How to prepare your home for selling and moving

Putting your home on the market and relocating requires more than just paperwork. From making sure your old home is in top condition to planning the logistics of your home, you’ll have a multitude of tasks to take care of when preparing to move house and selling the current one you’re in. 

This guide will give you all the information you need on how to prepare a house for sale and moving. 

Focus areas

When preparing a house for sale, start with focus areas, such as your kitchen and bathroom. These parts of your home may require a bit of upgrading that will help you attract potential buyers. 

The front door

Great first impressions matter. Make sure the entrance to your home is clean, tidy, and looks nice. Gurnie the driveway, weed the front garden, and give the front door has a fresh lick of paint.

Key rooms

The homemaker will want to focus on the kitchen, bathroom, toilet and laundry, so make sure repairs and cleaning for these rooms are on point. The other rooms of the house can usually be sorted out with a coat of paint.

Repairs

Generally, you don’t need to fully renovate your home prior to selling and moving, but it should be in good, working condition. Little issues like mouldy shower grouting can put off some people. Small expenses and a little effort will go a long way in making your property more attractive to prospective buyers.

Do you need to:

• Re-grout bathrooms?

• Fix the fence?

• Fix leaking taps?

• Replace fixtures (e.g. chipped door knobs, rusty towel rails)?

• Replace blown light bulbs?

Any investment you make in more expensive improvements prior to selling and moving, should be driven by where you’ll get the best return. If there are repairs you can’t handle on your own, hire a local handyman to help with the work.

Rules and regulations

When selling and moving, there will be a number of rules and regulations that you’ll need to comply with. For example, a pool safety certificate needs to be obtained by the seller or purchaser in Queensland (Department of Housing and Public Works, 2015). It’ll make your property more attractive to a prospective buyer to have these things taken care of prior to the sale.

Walls and painting

Check walls for marks, scratches, and stains that might require plastering and a fresh coat of paint. Paint walls and ceilings in neutral colours; your property will appeal to a larger market (not everyone loves a bedroom in each colour of the rainbow).

Declutter and depersonalise

The sale of your property is a great excuse to clean out your belongings!  Declutter to maximise space for the open house and inspections. Depersonalise so buyers can imagine their own belongings in the space.

Cleaning

It’s important to give the impression that your property has been kept in good condition all the time (not just for the sale), so attention to detail is a must!  For the best results, you should do an ‘end of lease’ style clean.

Inside

Here’s a list to start you off:

• All surfaces, benchtops, and cupboards

• Walls, skirting boards, power points

• Windows, window sills, doors, screen doors, and fly screens

• Floors, carpets, tiles, and timber

• All built-in appliances, e.g. dishwasher, oven, stove, range hood, etc.

• Sinks, basins, taps (descaling)

• Baths, showers, and shower screens

• Mirrors and wardrobes

• Fans and air conditioners

If the thought of scrubbing the oven makes you die a little bit inside, get some help from Airtasker’s reliable and flexible residential home cleaners.

Outdoors

Outdoor areas should not be forgotten. Make sure the:

• Gardens and garage are tidy.

• Lawn is mowed.

• Garden beds are weeded.

• Gutters are cleaned.

• Pools are cleaned.

• Patios and driveways are clean.

• Cobwebs are removed.

For open houses and inspections, you should also remove all rubbish and empty wash bins.  Make sure pet poo and pet bedding are removed.

Odours

Sometimes if you’re living in it, you don’t notice it. Invite an honest friend with a keen nose over and get them to check for unpleasant smells. Odours in the home are usually from pets, mould, and mildew. Find the source and address the problem, rather than trying to ‘mask’ it.

Staging your home for display

Put your best foot forward when presenting your home to prospective buyers. Here are a few styling tips for selling your home.

Furniture and decor

If your furniture is worn, mismatched, or a little ‘dated’, consider hiring a home stylist or home stagers to furnish your home during the sale period. It might be necessary to put your furniture in storage temporarily.

Greenery

Create a calm and inviting atmosphere by adding some healthy, green plants to your home’s indoor and outdoor areas. Little potted herbs perched on the window sill can freshen up the aesthetic of the kitchen. Hire larger plants if you don’t want to purchase them.

Good smells

Make your home smell inviting by roasting some coffee beans or baking fresh bread on the day of the open house.

Selling and moving

You’re on the home stretch when you’ve sold your property and the time comes to sort out furniture removal and storage. If you’re lucky, you’ve got access to a ute or small truck and the manpower to do the moving yourself. If not, seeking a professional furniture removalist will be on your list.

If you’re in the market for a trusted, reliable removalist, check out the removalists for hire on Airtasker. They’re located across Australia and covered by insurance.

Best of luck with selling and moving your home!