Top tips for listing your property

With potential buyers able to browse through hundreds of properties at the click of the button, getting your online listing right can be the difference between having a quick sale or a home that lingers on the market. 

While a home inspection will ultimately convince a potential buyer that your property is for them, how it is sold online is what will get them to your front door.   

Presentation is everything

Belle Property principal Tim Foote says the main thing that owners get wrong is undervaluing the importance of presentation. While a clean and tidy home is obviously a must for home inspections, he says it’s crucial that a home is well presented in photographs.

“When you’re selling a home, you’re selling as much emotion as you’re selling facts; you have to sell the feeling of the house instead of just the structure, and the furniture is a big part of it.”

Jane Schumann from Di Jones Real Estate says potential buyers do not give any value to areas that look like they aren’t being used. 

“If they’ve got an outdoor area and don’t have outdoor furnishings, people think they don’t use it and they wonder why,” she says. “If a room or space is empty, it also looks smaller.”

Get straight to the point

Potential home buyers don’t want to skim through a listing to find out how many bathrooms or bedrooms it has, if it’s an apartment or a house, or what neighbourhood it’s in. 

Mr Foote says these details need to be at the top of the property profile and easy to find, because you only have a short amount of time to grab a potential buyer’s attention.

“Obviously you put the number of rooms and how many bathrooms but parking is also important, if you’ve got a nice car you want to park it off the street. Some people won’t buy a property if it doesn’t have an off-street parking option,” says LJ Hooker Inner City director Brigitte Blackman.

Be specific 

When listing the features of your property it helps to get specific. Stating whether a nice bench top is granite or marble, specifying the type of flooring throughout the home (and if there are hardwood floors, even the type of wood) all help buyers get a better feel for the property.

“It gives people a sense of the quality of the place and some people are attracted to specific things and searching for them,” says Mr Foote. 

He added that if owners wanted to mention any specially made features, they should avoid using the term ‘custom-made’, which could come off as cliched, and should instead name the specific product.

Highlight improvements or development potential

Have you done major improvements on your home? If so it can help to note this down, because it signals that some of the larger, more costly renovations or upgrades have been recently taken care of. If you haven’t, but do have development approval, make sure this is added to the listing.

“If they’ve got development potential they should say so, people love that because then they feel they could make some money,” says Ms Blackman.

She noted that some people also preferred being able to buy a place they could renovate themselves, so they could make a home their own. 

Mention neighbourhood spots

It’s important to remember that when people are looking to buy into a neighbourhood, they are also looking to buy into a lifestyle. 

Listings should mention local school catchments and any public transport options, experts say, and was a good idea to say if a home was close to parks, beaches, or popular cafes, restaurants or shops.

Let there be light

Homes with good natural lighting can be a drawcard for buyers, so properties lucky to have it in abundance should add this to their online listing and even the direction of their windows.

“Some people only want to buy north facing,” Ms Blackman said. “You get the sun most of the day and it’s a good aspect … probably one of the most appealing, so it’s good to note.”

Highlight any sort of privacy 

If you’re living in a bustling city, the thought of a nice private place to go home to is appealing. Simple details like the fact that a home is on a tree-lined street can help convey to a potential buyer that the property is in a quieter area where traffic is limited.

When it comes to apartment living, noting if a property is on a top floor (meaning there are no upstairs neighbours) or if it has its own private outdoor area is a good idea.

“Privacy is obviously a big drawcard; if it’s tree-lined, has a nice backyard, or backs onto a park or a reserve, this adds an extra element,” says Ms Blackman.

Emphasise entertaining space

With space at a premium when it comes to property, indoor-outdoor living’ and ‘open plan’ can add volumes to your listing.

Homes with open-floor plans that combine the kitchen and living areas can create a nice large space that’s perfect for entertaining guests. Homes that have great indoor-outdoor living also are appealing because they create a good flow throughout the house and allow the owners and their guests to spend more time outside.

Final advice

While you want to give a great first impression, the experts say you need to make sure that you don’t oversell and mislead potential buyers to get them to your door. 

“You’ve got to be honest,” says Mr Foote. “The purpose of the words and photos are to attract buyers to the property, but when they get there they need to be excited, rather than disappointed.”