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.

Do you want your property to appeal to a wider range of buyers?

Do you want your home to stand out from the crowd?

Do you want cost effective solutions to your home presentation problems?

Home Staging and Cosmetic Renovation techniques by Houses to Impress will help give you a unique selling point to present your property so it’s ready to sell! Irrespective of the extent of the project, our attention to detail delivers results to our clients that are absolutely outstanding.

Our professional online home staging consult will help you plan a cost effective home makeover that will reap you thousands of dollars PROFIT when you sell. Imagine what you can spend that extra $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 or more on …….

• Your new dream home
• A brand new car
• A family holiday
• An investment property

Don’t just take our word. Read a testimonial from a Real Estate Specialist who regularly recommends our services to her vendors.

“As real estate salespeople, our number one job is to achieve the highest possible price for our vendors. Unfortunately our best efforts can sometimes be hindered by a seller who is unable to view their home objectively. What may seem “attractive” to the owner may look vastly unappealing from a buyer’s perspective. A seller who lives in the home twenty-four-seven, can often find it difficult of see the woods for the trees. Houses to Impress know how to present your home in such a way that buyers have to have it! I would estimate that I have never yet met a client that would not have experienced great benefit from Charyn and Kate’s expert home staging transformations.”

Rebecca Foster – Real Estate Specialist – Ray White Northgate

I was recently browsing the Australian Property Investor Magazine website and was heartened to find an article listing the Top 12 tips to Getting a Great Property Valuation.  Especially when I read that the Number 1 tip was Home Presentation.  It comfirms what I consistently preach to my clients (both home owners and property investors) that a combination of Home Staging and cosmetic Renovation are not only great tools to add value to a home before selling but  you can also squeeze extra equity out of your current home or investment property prior to refinancing.

Please find below the part of the API article written by  Michaela Ryan

It’s quite frustrating to have your home loan application knocked back or the loan amount reduced because the valuation came in too low. Here’s 12 ways to get a good one.

Investors periodically have their properties revalued in order to finance additional investments. For example, just say your property’s value has gone up by $50,000. Most lenders will let you borrow around 80 per cent of that value ($40,000) which you can use as a deposit for another property purchase. In order to work out exactly how much they’ll lend you, lenders will often send a property valuer around. So we’ve asked a couple of industry experts for the insider’s word on property valuations. How can investors get the highest figure possible?

Phillip Grahame from Herron Todd White says, “The main things in a valuation are the size and functionality of the dwelling and the size and location of the land.” So obviously the chances of a favourable valuation mainly come down to your choice of property in the first place. And of course, it also depends on what the property market in general is doing at the time. However, according to our experts, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you pull off the best valuation possible on the day.

1. Presentation

Grahame says presentation is the most important thing to take care of when you have an upcoming valuation.

“(Make sure) the gardens are looking nice and the clutter throughout the house is cleaned up and all that sort of thing. Because first impressions, even with property valuers, do count,” he says. “If it’s freshly painted and really neat and tidy and presents well, as it would to a buyer, then we’re going to be more positive on that particular property.”

Mark Ruttner from First Valuation Group agrees, “The owner should provide a property in a state of repair similar to an open for inspection. “There’s nothing worse than rolling up to value a house and all the clothes for the last two weeks are on the bedroom floor; the toilet seat is up; dishes for the last week are still sitting in the sink.” Ruttner suggests mowing the lawn and trimming the edges. He also says any external painting should be fully completed, as first impressions can be significantly dampened by incomplete paintwork.

to read the other 11 Tips    Click Here