Don't let your home become a turn off

So what should you avoid?

Dirty house
A house can never be too clean. However, if your property is visibly dirty, home buyers will not be impressed. Make sure to pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms as hygiene is important in these areas. Keep an eye out for stained countertops, mould, and grout.    

Odours
Noticeable odours such as pets, cigarettes and even lingering cooking smells can turn away potential buyers. To stop these smells from sticking around, regularly clean your carpets and furniture and before an open house, spray the rooms with fabric and air fresheners – but don’t let the refresher scents be overpowering.

Clutter/Lack of space
When potential home buyers are looking at your property, they will be imagining how all of their personal belongings will fit into the home, so the more spacious it looks, the better. If you have too much furniture, personal belongings and other knick knacks lying around it can make the room look a lot smaller.

But before you go throwing everything into cupboards, remember that home buyers will most likely want to see what storage space is available, so they will might look in your cupboards, especially in the kitchen. Before an inspection, make sure you inspect all of your storage areas to ensure it looks tidy. If there is too much clutter, take a few items out, put them in a box and take it with you for the day. 

Lack of information on property
Imagine if you were trying to purchase a home without knowing what it looked like or where it was. If you saw a listing online or in the newspaper without a price, would you want to dig further or skim past it? Budgeting is extremely important for most buyers, so if you are not able to provide them with a price, they may assume the worst and think the property will be priced out of their range and move on.

The same thing goes for location information. Buyers should be able to know what street and area the property is located in to ensure it is an area that would suit their lifestyle. Once again, if this information is not included, buyers may see this as a way to hide negative details about the location.

About Heidi Armstrong

Heidi Armstrong is the CEO for State Custodians Mortgage Company. Since founding the Company in 2006, State Custodians has grown to become one of Australia’s most respected non-bank lenders. Heidi holds a Law Degree, a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management. An expert in personal finance, securitised lending and the mortgage industry, Heidi is passionate about sharing her invaluable knowledge to educate borrowers.

Widely recognised and respected by industry peers, Heidi was a finalist in the 2012 Australian Lending Awards for the Best Thought Leader. Moreover her Company, State Custodians, has received numerous awards, including Money Magazine’s 2013 Non-Bank Lender of the Year, a ‘5 Star’ CANSTAR rating on four of its main loans for six years running and the prestigious award for Best Overall Customer Service at the 2013 Australian Home Loan Awards (beating all of the major banks, credit unions and other lenders and mortgage providers for superior customer service).