Getting your house in order

Dean and Aimee Larritt with Anna (5½ years) and Cooper(3½ years).

OUR FIRST HOME

It was the best $1500 Dean and Aimee Larritt have ever spent. That's how much the North Shore couple paid to have the house they were selling staged, and they reckon that because it looked so stylish, they got tens of thousands above the figure they had been hoping for.

"It really was money well spent," says Dean. "Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to get the amount of money that we did - the staging made such a difference."
He's extremely glad he followed Barfoot & Thompson salesperson Bob Voss' advice to home stage the Torbay house, which was his and Aimee's first home but had been rented out for a year.

"Originally we were going to try to sell it occupied. But Bob said it was a much better idea to sell it vacant, and to get the house staged. He was right - he was full of great advice."
Full home staging for a three-to-four bedroom house usually costs around $2,500 to $3000, but the Larritts saved money by using some of their own furniture and borrowing other furniture, bedding and accessories from friends and family. Interior designer Natasha Morgan then added extra bits and pieces, and used her expertise and natural talent for design to set up the house so it would appeal to potential builders. "I can't recommend home staging highly enough," says Dean. "It really made our place look great."

Another important factor was that Dean and Aimee had kept the 1960s weatherboard home extremely well maintained over the six years they owned it. The couple, who have a property maintenance company called Maintain to Profit, made sure their place was a prime example of how to keep a house in tip-top condition. "Keeping on top of things like cleaning out the guttering can make a big difference - it's worth doing the little jobs before they turn into big jobs," says Dean.

.As well as keeping the house meticulously maintained the Larritts also improved it by adding a heat pump, wood burner and heat transfer system. They repainted a couple of years ago, and before putting it on the market, they concentrated on improving street appeal, doing things like staining a fence, removing old shrubs and putting in box hedging so that the front of the house looked smarter. One simple job that people often neglect is washing their house regularly, says Dean. "They wash their cars but don't think about doing the house, yet it is such a big investment. They should because it can make a huge difference."

Knowing what to do to prepare your home for sale can be quite daunting, especially if you are selling a house for the first time, but asking your salesperson for their advice can make the process a lot easier. They know the market and what people are looking for. They can give impartial insights into steps you can take to attract more buyers to the property, including making sure you don't under or overcapitalize on repairs and renovations.
One of the first things they'll usually suggest is to sort out all those jobs you've been meaning to get around to, such as repairing obvious defects like damage to floors.
It's also a good idea to fix leaky taps, give tired walls a coat of paint and mend doors that don't shut properly.

Improving street appeal by mowing lawns, trimming hedges, painting fences and having a clean exterior is important because you want to encourage potential buyers to come and have a look. Scruffy houses can put people off.

Inside, decluttering is a priority so buyers can see the full space properly. Removing personal items like photographs is a good idea because they can prevent people from imagining themselves in the house. Do a thorough spring clean, including dusting on top of wardrobes and book cases, cleaning carpets and wiping down skirting boards.

Remember that prospective buyers often look in cupboards, so make sure they are well-presented. Home staging is a good way of making your house look its very best, especially if it is vacant or if your furnishings are tired or eclectic. You can have the whole house staged using furniture and accessories supplied by a professional home staging company, or you may find all you need is to for them to cast their expert eye over the house and make suggestions on how to present it using items you already have.
"After the experience we had, I would say it is always worth getting the house looking as good as possible when you're selling," says Dean.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SALESPERSON

• Reputation is important. Choose someone from a company that you know and trust.
• Ask friends and family for recommendations.
• Call into yourlocal branch and chat to the salespeople face-to-face.
• Meet with a few salespeople and ask each of them questions such as how they would market your house and what current market conditions are like.
• Ask about the local area to make sure the salesperson has in-depth knowledge about house prices in the neighbourhood
• Choose the person you feel most confident about, and who best understands you and your property. For more information about selling a home, see www. barfoot.co.nz/sell

Content series brought to you by Barfoot & Thompson.