Our homes are vitally important to us, both financially and emotionally. But you need to separate the two when it comes to valuing your house or putting it on the market. Norma Fenwick explains how.

What’s your house worth?

What value do you put on the place that represents who you are, what you do and what stage you’ve reached in your life - where you can be yourself, feel safe, sound and at ease, where you conduct your most intimate relationships?

Well, if you’re thinking of selling your property or simply assessing what you think your house is worth (i.e. what it will sell for), I need you to focus on this one truth:

Your property is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it (just so long as the buyer’s mortgage lender agrees that the price is fair).

It has NOTHING to do with:
1. How much money you paid for it and have spent on it.
2. How much you want to sell it for.

It’s also a buyer’s market at the moment, most of whom will determine price by:
1. The price similar property to yours has recently been advertised at and sold for.
2. The feel good factor.
Every seller wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar. So if that sounds good to you, I passionately believe that there are some simple rules to follow that
will allow your home to stand out from the rest – let’s call them Norma’s Nine!

1. Disassociate yourself from your home.

• Say to yourself, “This is not my home; it is a house -- a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf’.
• Please “let go” of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
• Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
• Say goodbye to every room and look to the future, 

2. De-personalize.

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms because they distract buyers. Let them imagine their own photos on the walls. You don’t want any buyer to wonder ‘what kind of people live in this home?’ You want buyers to see themselves living here.

3. De-clutter!

We all collect an amazing quantity of junk. If you haven’t used it in over a year, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Remove and pack-up books from bookcases.
• Pack up your knick-knacks.
• Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
• Put essential daily-use items in a small box and pop it in a cupboard.
• The added bonus? This process will give you a head-start on your packing.

4. Rearrange wardrobes and kitchen cabinets.

Buyers love to snoop! Seeing everything organised means they’ll assume you take care of ALL of the house. So;
• Alphabetize spice jars.
• Neatly stack dishes.
• Make sure coffee cup handles face the same way.
• Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
• Line up shoes.

5. Rent a storage unit.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that hamper walkways and put them in storage, along with your now empty bookcases. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture to showcase each room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around.

6. Remove/replace favourite items.

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, they won’t want to haggle for it.

7. Make minor repairs.

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls.
• Fix leaky taps.
• Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.

• Consider painting your walls neutral colours, don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as ‘the house with that orange bathroom’.

• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• Replace worn linen.

8. Make your house sparkle!

• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down pathways, drive and exterior.
• Freshen baths, showers and sinks with new sealant. Bleach dingy grout.
• Polish chrome taps and mirrors.
• Clean out the fridge.
• Vacuum daily.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures. Cobwebs away!
• Replace worn rugs and linen.
• Hang up fresh towels – fasten them with ribbon and bows.
• Odours are a no-no, clean and air musty items.

9. Scrutinize.

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Does the house welcome you?
• Repeat for every single room.
• Move furniture around until it makes the room look more spacious.
• