What can we improve to help sell our home?
I think I need to do something to make people fall in love with my home and want to buy it hehe so, do I paint cypress floor white or black or leave them? Will painting the house inside and out make a huge difference to selling? Everything is tired but surely its better to leave this for the new buyer to make their own?? the price reflects the work needed to be done. property is website http://www.13cynthearoad.com/
any advice would be sensational. many thanks
Comentarios (29)
Barbara Dunstan
hace 7 años@ Chrissycs,
I don't know why you would want to leave such a gorgeous home ha-ha
Having looked at the property listing, it appears you have kept this house as neat as a pin.
I understand that your sale price is reflective of the work you are leaving for the next owners but that's not a good move, as spending and improving in the right areas in my opinion, will net you possibly in excess of $100,000!!
I would strongly suggest you get a good interior decorator to come in and make suggestions expressly for sale purposes, to get you the very best price for your home.
Of course painting the home in a lovely fresh white will make a power of difference, as the pale blue bedroom and is that an apricot coloured ceiling in the kitchen???.....could do with a facelift, as these colours show the homes age!!
The other bedrooms and most of the other rooms pictured seem to already be white, so you may not need to redo these rooms unless there is any discolouring, or damage to the walls, as white can sometime look a bit yellowish over time.
However, one thing I would consider if you did decide to paint throughout, is to remove all the paintings, mirrors and personal nick nacks off the walls and have all the nail holes filled and do not put any of these items back up but put them in storage for your next home and just leave the walls free of any artwork to allow prospective buyers to think of what if anything they might want to hang up themselves, it will open the rooms up even more, as all your personal items make the home look just a little cluttered!!
I would definitely remove the painting from above the TV for example and place the TV in it's place.
I wouldn't touch the kitchen floor with paint, I think that has to be for the new owners BUT, if you could afford to change it, then in keeping with the tiled area outside the door and the fact that you can bring the outdoors inside so to speak with the bifold doors, I'd try to carry the tiling throughout the kitchen area and also in the other areas that directly access the outdoors like the balcony view for example and I'd remove the carpet there too, again another item that can show the age of the home.
Hope you are not offended by my suggestions but otherwise the home is truly immaculate and all the very best with the sale!!
PROStyle by Gillian - Design/Renovate
hace 7 añosHi - My name is Gillian Pembroke - I have a business - Style by Gillian I am on Houzz since March - have a look -
From my 10 years of improving living spaces - basically I would say - don't over capitalise BUT many - MOST buyers have very little imagination.
So Paint - big YES go neutral not too much of a statement - the new owner can add statement. But fresh paint is a really important improvement.
Declutter - storage unit is a good idea -
AS is renting contemporary furniture sounds silly but it often gives very good return - but some companies charge $$ and others I have used have been great.Flooring is a trick as the 'black japan 'is very prone to show wear - and then the 'lime wash' look - is a bit overdone - if the floors are not too bad - leave them - that is a statement, and best let the new owner decide - in the time between settlement and exchange. Maybe ???
yet to look at your other photos -
You can reach me on 0419 476 264
regards
Gillian PembrokeDesign/Renovate
Style by Gillian
0419 476 264
stylebygillian@gmail.com
- PRO
Style by Gillian - Design/Renovate
hace 7 añosI have now looked at the house - had a meeting and was rushed -
I totally agree with Barbara - leave the floors - remove the numerous paintings too much - the buyer needs to see their stuff up there - patch and paint
My trick and I have a couple of great affordable painters who can do this - I blur the lines of ceiling and walls - I have a favourite shade - call me
Your location and light doesn't need a huge effort
some simple 6 week rentals, your indoor furniture doesn't suit the location - not the whole shabang of various "dress firms ' you don't need that, they take over and charge a lot - somewhere in between.
My last house I had spruced up - simple paint and some furniture rental - declutter - we got $125,000 above the reserve - he was very happy
Feel free to call me
Gillian 
Chrissy
Autor originalhace 7 añosThanks Gillian and Barbara - for your advice : kitchen ceiling is white
I agree a fresh coat of paint would lift and brighten the house : moving paintings from walls really? We have decluttered so much already, shouldn't you leave some of yourself within the house rather than make it really clinical and magazine like? Aghhhh selling houses is stressful, first time I've done it. Thanks againBarbara Dunstan
hace 7 añosÚltima modificación: hace 7 años@chrissycs,
Yes really!!!.....remove yourself as much as you possibly can, because clinical and magazine like will SELL, especially with this sort of spacious, large home with a perfect location!!!
