My local real estate agent, Jim, referred me to my latest project management client. The vendor Jeff had just accepted a new job in Sydney and had to relocate in 2 weeks.

Jeff’s problem – he needed to sell his home and he needed to sell it fast! Jeff’s biggest problem – his 1970’s house was still in its original condition and he didn’t have time to get it ready for market.

So I met with Jeff and told him how Houses to Impress could take care of his whole house renovation for him, eliminate the stress and leave him free to concentrate on the big move.   I assessed the property while I was there and gave Jeff my expert opinion on what needed to be done to bring his 1970’s home into the 21st century so we could attract some serious buyers in this very tough market.

Jeff was willing to invest some money in some home improvements as he hadn’t done any upgrades since he moved into the house in 1983. He was well aware that it would be very difficult to sell the house in its present condition, in the current slow market.  Jim, the real estate agent, appraised the house “as is” at $280,000 – $300,000. I did a quick calculation on the upgrades that were required and estimated that to fully renovate and style the house for sale would cost about $20,000 – $25,000. Jeff was prepared to spend that amount to ensure he could sell his home fast and for a higher price. I discussed my planned renovation ideas with Jim, the agent, and after doing some comparisons for the area we both agreed that the market price “after reno” would sit in the range of $330,000 to $350,000.

Jeff was happy with these estimated figures and gave me the go ahead to project manage the cosmetic renovation. I immediately got to work with a plan that would enable me to get the whole job done in 30 days.

Step 1 – Renovation Plan

Kitchen

• Remove old narrow style kitchen
• Get electrician to install new power points
• Install new kitchen
• Remove old freestanding stove and replace with new oven, cooktop and range hood
• Install new sink and modern flick mixer tap
• Install tile splash back

Bathroom

• Remove and replace old shower screen
• Remove old style vanity and replace with a new corner unit
• Resurface existing wall tiles
• Resurface existing floor tiles
• Get electrician to install new 3 in 1 heat/lamp/light and replace power points

Toilet

• Resurface existing floor tiles
• Replace cistern and toilet seat

Laundry

• Resurface existing floor tiles

Paintwork – Interior

• Repair minor cracks and gaps in cornices in most rooms
• Paint all ceilings
• Paint all walls
• Prime and paint wall paneling in main lounge room (same colour as walls)
• Paint all door and window trims

Paintwork – Exterior

• Spray Paint old galvanised fences
• Spray Paint shed
• Paint some areas of timber gables at front and rear of property where needed

Main bedroom

• Remove old doors from built-in robe
• Install new doors, frame and return on built-in robe

Bedroom 3

• Remove built in desk and bookcase to open up the space

Flooring

• Remove 70’s shagpile carpet from bedrooms, lounge/dining and hallway
• Replace with new Godfrey Hirst textured loop stainmaster
• Lay new vinyl (over top of old vinyl) in kitchen

Gardening and exterior improvements

• Remove weeds from old garden beds
• Place bamboo screening on one section of fence to hide ugly fence
• Add low maintenance plants to rear garden beds
• Add eco mulch to all garden beds over top of existing scoria
• Trim back all shrubs in front garden
• Repair small sections of wood rot in front windows and paint
• Remove amber glass from front courtyard area and replace with timber slats to match existing features in courtyard
• Paint letterbox

One of the main keys to success in project management is great planning and organisation. Next step will be gathering my dream team of tradies and coordinating the work to fit in with my home makeover schedule.

See some teaser photos below!!

After winning everything in the first few weeks Josh and Jenna totally lost the plot with the living room and hallway challenge.

‘Share accommodation for students” –  that was the opinion of the The Block judges John McGrath and Neale Whitaker.

Tacky, old school wall paneling – I cannot believe Josh and Jenna installed this.  Without a doubt wall paneling is the most out dated thing I find on a regular basis when assessing  clients properties for  pre-sale home makeovers.  I always recommend either removing them or painting the paneling exactly the same colour as the walls so they appear unobtrusive and just blend in.  Of course painting is the quickest and most cost effective solution to this seventies feature of the decade – just don’t forget to prime them first.

And what were they thinking when they used a Chinese checkerboard as artwork!

“The chairs are foul” said Amie.  “Yeehaa” commented Rod on spotting the rawhide covered chairs. The Block’s other contestants weren’t impressed either when they had their walk through.

Where did Josh and Jenna go wrong? Once again they were decorating to their own personal taste. And potential buyers are going to have the same sort of repulsive reactions that the judges and other contestants had.

All of the couples have been guilty of putting too much of their own personality into some of their rooms and frankly it is going be the undoing of them come auction day.

