Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussing preparing your home for sale if you’re on a budget and how to provide cost-effective solutions without over-capitalising.

Today, let’s finish off with some discussions around small items that can make a big difference to your final selling price.

I’ve had a question during this week from Robyn who asks…

“We’re thinking of rendering our home (it’s a high-set 1980’s brick home). Is this worth the money? I have a quote for $15,000 but no sure if this is worth the cost.” 

Great question Robyn.

This is one of those questions that’s really hard to answer as it depends upon the condition of rest of the home, the suburb, position etc.

As a general rule of thumb, if the rest of the home has been beautifully renovated and modernised, it might be worth the investment but if not, it’s doubtful that this will add enough value to justify the cost.

We have noticed that there seems to be a trend of those that are creating exposed brick walls as an internal feature of a room and it’s our feeling that exposed brick might just be starting to come back into vogue.

This is a tricky question but we’re happy to come out to you and help you with your decision based upon these factors if you’d like us to Robyn.

So, let’s engage in a bit of gutter talk (and drains as well) …

If your gutters are rusted right through and you have inadequate drainage, it is probably worth the cost of rectifying these issues (unless your home is a real ‘renovator’)

Buyers will often over-estimate the cost of rectifying issues and as you’ve probably heard me state before, the first thing I’d do before considering any renovations is to fix any issues that a building inspector will deem to be ‘significant’…and this includes gutters and drains.

If you have down-pipes that are cracked or leaking, I’d fix them – it’s reasonably inexpensive and if left for long periods of time, it can create significant moisture in the soil that (worse case) could attract termites or even create areas where the ground will sink…and this could create a situation where your home might start sinking a little on the side which will show itself up through cracking…and it may require under-pinning that can be very expensive.

Even if this hasn’t happened, a building inspector will often question how long a leaky downpipe has been left and his warnings of such a situation occurring might scare some buyers away…possibly buyers that were prepared to pay a price a reasonable amount higher than any other buyer so the cost to you could be far more than the expense of rectifying the issue.

We’d often recommend you fix a fence that might be falling down (as many people do have dogs these days) and they often need the fence effective before they even move into the home.

Retaining walls are very tricky.

As you know, they can be very expensive to replace and there are times when you might not see your money back if you replace a large retaining wall.

In saying this, many buyers will run for the hills if they can see a large cost of replacing a retaining wall so you could eliminate your buyer pool substantially if you ignore the problem.

Our recommendation is to see if your neighbour is open to contribute half the cost of the retaining wall and even if you don’t proceed with the work, at least obtain this statement in writing and this can assist in a negotiation.

Secondly, if you can get away with it, there are times where new timber upright posts might need replacing but the rest of the timber retaining wall might be able to be salvaged so the cost of a rectification might be a lot more bearable than a full replacement of a wall.

Just last night, I appraised a home where a lovely lady was quoted $35,000 to replace a retaining wall that was only around one metre in height and this seemed very expensive to me.

If the wall is above one metre in height, it requires engineering and relevant approval but if it is less than one metre in height, these steps are not required.

If you’re not sure whether you should go to the expense of replacing a retaining wall, our advice is to consult a knowledgeable and experienced real estate agent who can assess your situation on a case-by-case basis and provide you the best advice.

Lawns and gardens can be often over-looked by sellers and we’d often recommend to re-mulch or bark gardens…and you’d be surprised how much impact this can have on the cosmetic look of your home.

Small plants can be purchased from flea markets for minimal costs and with a little bit of work, we’ve seen front and rear yards completely transformed for very little money.

Don’t ever under-estimate the idea of laying new turf in areas where there is none if your yard is looking ordinary.

Whilst this can cost a bit, the idea of having a grassy yard for your kids to run around and play can make the difference between a sale and no sale to many buyers.

Remember that as the weather starts to get hotter, you’ll need to keep a lot of water up to it and we’d only recommend turf if you’re prepared to look after it and ensure it grows…and don’t leave turf until the last minute if you possibly can as it will look a lot better if it’s taken some time to settle.

I hope these blogs have helped you in some way and as mentioned, we’re happy to provide you with no-obligation advice if you have specific questions that you might have.

Finally, Happy Father’s Day this Sunday to all the Dads out there.

If you’re a Father, I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s no greater experience than being a Dad and I’m so grateful for my gorgeous kids…and forever grateful that that I have the most amazing Father that has helped me in so many ways and continues to do so – thanks Dad!

Until next week…Happy Renovating, Happy Listing & Happy Selling.