All your nick nacks and paintings are "YOU" and not your prospective buyers tastes, it can be off putting without realizing it as you have so much of it.
Consider this:
You appear to love blue for example, your paintings and wall art are predominantly blue, again this colour shows the age of the home.
I don't like blue for example and that's what matters, what the prospective buyer might like.
A clean crisp minimalist statement will allow a prospective buyer to "IMAGINE" but I don't particularly agree with renting furniture, your furniture still show who you are and how you have made the home work for you. It's really just all the wall hangings etc... as I mentioned earlier, they overpower the house for me personally.
Vy
hace 7 añosinside..coat of paint..new carpet if needed ..remove everything so it looks spacious..
outside..trees ..bushes trimmed etc neat and tidy..
PROAnna Cottee Designs
hace 7 añosI have been styling and preparing properties for sale for many years and the biggest challenge is NOT to overcapitalize. Realestate.com has some great advice re what to do to improve the sales price of your home. If you stick to the basics- clean up inside and out, tidy up your garden and add new plants if needed, freshen up the paintwork, steam clean the carpet if it is in decent condition, ( replace if not) declutter the house and depersonalize to some extent ( not so much that it has no soul left) add fresh flowers on open house days, put clean towels in bathrooms, high pressure wash exterior and clean all windows and doors and add nice new linen on beds then you will have gone a long way to improving the presentation at very little cost. good luck!
cloudpants
hace 7 añosStunning home and location! I live on nthn beaches too and regularly stalk open homes. Agree with the advice you have already been given. The decor and furniture should be more in tune with the location and house style. You will be amazed at the difference, I think. Aren't you going to miss your pool and wine cellar?Chrissy
Autor originalhace 7 añosthanks for the comments!!!!!!!!!! Anna, I totally agree in not over capitalizing as the buyer surely should have what they want so we have stuck to the basics but perhaps we could do a big tidy up in the garden re clipping plants etc but I think if we spend $$$$ it might not make any difference to getting a buyer.
Oh the pool and the wine cellar ............. we are madly drinking our way through the wine cellar hehe and pool is a bit chilly at the moment BUT we have been here 30 years having raised the kids here and traveled to and from city to work - they have now left home and its time for a non sea change :-) but dollar for dollar selling this house will only give us a unit in the East :-( Palm Beach is so cheap at the moment which is not good for us sellers - so bargains are to be had. I just wish that people realised what they could have here if they didn't think it was too far - which it isn't - its a lifestyle.
we could spend $50k and get it to amazing but it would our taste not the buyers so reluctant to do that. had a good open today and interest is there arghhhhhhh fingers crossed. thanks for all your comments.
C P
hace 7 añosI'm not sure why you are thinking of doing anything now as your property is already listed? Are you thinking of taking it off the market and going with a new agent? I think you just need to tone down the bright accessories. It looks lovely but just a bit dated.Chrissy agradeció a C PChrissy
Autor originalhace 7 añosno its still on the market, but due to the fact that it hasn't sold, I was wondering if there was something I should do to increase the OMG I WANT TO BUY this hehehe yes outdated yes a tad tired yes it needs updating - yes I think I just need to be patient whilst toning it down. thanks CP
jmm1837
hace 7 añosIt depends on the market where you are. We lived in a small town and had difficulty selling our house because it wasn't close enough to either Melbourne or Sydney so really, only locals were interested. We got an acceptable (but not great) price, eventually, but it was a slow market. If you're in a hot market and not selling, then I'd say the issue is more pricing than the appearance of your place, which is pretty good.
- PRO
Anna Cottee Designs
hace 7 añosHi again Chrissycs, having now looked at the website, I can see that there are a few simple things that can be done as well as a some major items ( assume bathrooms are of the same period as the kitchen) but really, if your price point reflects the amount of renovations needed, the house should have sold by now or should sell soon. Just remember that a lot of buyers DO NOT want to do renovation work themselves and prefer to buy a home that is "move in ready" so I suggest that if you do not feel that you are going to get a price that you are happy to accept, take it off the market and do some of those necessary renovations for them. By not doing so, you are limiting your market to buyers who are not scared of renovating.
