Preparing Your Property

In the selling of real estate, first impressions do count! Presenting your Whangārei home at its best is crucial to facilitate a quick and easy sale. Use our comprehensive checklists for decluttering, repairs and photography preparation to ensure you achieve the best possible price for your property.

Preparing your home for sale involves hard work and some expense but does result in clear cut benefits at sale time.

The Essentials of Presentation

Take an objective look and remove those items that ‘clutter’ and make a room look smaller. Pack or store away anything that is not needed (for example, that treasured collection of childrens artwork, that pile up of paperwork that hasn’t been attended to, or that assortment of family photos).

• First Impressions: The approach to your property is critical. Tidy or ‘touch up’ steps, paths, railings, fences, gates and your mail box. Create a clean fresh smell as the buyer opens the door, by airing the house and applying a perfumed disinfectant spray.
• Kitchens & Bathrooms: Ensure stove, fridge, sink and bench are spotless and all work spaces are free of dishes and clutter. Keep bathrooms fresh and spotless. A few new brightly coloured towels give a nice finishing touch.
• Maintenance: Repair anything damaged, leaky or faulty. Including: Leaky gutters; Damaged window frames; Stains on carpet; Broken window pane; Dripping taps; Replace burnt out light bulbs; Faulty switches or wiring.
• Exterior: Water blast exterior and gutters, wash windows, paint where necessary, remove any cobwebs and clutter. Cut grass, trim edges, weed gardens, edge paths.

Photography & Videography Checklist

Before our professional photographers arrive, follow this quick checklist to ensure your home looks its absolute best on camera:

• Kitchen: Remove all appliances where possible, minimise benchtop clutter e.g, salt and pepper, coffee, chopping boards and remove all objects from fridge e.g. magnets, photos.
• Bathrooms: Remove all soaps, bottles, face washers, bath mats, toys, scales and bins. Make sure glass and mirrors are spotless.
• Bedrooms: Make all beds and tuck in sheets, put clothes away, and remove all personal items.
• Outside: Remove all cars, boats, bikes and caravans. Remove wheelie bins from front of house and out of sight completely. Remove washing and pegs from clothes line.
• 60 Minutes Before the Shoot: Open all blinds (including sheers), turn on all lights including bedside lamps, and turn off TV.