Adelaide Real Estate Guide: What do I need to do to get my home on the market?
By Amanda Scali

31/03/2016 12:00am

Adelaide Real Estate Guide: What do I need to do to get my home on the market?

The first steps to a successfully being able to 'get my home on the market' in Adelaide are crucial and can be summarised as follows:

  • Be clear about your goals for selling
  • Research prices in your area
  • Depersonalise your home
  • Apply the principles of home staging

Remember, you only get one chance to make a great first impression on a buyer, so working through this list will be a great roadmap to getting the best price possible.

Setting goals to get my home on the market

It sounds easy, set goals for selling your home, but they are likely to be as different and quite personal for each seller in the marketplace.

The McGrath Real Estate team has noticed some dominant factors that influence most vendors' approach to selling their homes and these include:

  • Move to a larger or more desirable home
  • Downsize because of a change in family circumstances
  • Gain closer proximity to schools
  • Pursue an investment strategy
  • Travel

So your first step in this journey is to become clear on your reasons and goals, and to work out your timeline.

How much is my house worth?

The next step in the process is to research prices in your area online and get an appraisal from a local real estate agent.

It’s best if the agent specialises in your locale, so he or she knows just how to interest buyers using the particular strengths of the area.

This is one of the reasons why McGrath Real Estate focuses on Adelaide's coastal and western suburbs; we live in the region, we understand the region, and that helps us get superb prices for properties in the region.

Once you have chosen your agent, be prepared to listen to them. Your agent is a professional working on your behalf and they understand what appeals to buyers and what puts them off.

Some sellers can become emotional when selling their properties, which can lead to unrealistically high expectations their home’s market value.

Real estate agents can look at individual situations dispassionately and provide advice backed by evidence and their experience.

Depersonalise your home for broader appeal

Be prepared to put in some work to depersonalise your home so it will appeal to a general audience rather than just to you.

You may have wedding photos, family portraits or your children’s artwork on display.

Or perhaps you have expressed your creativity through strikingly patterned wallpaper or feature walls painted in brilliant hues and speciality finishes.

Those highly individual touches that made your house your home might discourage potential buyers who may not be able to envisage it without the stamp of your personality.

This process may also ease the transition from your current property to your next one, particularly if your family has lived there a long time or you have young children.

Home staging - key to a best first impression

Naturally, to make the best impression on potential buyers, your home should be very tidy and really clean when they inspect it.

Paying attention to the presentation is referred to as home staging and can include tidying and fixing or range right through to completely renovating, rebuilding and hiring temporary furniture.

Some of the easiest principles of home staging relate to reducing clutter. Given that you will need to move the contents of your home once it has sold, consider packing up and storing little-used furniture and belongings now to increase the appearance of spaciousness.

However, be aware that these new open spaces can reveal areas of carpet that need cleaning or repair, so that will then need attending to.

If you don’t have the time, energy or equipment for major cleaning jobs, it can be worth investing in the services of professionals. There are even businesses who specialise in cleaning ovens to a high standard.

With these steps to get you started, and a McGrath Real Estate agent by your side, you will be on the right path to a great selling price for your home.