If on the other hand you are not prepared to do the work, I suggest you employ a designer to help you do what you can within whatever budget you are prepared to spend. I do agree that the furniture, artwork and styling could be improved upon and probably some painting would go a long way to improving presentation. I do not agree with depersonalizing to such an extent that the house has no soul, so you need to find a middle ground somewhere. I have a supply of styling items ( eg art, lamps, decorator pieces, linen etc) that I keep in storage to use on styling jobs where the client does not want to go to great lengths or spend much money.
I live not far away from you and I would be happy to visit your home this week and give you some advice. As a fellow houzzer, I would only charge you half my usual fee so if you would like my help, feel free to call me and I can give you more details over the phone. My number is 0412 383 581.
Chrissy agradeció a Anna Cottee Designs C P
hace 7 añoschrissy seeing as it's a beach side location you could Hamptons it up a bit. Look at Cape Cod Designs who is a real estate agent/stylist in Brisbane (blog is thehousethata-mbuilt). She does masses of blue and white. You can get cheapish accessories such as cushions and towels which all match. But if you do that you'll probably want to get photos done again and you'll have to work out if it's worth it money-wise.Chrissy agradeció a C PChrissy
Autor originalhace 7 añosCP I have just looked at Cape Cod Designs and I want that blue and white rattan chairs with table!!! but that would then lead to I want I want I want I want haha what gorgeous things. In the next house!! thanks for lead though. I think we can play around with things as we did for last open and people love the house we just dont get the numbers of people through - patience I think.
I love your styling Anna will be in touch if nothing eventuates over the next couple of weeks. thanks for your input
- PRO
Anna Cottee Designs
hace 7 añosMy pleasure and I hope that it sells soon and you won't need any help!
suancol
hace 7 añosI am planning on moving soon and have been decluttering for 3 years. No joke and I thought i was a minimalist. Wander through a few show homes in new housing developments. They show you how to present home with feeling but not one specific personality style. It should be so open to interpretation anyone can envision themselves living there. Rent a storage unit and rent some furniture/ store some of your furniture if needed to establish a more open to interpretation look. One thing I learned after last move was rarely do all bits of furniture and art fit easily into the new home. I was thankful for a big garage until i used Gumtree to clear out excess. All the best
- PRO
Anna Cottee Designs
hace 7 añosSo true suancol! However not many people have access to on trend furniture and decorator items to display in their homes once they decide to sell. They have to work with what they have and that can be very tricky. I source from the same place that developers use to style their display homes and I can tell you that finding that perfectly tailored look is not easy to do unless you are able to start from scratch and have an unlimited budget! Also the trend is to go neutral everywhere and I find that to be a bit clinical and generic and does not always enhance a home's appeal. Most of the homes I style for sale are already "too neutral" and I find I need to bring colour and eclectic items of furniture or accessories to give the place some oomph!
lysettevonbruns01
hace 7 añosÚltima modificación: hace 7 añosJust took another look. And another. I was looking at your plan upside down. Your laundry is fine, but I'm still sure it's the entrance. If you could move the barbeque and that bit of fence - to make the front entrance a feature I am sure that would make all the difference.
Get out of your car and see what you walk into. Then make that entry the feature. I'd also maybe give the top of the carport roof a karcher or a coat of paint. Most people have two cars and they want them undercover. Maybe the carport could be extended to fit two cars.
Maybe change the fence near the kitchen to make that the entrance. Then have a look and think what you would like the entrance to look like. I know one of the reasons my house sold was because the bedroom looked out onto beautiful garden.
If you have enough room change all the beds to face the balcony and the views. People do lie on your beds. They also look in all your cupboards, even i the kitchen..The large chest of drawers in one of the bedrooms will make people think there isn't enough storage. It is a beautiful piece of furniture so ask your neighbours if they would look after it for a while.
I had my house termite proofed before I sold. It's something the new people won't want to do. They always have a termite ispection before they buy so I did it for them. I took money off this new house because they hadn't kept up the termite control.
