Happy Easter!

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

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

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Charyn Youngson

Author | Professional Home Stager | Speaker | Mentor

The recent RP Data – Rismark Home Value Index Release landed in my inbox this week and the news for homeowners around the country wishing to sell their homes in 2011 is not great.

Capital city (-0.2 per cent) and ‘rest of state’ (-0.1 per cent) home values both fell in seasonally-adjusted terms in November. In raw terms, the declines were larger (-0.6 per cent and -0.8 per cent, respectively). RP Data & Rismark expect further weakness in 2011 as rates rise.

Christopher Joye, Rismark’s managing director, stated “We believe that there is a risk of at least three cash rate increases in 2011”,  in which case he predicts there will be little-to-no nominal dwelling price growth over 2011, with a chance of small nominal declines.

What is happening in today’s real estate market?

A slow real estate market is called a “buyer’s market” because there are lots of homes for sale and fewer buyers fighting for them. With a glut of houses on the real estate market pushing prices downward, buyers have more power in any negotiation. They know the seller needs to sell their house more than they need to buy it. The perceived pressure to make a quick buying decision is gone and buyers have higher expectations than ever before. They demand value for money and will walk away if a property fails to impress. Houses that don’t appeal are left languishing on the market dropping in value with each passing week that they sit there.

How can sellers improve their bottom line?

Home staging right now is more important than ever because of this shift in the balance of power from sellers to buyers. With house prices trending down, it means home sellers have a greater need for home staging services to preserve their equity and help them make a faster sale.  The current statistics for average days on the market is 120 days or longer – that’s 4 months! What is it worth to you to sell your home fast and to achieve the best possible price?

I am happy to report that even in this downward market, my clients have been achieving great results. Some are still selling on the first open which is the absolute perfect time to get your highest offer when buyers are first exposed to the property and there is the highest level of interest. If you are contemplating selling your home any time soon then take my expert advice.

Charyn’s Top 3 tips for Selling in a Buyer’s Market

1. Be realistic about price – face up to reality and accept that if the market has dropped in your area, you will have to lower your expectations. Do your research and compare similar house sales in your suburb. Go out to open inspections and get a feel for what buyers are looking for. Make mental notes of the best things that appealed to you and see how you could improve your home in a similar way. Listen to what buyers are saying at open inspections – you will be surprised at the things that they don’t like and won’t compromise on.

1. Change your mindset about spending money on a pre sale makeover – There is a big difference between something that “costs” you money – you understand the money has gone and that’s that. But when you make an “investment”, you plan to see a return on your money. Home Staging is an investment in your single largest financial asset.

1. Put in 100% effort. It may sound like a no brainer, but unfortunately not all of my client’s fully embrace the recommendations that I make to prepare their home for sale. Some only put in 50% effort and therefore they end up with 50% result. This is your largest asset. Get off your rear end, put in the hard yards and you will receive the best possible outcome. Remember like all things in life – you only get out what you put in!

Happy Selling

Charyn Youngson

Professional Home Stager, Property Renovator, Mentor, Speaker

Author of Sold for Top Dollar.

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.

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.

The first step to successful Home Staging is to cultivate the right mindset. As a Home Seller, you are about to cash in on one your most valuable assets – your home, and it is imperative that you start thinking of your house as an investment your are selling, rather than your family home.

If someone asked you for $5000 and gave you back $50,000 in two months time, would you do it?? Your return on investment would be a whopping 1000%. Unbelievable you may say. Well we can guarantee you that is typical of the returns we achieve for our clients.

Case Study:

We recently worked with a client whose house was tenanted prior to going on the market. It was a very large 5 bedroom home located 7 km from the city in one of the best streets in the suburb.  Once the tenants moved out, it was obvious that there were a few minor repairs that needed to be addressed which required the services of a general handyman for about 3 days. He repaired some small cracks in a few walls and repainted those areas as well as doing a general yard tidy up.  Of course we never recommend showing an empty house so the whole property was staged with furniture and soft furnishings and hired pot plants to jazz up the outdoors.

Our client’s investment was $5000. The house was appraised by the agent prior to the makeover at $615,000.  During the 3 week marketing campaign prior to auction there were large amounts of people that viewed the property and one keen buyer put in an offer for $640,000.  By auction day there was definitely a buyer frenzy with over 30 people cramming the family room where the auction took place.

The house sold for $690,000!! – An increase from the appraised value of $75,000. That is a 1500% Return on Investment. What was also extraordinary was the auction clearance rate in May 2010 in Adelaide was very low at 40% and a lot of properties were failing to sell on Auction Day.  Naturally our client was absolutely delighted with the results.

So if you are thinking of selling your home I recommend you change your mindset and go for Gold! You deserve to make Top Dollar for your biggest investment.

See some of the photos of the property below

Most people would be really upset if their superannuation fund suddenly dropped ten, twenty, thirty thousand dollars, or more. Yet many homeowners regularly suffer these kinds of losses without a second thought when they sell their home and/or investment property.

Why is that?  Why would homeowners fail to perceive that their home is an important investment, as well as shelter for themselves, their dog and cat?

For the vast home owning majority, building home equity is a critical component of retirement planning and building net worth. So, it only makes sense to get the most money possible when you sell. Think what you could do with those extra thousands of dollars

– A lifestyle reward like a holiday or a brand new car for your family
– A bigger down payment on your new home
– Capital to invest in a business venture or
– Money to create more wealth by funding another investment

It is a sad fact that very few homeowners sell their homes for the most money possible. They end up giving thousands of dollars to the buyers as equity gifts! A common thread I hear from people when they are getting ready to sell is  ”Why do I need to spend money when I am moving out anyway?”  They are unwilling to do what it takes when their home is involved and thousands of dollars in lost equity is on the line.

That’s where we come in. At Houses to Impress we believe in challenging the mindset & actions of home sellers. We believe home owners should think differently about how they sell their largest asset, their home. And most importantly, we believe that any homeowner has the ability to sell their home fast and for maximum price given the right advice.

Our top tips to achieve the most profit when you sell your home

• Change the way you think about your home – it is no longer your home, it is a marketable product
• See your house with a buyer’s eyes
• Repair it before your sell it – inspect your house like an Inspector!
• Get rid of all your stuff – buyers aren’t interested in your personal stuff. They are buying a lifestyle
• Lifestyle upgrades equate to Top Dollar Sales – think Kitchen, Bathroom, Garden
• Create more space by getting rid of excess clutter
• First impressions count – don’t forget your Street Appeal
• Dress you house to impress using home staging techniques

In getting the most money possible from the sale of your home, the condition of your home is what you have the greatest control over. If you ignore the condition or packaging, as the marketing people call it, it will come back to haunt you.

If you are ready to take action to turn your average house into a dream home that potential buyers will fall in love with click here to find out more about our "Sold for Top Dollar Transformation Package"