Making a grand entrance when selling your house

When selling a house, it is important to make a great first impression. The entrance to your property will set the tone for potential buyers. They’ll either smile and feel welcome, or recoil with trepidation! Here’s how to ‘wow’ your buyers with a fantastic entrance to your home.

Outside

Potential buyers will make an initial judgement on your home before they even enter it. If the exteriors don’t look great, it might turn them off completely, especially if they are just doing a ‘drive by’ before deciding whether to inspect or not.

Mowing, fertilising and watering the lawns, tidying the garden beds and clipping any overgrown shrubs and trees will create a manicured, healthy appearance. Hosing down or pressure cleaning pathways and collecting leaves will add to your pristine garden look.

Consider a house wash or repainting to brighten up the exteriors. You might be surprised how much caked-on dirt will come off with a simple pressure clean. It can make old paint look new!

Look for small repairs, such as replacing split fence palings. Give your front door and windows a good clean, polish the house number and test the doorbell. Don’t forget to clean the mailbox and hide your bins, if you can.

“It’s all about creating great street appeal,” said homes.com.au Founder & Managing Director, Pat Carbone. “This is particularly important to buyers in Australia, as we’re a pretty house-proud bunch!”

Neat and clean exteriors will also convey to potential buyers that your property has been much-loved and well-maintained over the years.

Inside

All your hard work creating an inviting impression with the exteriors will be wasted if your interiors don’t live up to these expectations! The internal entrance is very important.
Whether it’s a separate foyer or the main living room, it has to stand out.

This is where a little renovating magic can work wonders. A fresh coat of paint in a light, neutral colour can change a room from drab to fab. Replace old carpet or consider investing in hardwood timber floors for a more modern and expensive look.

If you can’t afford this, try professional steam cleaning. It will make your carpets look and smell great. Instead of painting, wash the walls with sugar soap and warm water to brighten them up.

Update fixtures and fittings such as ceiling lights. Replace worn white plastic switch coverplates with stainless steel (about $6 per plate at Bunnings). Remove dirt marks on the walls but don’t scrub so hard that you remove the paint, too!

Once you’re done with both the interiors and exteriors, put yourself in the shoes of buyers and walk from the street to the front entrance, then through the internal entrance to the first room.

How would these entryways make you feel if you were inspecting your home for the first time? If you’re smiling, you’ve got it right.