I'm sure you have karchered your driveway if it's concrete. It does't take long and makes a incredible difference. Make sure all the lawns have whipper snipper edges. People don't want to spend their life mowing lawns, especially in such a beautiful position..
I lent a karcher to a friend of mine who had an enormous house but it wasn't selliing, it had been on the market at least six months.. Once they karchered all the concrete they sold the next week. It's true most buyers have no imagination so you have to do it for them. If there is something wrong - never, never mention it and people will not notice.
I am i love with your house already so there must be something that turns people off. Do you give them feedback sheets on the things they like and do't like? It would be worth looking because position is everything and your house is superb.It may be price or it may be something you haven't noticed because you've been there so long. I hired bond cleaners and spent weeks in the garden making it neat make everything sparkle.
This house is stunning but there are a few easy fixes. Look at photos of how pillows are arranged on the beds in magazines and copy them. There are no bedside tables. You can buy cheap ones at KMart - they are woven cane - buy white and buy cheap but good looking white lamps for each bedside table. The pictures in this house would drive me crazy. They need to be centred. The picture above the tv does't line up with the edges of the tv. It should be centred above the tv. The mid point of the painting should be around 60 inches to the middle of the painting. Just measure up 60 inches then measure the measure to the middle of the painting. The middle of the painting should be 60 inches up from the floor. The rule fro decorating is one, three or five, so rearrange your knicknacks in one, three or five.
Take the red toaster out of the kitchen. It doesn't fit. Instead of painting you can buy cheap wall and floor steamers. I have a vac - around $140 and you can buy wall attachments. You'll be surprised how much gunk comes off the walls. They will make your paint look new and take away any smells. Smell is really important. I normally use jasmine or vanilla plug in smell. Turn them down so they don't overpower. Use the plug in ones as they are subtle.. Buy fresh flowers every week.
People hate calling up to make a appt to see a house. Get an agent and have a open house every Saturday afternoon for at least 4 weeks, Auctioning is cheap. Think mine cost $180.00.If you have an Auction you don't have to sell, you set a minimum price and I decided mine during the Auction. When it went to the market I got a extra $15,000, but my house got a incredible price because two guys competed for status. One had never seen the house before.
On the coach by the pool throw over a plain white cover and mix and match all the cushions outside. If the pergola wall is painted blue paint it white so it blends in. I decorated like you with blues but have changed to whites and greys. They always look fresh. The trick to making the bed smooth is to pull from opposite corners so the doonas look flat.
Sight lines are everything. Walk through the house and look at your sight lines. Then blend a cushion or something of the same colour that matches to draw the house together. Your windows and floors need to sparkle. You can use a steam cleaner for the floors as well. Your wooden floors are beautiful. Leave them. Karcher all outside concrete. Karchers, smaller ones are cheap and make a world of difference. Take away the bottles of wine and plates on the tables. It's staged and no-one does it anymore.. Place fresh flowers there.
Spray the rugs with a light mix of vinegar and water. It takes smoke smells away.
Had to have another look but there are no pictures of the entrance to the house. The entrance sells a home. Fix it up. Put in chairs and make it look beautiful. If your front doors are shabby replace them. Don't go to Doors Plus like I stupidly did, but there are some great door manufacturers who don't TV advertise. Buy new door mats - the beautiful ones are around $60 - $80 dollars from HAUZZ , Frenchknot . Make sure they haven't got writing on them. I'm guessing they are not showing the front for for a reason. Fix it. Cut off any brown leaves in the garden. Have a look at similar photos through HAUZZ of the front of the house. There are some great inexpensive ideas for front porches, If the driveway is concrete karcher it.
To sum up, karcher all concrete and bricks, Hang paintings so they line up. You can probably hire real pieces of art to match the house for not much for 4 weeks. Have a open house, go to Auction - you don't have to sell but it can start an ego bidding war. Boys wlll be boys. Your house is so beautiful it must be the front if there are no photos, I'm guessing.
Entrances sell houses. It is such a beautiful house. Have an open house on the weekends. People who work are too busy to ring and ask for a inspection because the real estate agents are ALWAYS late.I worked and needed to be away a a certain time. After a while I gave up making appointments. It just made me furious and I may have bought if the agent had shown up early or on time. No-one wants to inspect at night.
