First impressions are so important that homeowners who want to maximise their sale price have no choice but to spend money to give their home a lift.

Presentation is one of the most important price-affecting factors when selling a home. Buying a property is an emotional experience. How people feel about your home can be as important as its location, size and features.

This is one of life’s most important purchases and how the house looks and feels should confirm the buyer’s decision. Buyers want clean, modern interiors in neutral colours. Space, storage and low maintenance are also important. At the very least, the property should be clean, freshly painted and free of clutter. The rest will depend on your budget.

If the property has land value, no matter what physical condition the property is in, focus on the block itself. Remove rubbish or hazards to create a positive impression.

Adopting the hints below can add thousands of dollars to the price you get for your home.

• Create an appearance of space. Use mirrors, glass-topped tables and compact furniture. And store excess furniture, including all the family hand-me-downs. If the furniture is in poor condition, rent new furniture in neutral tones.

• Give the home personality. Homely touches such as photographs, cushions, throw rugs and ornaments create ambience. But don’t create clutter. Less is best.

• Show highlights. If your home has a view, emphasise it by removing blinds or curtains.

• Get buyers’ children on side. Rent a cubby house, play equipment or children’s furniture. Creating a garden that children fall in love with will push your home to the top of the children’s wish list – and we all know how often children get what they want.

How much can be done depends on the budget, and there is no point spending more than you are likely to get back. The spruce-up needs to be proportional to the home’s location and value, the type of buyer, decorating trends and lifestyle features.

There are two rules of thumb to keep in mind:

1. Each dollar you spend on your home, you want to receive back twofold

2. Be prepared to spend 1-5 per cent of your home’s value on pre-sale improvements.

In recent years, renting furniture has become easier and more popular. Furniture rental companies can be found easily and some offer complete packages for as little as $3,000 a month.

HOW TO DO UP YOUR HOUSE FOR LESS THAN $1,000
1. Remove and store excess furniture

2. Steam-clean carpets

3. Clean windows, walls, interior& exterior surfaces

4. Touch-up paint where necessary, focusing on entry, main living areas, kitchen & bathroom

5. Tidy garden

HOW TO DO UP YOUR HOUSE FOR $5,000-$10,000
1. Paint main living areas

2. Steam-clean ore replace carpets

3. Professional clean inside and out

4. Add some new window coverings

5. Tidy yard and minor garden make-over

6. Do minor physical repairs

HOW TO DO UP YOUR HOUSE FOR $10,000-$30,000
1. Overhaul your garden focusing on the front 

2. Paint interior and/or exterior

3. Buy new carpets or rugs

4. Add new window furnishings

5. Give your bathroom or kitchen a make-over

Open Houses this weekend:
AIREYS INLET
SATURDAY
1:00pm – 1:30pm 6 Orchid Grove, Fairhaven
SUNDAY
12:00pm – 12:30pm 9 Narani Way, Fairhaven
1:00pm – 1:30pm 6 Orchid Grove, Fairhaven
3:00pm 3:30pm 1156 Great Ocean Road, Lorne
LORNE
SATURDAY
12:00pm-12.30pm 73 Grant Street, Forrest
12:30pm-1:00pm 4 Doble Street Auction at 1pm
2:00pm-2:45pm 181 Great Ocean Road
3:00pm-3:30pm 6/3-9 Armytage Street
SUNDAY
12:00pm-12.30pm 72 George Street
12:00pm-12.30pm 34/2-10 Ocean Road
1:00pm-1.30pm 3/30 Richardson Blvd
1:00pm-1.30pm 2/127 Smith Street
TORQUAY
SATURDAY
11:00am – 11:30am 7 Highlander Street, Torquay
12:00pm – 12:30pm 30 Highlander Street, Torquay
1:00pm – 1:30pm 19 Headland Drive, Torquay
2:00pm – 2:30pm 7 Royston Lane, Jan Juc
3:00pm – 3:30pm 3/20 – 22 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay
3:00pm – 3:30pm 4/20 – 22 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay
SUNDAY
11:00am – 11:30am 22 Conside Drive, Torquay
12:00pm – 12:30pm 6 Charles Lane, Torquay
1:00pm – 1:30pm 2/15 Koomeela Drive, Torquay
2:00pm – 2:30pm 3/20 – 22 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay
2:00pm – 2:30pm 4/20 – 22 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay
3:00pm – 3:30pm 40 Bells Blvd, Jan Juc

If you are in town, please feel free to come to a viewing.

See you on our beautiful coast.

Kind regards,


Steve Ryan Photography

This week Great Ocean Road Real Estate’s website was awarded the ‘Website of the week’ on the Best Practice Website. Accreditation for Best Practice Real Estate Agents is only awarded to agencies with a written Guarantee of Service and which comply with top 10% levels of performance in each of the following client focused areas:

• Customer Service
• Standards of performance, conduct and ethical behaviour
• Employer training and support
• Business Management

Every Best Practice accredited agency is independently audited in these four areas of agency practice.

More information can be found at www.bestpractice.com.au

“RURAL LIVING STRATEGY”

The Colac Otway Shire has just released an information bulletin pertaining to a process of developing a land-use framework to guide current and future rural living with the Shire.

The strategy follows on from the Rural Land Strategy 2007 which identifies the need to provide rural residential development in planned locations and recommend the council undertake an assessment of suitable areas.

The Rural Living Strategy will:
• Identify appropriate locations for the application of the Rural Living Zone i.e. Rural locations where rural residential development on small lots is permitted
• Review existing zones and town boundaries of small settlements throughout the Shire
• Review Farming Zone land within the Shire to identify appropriate areas to be rezoned to Rural Conservation Zone
• Provide a greater level of clarity to planners and land owners on the application of councils policy for sub-division and housing in rural areas

Key themes of the Strategy include:
1. The need for a clear boundary between productive agricultural land and rural living areas to reduce potential conflicts between agriculture and other land use
2. The need to think about the sustainability of communities, particularly climate change implications and the importance of protecting flood protection land
3. Consolidating existing settlements rather than allowing for isolated development. This aids the protection of important environmental landscapes and agricultural land whilst supporting the provision of infrastructure to accommodate growth.

YOU CAN HAVE A SAY!
The plan is for input from the community to be an integral part of this prospect. Shire are willing to listen to your ideas on how you view future development in the area.
A series of workshops will be held as follows:
• Tuesday 17 November 2009 – Cororooke Hall – 7:30 – 9:30 pm
• Thursday 19 November 2009 – Lavers Hill Hall – 7:30 – 9:30 pm
• Saturday 28 November 2009 – Birregurra Hall – 1:30 – 3:00 pm
• Saturday 5 December 2009 – Forrest Hall – 1:30 – 3:00 pm

Steve Ryan Photography