Josh and Jenna were gutted by their low score and the judges criticism but to their credit they took it on the chin and immediately started changing the things the judges hated.  Thank goodness the wood paneling is going along with some of the other kitsch accessories.

Hopefully Josh and Jenna will be back on track for the kitchen and dining room challenge.

I had no renovation experience when I started out as a property renovator so the most an important criterion for me was “Can I do it myself?”  Of course for my first renovation I couldn’t build and install a kitchen myself and I needed a plumber, tiler and electrician to assist with the kitchen installation. However,

• I could pull up Masonite sheeting on the floors and prepare them for the carpet install
• I could clean and scrub ceilings and walls, fill holes, sand patches and prepare all surfaces ready for painting
• I could paint – I got advice from my local paint store and found out the best paints for each surface, what brushes and rollers to use and I chose the same neutral colour paint to use throughout the whole house
• I could weed the garden, cut back dead and overgrown plants, plant new plants and add some mulch to tidy the back yard

I set myself a time frame to complete the renovation (5 weeks) and had a budget of $12,000, which included the brand new kitchen with new appliances.  Kitchens don’t get built in a day so it was vital for me to make the kitchen my first priority so that I could select the kitchen cabinets I wanted, get quotes from a few kitchen suppliers and source the appliances, tapware, tiles to ensure the kitchen would be completed within my 5 week time frame. I used the weeks leading up to settlement to get the kitchen planned and ordered which helped me to achieve getting the renovation on time.  While the kitchen was being built, I was busy cleaning, fixing preparing

I bought the property for $109,000 spent $12,000 on the renovation and sold it for $155,000.  An increase in value of $46,000 in 5 weeks. My actual profit after all buying and selling costs was $30,000 – not bad for my first renovating for profit project.

6 years and many renovations all over Adelaide later, I would like to share my simple tips for a successful “cosmetic” renovation

1. Great planning and organisations skills – getting the job done on time and within your budget will depend on it. Keep accurate records and receipts through the process. (see our Renovator’s Organiser in the product store)
2. Identify which jobs you can do yourself and hire licensed tradespeople to carry out work that needs specialised skills and compliance. How to choose a great tradesperson is a topic all of itself however I do recommend getting word of mouth referrals from friends, colleagues and relatives is a great start.
3. Be on hand to supervise the tradespeople as things can easily go wrong and result in cost blowouts.  Give clear directions to tradespeople about the work you want done (I write a checklist that can easily be followed and ensure nothing gets missed), communicate well with them and show appreciation like making them a coffee or giving them a beer at the end of a good days work.  A happy tradie is a good tradie.
4. Allow some padding in your budget for unexpected problems that may occur. Renovating is all about problem solving!
5. If you don’t feel confident in any of the above areas or you simply don’t have time to supervise the work yourself then consider hiring a project manager. A project manager will ensure that the “cosmetic” renovation is done quickly, takes responsibility for hiring and coordinating all the necessary tradespeople, sources products to get the job done and makes sure it comes in under budget.  People managing their own renovations can take months to complete the job instead of weeks, which not only costs more in the long run but it means quite a bit of disruption to the family environment.

Houses to Impress specialise in Project Management and with an office in the north and an office in the south we have all locations in Adelaide covered if you need assistance with a home renovation.

Letterboxes are usually made of cheap materials, which is why they deteriorate after just a few years of use.  Of course they are exposed to the elements all the time and it is not surprising that they can become an eyesore in a very short space of time.

Since a letterbox is one of the first things that you notice about a property, it makes sense to give this important piece of architecture an overhaul and give your property an instant uplift.

Painting an existing letterbox is the easiest way to upgrade your letterbox and perhaps adding some new numbers but if you really want to make a statement for visitors to your home consider replacing your old daggy letterbox with a brand new one.  There are so many choices.

• Classic cast iron aluminium
• Sandstone
• Architectural
• Timber
• Fence and Wall
• Brass and chrome

You can find many of these at your local hardware stores but I love to shop online where I can find an extensive range all in one place. An Australian company that delivers direct to customers is Mailmaster. They have a stunning range of letterboxes that will help you add some style and class to your home.

I love the fact the fact that they colour match your mailbox to match either your gutters, window or garage door trim or even some other feature colour of your home.

House Numbers are also a cost effective addition you can make to your home that can really make a statement.  I see a lot of homes in my line of work and it never ceases to amaze me that very few people bother to display their home with prominent house numbers. It is also very frustrating trying to locate homes that have paid little attention to displaying home numbers especially a night.