I love your house so it has to be something really simple that has stopped it from selling.
I hope you were not offended because your house is so beautiful. Any person would love to live there. It's why I keep coming back and having another look. Maybe it is worth bringing in a stylist, because your house is so beautiful. The details are everything.
And deewb said something that makes total sense. Most people won't buy just before a federal election. Just had a look at your photobook. Clutter - it must have hurt you downsizing the clutter. To be honest please hire a stylist. It will make all the difference to unclutter more and depersonalise..
I just looked at Realestate.com.au and your house is not listed. I guess it is't listed o Domain either. You have lost 75% of your buyers by not using these two sites. They are the sites every looks at. Most people don't look at one agents site, As soon as you can get out of using them as your sole property agents - ditch them. They haven't worked i your best interests.deewb
hace 7 añosLovely home.
1st thing I noticed scanning the photos was the outside corrugated iron walls behind the seat. Not sure what's behind that, but either have it professionally rebuilt, pull it down and if not, paint it the same colour as the retainer wall in slate grey I think it is.
An interior paint both ceilings and walls in a white would be good.
Leave the flooring as is
Remove all the throws and mats from outside and downstairs family room.
Remove those concrete seats/benches from the other side of the pool.
I personally love blue, so am not turned off by your paintings.
Lastly, it is just before a federal election and buyers are nervous at this time re new/future policy and how it will effect their purchase decisions, so I would hold off till after July re marketing your property and things may change for you.
All the best!
Elaine H
hace 7 añosInteresting comments from the stylists. We engaged a stylist to help with our recent sale. Cost of changes were minimal including returning a feature wall back to the original colour and removing most art and personal collection pieces. (Total cost less than $3000) One family photo and two pieces of art remained, while all other valuables were sent to secure storage. At the time, we felt the whole house was impersonal BUT the strategy worked. House sold within five days of first open-house and for $50k more than what was expected in a regional city. Good luck with the sale.
Jemmi
hace 7 añosI would suspect that, if I am looking at that floor plan and photos correctly, your biggest hurdle is you have no actual entry. Access appears to be either through a toilet/bathroom or through a pool gate on the driveway, passing between an unfenced pool and the kitchen window and in through your living room. If that isn't the case, you need to have something done about your online ad as this would immediately be limiting your prospective buyers.
As a prospective buyer with children to fill all those bedrooms, walking in I would be thinking about how much it will cost to fence that pool properly (not much) and to reconfigure things to give me an entry (could be significant) and at that point I would not be paying any attention at all to what styling has been going on elsewhere in the house, as my mind has already switched to renovation mode.
If you can come up with a cost effective way of creating an entry and make the pool child safe, I think you would probably receive more interest past an initial online hit.
Chrissy
Autor originalhace 7 añosWhat great feedback! Thankyou everyone.
The biggest reason is not the house, it's the suburb, people think palm beach is too far from city for workers and next reason is if someone wanted to retire to PB they want a huge view and pay a lot more, so our audience is very limited. I also agree prior to an election people get nervous for whatever reason. So it appears that it's not so much the house isn't selling itself, it's we can't get people in the door. The entrance is right at pool : and we were selling with non compliant pool, but I do like the idea of perhaps making it compliant so that it's done.
The photos were staged with wine bottles, plates etc just for photos it isn't like that for our every Saturday opens. And it is listed on all realestate sites. Thanks for all you suggestions and I shall digest it all and post some new photos next week. ThanksVy
hace 7 añosyou'd find that beachy areas move quite slow but they do move ..just have to have one person falling in love with the house and that's it ..
I know where I am people put their houses on the market the Summer months..and take them down again in Winter as most people come down holidaying in Summer..
some houses stays on the market for years..
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
hace 7 añosSame here as we are on the coast, but I do think they don't put enough of them on the net. That's how we found our house.
lysettevonbruns01
hace 7 añosÚltima modificación: hace 7 añosSorry about my real estate.com search. I used keywords and most likely spelt one incorrectly. You do have a beautiful home. I wish you the best of luck with the sale. I'm sure it will sell. In Qld we can't sell a house with a non compliant pool fence, so that's a great idea..
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Jacinta O'Brien