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!

I have finally finished the last of my boxes from my recent move and what a relief that was. Statistics show that the average person who moves leaves 7 boxes unpacked. I found that hard to believe until I spoke to a few people who had moved house and they totally agreed that they still had unpacked boxes in their garage or spare room (my son included, who has moved twice in the past 12 months).

So while I was unpacking the last few boxes, I came up with these tips that will be sure to make the task a whole lot easier for those about to embark on a move to a new home.

1. Packing Boxes. Buy storage boxes that come in all sizes from your local Storage Company and supplement your supply by asking for spare boxes at your local supermarket. Buying boxes is an expense you probably were least expecting and I did find that due to the change of law about plastic bags in South Australia that getting free boxes is almost impossible.  Be creative and use other storage containers like the big stripey zip up bags from the $2 shop (these are great for linen and towels and clothing), plastic space bags that you can vacuum all the air out of, stockpiled plastic bags (especially large ones from Freedom or Ikea) and where possible leave clothes in existing drawers.
2. Get plenty of packing tape. Taping up your boxes before you even start packing is time consuming itself. Get a dispenser to make the job easier.
3. Packing Fillers. I did buy some tissue paper from the Storage Company for my delicate glassware but honestly newspaper is the most effective wrapping material. Stockpile your papers leading up to the move so you have plenty to go the distance.  When I was packing up my kitchen crockery and pots and pans I found that using old clothing and things out of my linen press like towels, pillow cases, sheets, tea towels made me feel that my delicate items were well insulated for the big move.
4. Label Boxes. Get yourself a black marker pen and write on ALL boxes detailing the contents, for example, Dining Room Buffet – black dinner set.  It is important to mark which room the items in the box belong to so when the removalist guys unpack the load you can direct them to place the boxes in the right room.  If you don’t want to unpack some boxes straight away and put them in the garage, at least it makes it easier to locate those particular items you are looking for in a hurry.
5. Don’t pack boxes too heavily. It is tempting to put as many items into a box as you can however my removalist team reminded me that they don’t like lifting boxes that are too heavy especially boxes of books, so please be mindful too of the weight of your boxes as you go and perhaps top some of the boxes up with things that weigh little like clothes, linen or manchester.
6. Pack a special box or basket for when you arrive. I know when I moved recently the removalist team arrived at 7am and didn’t finish unpacking at the other end until 6pm so it was a very long stressful day which didn’t involve any sitting (except for the drive to my new abode). Once they had gone all I wanted to do was make a cup of tea, have an easy snack and put my feet up. So make sure you put your kettle, tea, coffee and sugar supplies and some cups, plates and spoons etc in an emergency supply box because the last thing you feel like at the other end is starting the job of unpacking! Strip your beds of all manchester and put in one big bag (per bed) so it is quick and easy to set up the beds when you arrive.
7. Ask for help. I spent a week packing up my house and it seemed like a never ending task. When I got to the stage that I thought I was never going to get it all done I did the sensible thing and rang a couple of friends. They spent 2-3 hours with me packing up what I think is the hardest room – the kitchen/dining with all the crockery, cutlery, pots, pans and kitchen sundry including the pantry items. It doesn’t sound like much but having their help for those few hours was a huge bonus and I am eternally grateful. On the day of the move I also had the help of a close friend and my sister and without their help I’d still be there!!
8. Do a floor plan of your new house. Now this was a huge help! My daughter Kate & Houses To Impress Business Manager did a mud map of where all my furniture should be placed for every room of the new house. When I got there, I was able to direct the removalist team to put every item of furniture in exactly the right place. They have the heavy lifting trolleys and were able to place things easily – if I hadn’t had a plan and they put things anywhere I would have had no hope of moving the heavy items on my own! When they had finished the whole house was set up perfectly and except for putting the beds together the next day I didn’t have to move a single thing from that day. PS don’t forget to measure the fridge alcove before you move just in case it isn’t going to fit. (I carried a tape measure with me to house inspections to make sure the space was big enough)
9. Box cutter. Arm yourself with a box cutter and as you finish unpacking your boxes, cut the tape holding the box together and fold the boxes flat. They are then easy to store in your garage and take up little space. If you have no intention of moving again any time soon, put a notice up on your new local community board in the shopping centre and advertise cheap boxes for sale. There is sure to be someone about to move house who will appreciate not having to spend so much on buying new boxes.
10. Manage your rubbish as you go. Keep an empty box by your side and put wrapping paper (newspaper) straight into it. When it is filled remove it straight to your recycle bin. Even though I thought I had got rid of all my unwanted goods (I filled 3 mini skips in the weeks leading up to my move) there were still some items that left me scratching my head as to why I bothered keeping them!  Stop!  Don’t unpack those items into your house never to be seen or used again. Put them straight into another box that you can donate to your local op shop and put them in your car boot to action as soon as possible.

What will it take to sell my property? That is the burning question on home seller’s this lips this silly season.  But are they willing to listen to the answer and take appropriate action.  In my experience home sellers are their own worst enemy and they sabotage the sale of their properties by failing to meet the buyer’s needs.

It is a buyers market out there people!  This is the toughest Real Estate market experienced in years with a record amount of homes on the market and these homes are staying n the market for an average of 120 days or more. That’s 4 months of week in, week out stress of keeping their house in open inspection mode for the average home owner.

Buyers have a virtual smorgasbord of homes to choose from and if they don’t like what they see they will just keep on looking until they find that elusive dream home. If a house doesn’t measure up to their high expectations, buyers aren’t even putting in low offers. Homes that fail to impress, are getting no offers!

Home sellers are not responding to market conditions. They believe they can just whack their home on the market “as is” with minimal effort and expect to get their asking price. They are delusional – no buyer in their right mind is going to pay top dollar for a home that has poor presentation and no wow factor. Buyers have all the power and they are not going to part with their hard earned cash in these economic times for any old house. They are seeking perfection. They are not buying a house they are trading up to a new lifestyle and if a house isn’t presented to them in a “move in” ready state with nothing to do but unpack their bags then home sellers have no hope of getting a favourable deal anytime soon.

So when a new client asks me “What will it take for me to sell my property?” I give them the hard cold truth – give the buyers what they want. Walk out of your home, put on your buyer’s glasses and look at your home through their eyes. Invest some time, effort and dollars in presenting your house like a show home because that is the only way to you are going to get sale in this heavily weighted buyer’s market. Show them the lifestyle!!