First impressions are everything!! There are so many options available to sellers from the Ultimate Spruce Up through to cost effective (limited budget) mini-Spruce Ups. Spruce Ups are suitable for all property values in any location. We have the solution that can help sellers achieve greater success with the sale of their property. Property Investors can sometimes lose value with the aftermath of tenants, however a small presale investment can return greater value - refer the Iluka success story. Recent success stories show that Spruce Ups do work and can help all sellers maximise the value of their property and gain a quicker sale.

Iluka - Sold first week on market

Property Styling projects in Perth on the go range from Coolbellup through to Iluka. No matter where the property is located Spruce Ups by Sandy can provide property styling, interior designer or colour consultants to your property to ensure you maximise the value of your Perth property. What have we been up to:

Coolbellup

1960 style home, tenant had vacated the property and the owners got a Pre-sale Spruce Up Consultation. The first thing we both agreed on that leaving the property vacant would be detrimental, therefore we pulled together existing furniture and accessories to furnish majority of the rooms. For all before and afters visit projects Iluka Currently tenanted, Spruce Ups by Sandy is being engaged manage and coordinate the full Spruce Up of this property from colour consultation, painting, fully style and design for hire furniture and garden services. This is a modern home, however has had its share of wear and tear from being rented. Tenants can let down a property and devalue a property significantly. Investors should not let their hard earned capital profits go out the door with the tenant when they leave. Applecross coming Toodyay Country property, but not your normal country property, this is a modern property with some of the best views in perth. This property goes to market soon. Again the owner has limited funds, but that does not mean you can't get showroom quality property styling for your presale makeover. What this Sapce

Rate your Place Wonder how your suburb rates or what the average price for the area is, then visit the following links to find out more about your place. Click here to Rate your Place Or you can use the Aussie Price Mapping tool that will enable you to get an overview for buying and selling in the area. Click here to access the Price Mapping Tool.

Bathroom Renovations can be a challenge for any person and should not be taken lightly nor should you feel that you should accept a standard design in your bathroom. You can get a designer style bathroom - you just have to think outside the box. Having successfully renovated many bathrooms over the years I know the tricks to get the right style and design. But I was once lost in the maize that is bathroom design and renovation companies. I remember walking into the bathroom company showroon to look at their display and I just stood there at the front door and was hit by white, white, white and white...... then a splash of blue every now and then. I wandered through and just thought this is just not going to work for me. Then I turned my attention to the vanity cupboard. Well I was again hit with white, white, white and then dark colour. So headed to that to see why that was different. Same style as the rest just different colour I realised. Then the consultant came over and I started to ask a few questions about renovations and what they had besides what I could see, could I get a vanity designed and my questions went on. I found that most of the answers she gave me were no, no and no. I then reaslied that this wasn't going to work for me I didn't want the same design they had just sold to the last person that walked out the door. I call it the "cookie cutter" design. They have set designs that they sell as it is easier for them. It is no cheaper or no more expensive when renovating a bathroom, as bathroom renovations are expensive. So I was on a mission to create my own designer bathroom without the designer price tag. I just love bathrooms, as they are a place of peace. When you are standing their with the hot water running over your shoulders and you look around and you just feel hot water and peace. I recently help my friend with some key features and design of her bathroom renovation. It has now been completed and looks fantastic and they are very happy little vegemites with their new bathroom. In a nutshell this is what we did.......working with the size of the bathroom we shifted the shower to the end wall so that it ran the full length of the short side of the room, giving more space and enabling one piece of framelass glass to be used as the shower screen. Where the shower use to be the toilet was placed and a practical vanity was designed and installed (design was taken from my original design through this company). On the wall above the vanity a large mirrored cupboard. The tiles were just amazing large 600 x 300 porcelain tiles that were a matt finish and the colour was just off white and looked as though red wine had been flick on them. The feature tile is this beautiful dark brown raised flower swirled over the tile that has a metallic finish and when the light catches it at different angles it changes to reflect a range of colours. It is a real eye catching feature and sits off centre in the shower, so that it is the first thing that catches your eye as you enter the bathroom. Some Tips and Tricks of Bathroom Renos - thinking outside the box

Many home decorators follow the conventional view that a styled home must be completely de-personalised and neutral, which results in a very unwelcoming and bland property. No buyers will fall in love with a property that is not warm and inviting. Your property needs to say to the buyer “welcome home”. This type of styling is often seen in new developments where the developer has bulk purchased cream tiles, cream paint, cream cupboards, cream carpets, cheap chattels and cheap light fittings. They might like it but buyers don’t! When all the houses look alike, there is nothing to help a potential buyer remember one over the other, especially your property. The same can happen when home owners take on the task of preparing their home for sale and believe that neutral, depersonalised and stark styling is suitable, essentially de-cluttering too much. If the home has been too neutralized, there’s nothing to set it apart. If all decorative items have been removed, it looks cold and impersonal instead of warm and inviting. Debra Gould saw the negative effects of this first hand working for a client who lived in a great neighbourhood and had listed their home for sale at $949,900. According to the 75+ prospective buyers who had seen it, the home “showed well”. Yet, despite being in a hot market, it sat for three months without an offer. Their agent wanted to reduce the price by $50,000, which is when the client decided to do some research on their own to look for alternatives. After all, while a $50,000 price cut would have changed the agent’s commission by less than $1,000, it would’ve been $50,000 out of the client’s pocket. When the client hired Debra to style the house, she spent about six hours there. They rearranged all the furniture and went through the boxes in their garage to pull out some of the books and decorative items they had packed away. They found more colourful throw cushions and fun bedding for the kids’ rooms that had been put in storage when they outgrew it. They even had some furniture stored away that she used in place of what they were currently using. At the end of the day, the home was transformed.

• The living room no longer felt like it should have had a rope across the doorway to keep the public out. It was easier to imagine conversation with guests.
• The kitchen looked like you could actually eat in it because table and chairs were put back into the area, while removing the stools they had added to the breakfast bench as there was not enough room for both.
• The kids’ rooms looked fun rather than the home of future bankers and accountants.
• The master bedroom looked more sumptuous because of how the bed was dressed and the flanking bookcases looked convenient and decorative rather than looking like someone had just moved out—which is what can happen if you remove too much in an effort to depersonalize.
• Instead of looking cold and formal, the family room became a welcoming spot for watching TV or playing an afternoon board game. Bright red throw cushions brought out the colour in the otherwise undistinguished artwork.

Remember the agent wanted to drop the asking price from $949,900 down to $899,900? As a result of home styling, the client was able to keep the price the same. They insisted that the agent take new photos and update the internet and other marketing material. The home sold a week later with three offers at 98% of the original asking price. Now, imagine what might have happened if they had engaged home styling services such as Spruce Ups By Sandy at the time they decided to sell their property. Precious time was lost in the market and selling seasons are missed that can gain at or above asking prices. After extended periods on the market properties can become cold. In any event, an investment in six hours of home styling consulting pocketed them at least an additional $50,000 and got their home sold and was key for these clients as they were taking possession of their new home within the next month. Article by internationally recognised home staging (styling) expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva® www.stagingdiva.com.