While you are investigating buying new letterbox at Mailmaster don’t forget about the house numbers.  House numbers should be clear enough so that police, the fire department, paramedics, etc., can quickly locate properties in an emergency. House numbers are often the only way that first-responders can identify their intended destinations. For a small investment you can reap disproportionately large rewards that will add massive value to your home.

The Sold for Top Dollar iPhone Application provides instant selling tips and strategies so owners can take some effective, yet inexpensive, measures to make their property more desirable, and valuable.  The app is incredibly easy to use and will provide:

• free advice right at your fingertips
• solutions and ideas in seconds
• tried and tested tips to help eliminate the stress of selling your home, get your home into top shape, make you understand the importance of preparing your home for sale and everything in between
• free ebook “47 Ways to Turbo Boost the Value of Your Property”
• free chapter from our book Sold For Top Dollar – Low Cost Housing Improvements to Maximise your Sale

When it comes to preparing your home for sale and you think where do I start? – the Sold for Top Dollar iPhone App is a handy tool for anyone who owns a property.

Download it today!

Happy Easter!

Charyn Youngson,
Australia’s Leading Home Staging Expert
Author “Sold for Top Dollar – Low Cost Home Improvements to Maximise Your Sale”

• They want to sell fast
• They want to sell for top dollar

But in reality these most sought after outcomes are hard to achieve for people who really don’t have the expertise to market their own home to potential buyers because they

• Can’t remove themselves emotionally from their homes
• Don’t have enough time
• Don’t have the necessary skills to undertake upgrades and repairs
• Don’t have an action plan
• Fail to address obvious flaws
• Don’t have a clue where to start
• Don’t research the current market
• Fail to give the buyers what they want

A professional home stager will

• Make your selling and moving experience LESS stressful
• Give you advice on what areas in the home need to be addressed in order to correctly prepare your home for sale
• Prepare an Action Plan with a priority list of jobs to do
• Advise on where to invest your makeover dollars for the best return (within your budget)
• Make recommendations on paint choices, bathroom, kitchen and storage upgrades, landscaping and everything in between
• Know when to replace or update items and recommend what needs to stay and what needs to be packed up
• Work with you to transform your home into a “ buyers magnet”

The most fulfilling reward we get from working with home sellers is the “aha” moment when they realize that the home makeover ideas we have shared them are things they would never have thought of doing in a million years but they are simple and easy for them to implement. Less STRESS!

When you work with an expert in their field, you can expect to make your property more marketable and to reduce the time on the market. In the current “buyers market” sellers owe it to themselves to seek the best advice available on pre sale home makeovers to make their homes stand out from the crowd.

Home owners  receive outstanding results with Houses to Impress “Sold for Top Dollar Transformation Packages” so if you have any interest in attracting a premium price for you home when you sell, please call Australia’s Leading Home Staging Experts.

Charyn and Kate Youngson

Authors | Professional Home Stagers | Property Renovators

I recently started writing articles as an industry expert for The Saving Money Expert digital magazine.  The online magazine was created for Australian consumers to discover ways to become better, smarter, consumers and by providing news, articles,guides and how-to’s they educate their readers about how to save money.

My first article is Prepare your House for Sale by Getting Dressed for the Occassion.

In the article I share my Top Six Makeover Strategies to Add Massive Value to Your Home

Read More

Charyn Youngson

Author | Professional Home Stager | Speaker | Mentor

So it was great to read an article in the local Advertiser stating that home makeovers are starting to become the norm.

Local leading Real Estate Agent Anthony Toop of Toop and Toop says the humble home makeover has come a long way.

“It’s gone from being a rare occurrence to being a normal practice,” he says.

“For us over the past 10 years it’s probably gone from about 20 per cent of our clients using it to 80 to 90 per cent.

“Twenty years ago, it was zero per cent.”

Mr Toop says properties that hit the market without a makeover were at risk of not reaching their selling potential.

“There is an expectation from buyers that they will be looking through a property that has been presented well,” he says.

“It does make a difference. The consumer generally struggles to visualise how a property could look.”

Mr Toop says the average investment on a home makeover is $1000 to $5000 and that it can result in up to a 10 to 15 per cent increase in selling price. “It can also speed up the sale process a little bit and change the category of buyers looking at the home,” he says.

If only more Real Estate agents would make it a standard practice to incorporate the services of a professional home stager as part of their marketing strategy then more home sellers would be exposed to the great benefits of increased home presentation and sell their homes faster for more!

Find out how our Sold for Top Dollar Transformation Package™ can help you with a home makeover that will knock your buyers socks off.