Have you ever seen photographs of a home for sale that left you thinking why?, instead of wow!

Although there are circumstances in life where a property needs to be sold quickly, in almost every situation if you’re given advice that preparing your home for sale won’t improve your selling result (without a good reason why),

your best interests may not be the priority!

and I’ll tell you why.

But first, let me tell you a story.

My emotions always got the better of me.

When I was a kid even a television show where the characters were treated poorly would upset me for the rest of the day.

In fact earlier in my sales career I met a home seller whose situation tugged at my heart strings. They lived in the home where their children had grown up. Alone and on the pension their home had deteriorated because they were unable to afford to maintain it. They’d decided it was time to downsize, release a lifetime of equity and finally enjoy the simple pleasures…like a coffee catch up with friends.

Over 6 months we completed much needed repairs, worked out the financing for their new home (a lesser known product called loan portability), and shortlisted suitable homes to inspect. I also offered to arrange for the home to be partially staged once it was ready to hit the market.

Emotionally invested in their vision for their future, I helped out of my own pocket.

When they decided they were ready, a date was selected for the photoshoot. Not long before the photoshoot the home owner called a little stressed, and asked to postpone as they hadn’t been able to finish cleaning and decluttering.

So of course, it was postponed.

And then they postponed again, and again…

Then out of the blue I received a call from another agent saying,

“Thank you for your time, but we will take it from here.”

I was blindsided.

Because we had been working together for so long, and with all the delays I didn’t have a watertight contract in place.

I’d let my emotional investment cloud my judgement. They were perfectly within their rights.

Perhaps I needed to fix my weakness.

Remove emotion.

Give only what was paid for.

Focus on signing contracts, and do just enough to get a sale.

But I knew this didn’t align with my values.

The truth is, the same personality trait that “clouded” my judgement is what made me good at helping my clients.

Driven by emotion, I understood the tangible impact a great selling result can have in your life. It is why I took, and still take the time to upskill my knowledge of the psychology behind buying and selling property. To hone the art of preparing, styling, marketing, and negotiating so that I can deliver an exceptional selling result and experience for my clients.

Because well presented homes:

Attract more buyers (up to 61% more online views. Source: OpenAgent)
Spend less time on the market (sell up to 30% faster. Source: PropertyGuru)
Sell for more (up to 7% to 15% more. Source: AFR)

So instead of changing I doubled down and improved my process. I also had a slight shift in my perspective.

Preparing your home for sale is simple in theory, but isn’t always easy.

That is why I offer all my clients free partial lived-in home staging, express cleaning (or decluttering), and express gardening. To help reduce the overwhelm, and to set you on the path towards the best possible selling result.

Months later I looked up what the property sold for – $25K under the listing price. Without decluttering, cleaning, or staging, it was challenging for buyers to visualise its potential. Despite how things ended, I was only disappointed for the home owner.

But this experience helped define my mission, and you can be sure that your best interests are at the core of your selling experience here.

Ready for this type of approach to selling your home? Schedule a call and we can develop a plan and strategy to help you find happiness behind new doors.

A SHIFT TOWARDS YOUR HAPPINESS

Complimentary Inclusions

At RUME GOULD we help you clean your home, prepare your garden and elevate your existing spaces to ensure you are market ready. Part of our Prep, Attract and Sell methodology, these services are designed to alleviate some of the stress that comes with selling, and to help you maximise your home’s selling potential.

Express Cleaning

The 2 hr, express cleaning or decluttering is the perfect solution for rooms that are a little too overwhelming to tackle; the final spring clean before your home open or photoshoot; or those tough to remove or hard to reach areas of your home that need attention (e.g. exhaust fans, ovens, showers or tile buildup).

Express Gardening

Make sure your garden and street appeal leaves a positive impression. Enjoy 2hr express gardening for an overall tidy up, to kickstart an overhaul, or to tackle some much needed weeding.

Partial Staging

Partial staging of a lived in home is the process of re-styling existing furniture and décor to maximise your home’s presentation and potential and supplementing it with additional furniture and décor hire items such as artwork, lamps, or soft furnishings to give a property that neutral, move in ready finishing touch.

How It Works

Once you decide to move forward with working together prep, stage and sell typically consists of the following steps.

Step 1: To begin we’ll tour your home (in person or virtually) and make suggestions on repairs, maintenance, renovations, layout, furnishings and styling. Our team of professional stylists are able to make suggestions to maximise outcomes without putting extra stress on you.

Step 2: It’s time to deep clean, declutter, depersonalise and undertake any repairs, and enjoy complimentary cleaning (or if you need a hand with decluttering), and gardening to your home.

Step 3: Staging and photography. We bring in decor, furnishings, rugs, art and more to amplify your existing spaces. Your listing photoshoot is usually booked for the same or next day after staging.

Rume did a wonderful job of selling our home, she clearly explained the process to us and was quick to respond to any queries we had. I believe the staging,.gardening and marketing she organised really helped increase the interest in the property resulting in a great outcome.

From her first appraisal to the completion of sale I was kept fully informed and she goes out of her way to provide a personal service that is congruent with her values.

Rume is committed to providing her clients with the best service, and always goes above and beyond to help them achieve the best possible outcome. What can often be a challenging experience was made so much easier thanks to Rume’s help and support. I will be forever grateful for what she did for me and encourage anyone else who is about to undertake this important journey to engage her service.

Rume was such a professional, warm, and passionate agent to work with. The sale of our home was no-fuss, seamless, and constant communication. We were so happy with the service and would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking at selling their home!

LEARN HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR SELLING RESULT

How to Prepare Your Home to Sell For More

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Frequently Asked Questions

Here's a curated selection of blogs posts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Feel free to get in touch with if you have any questions that have not been covered here.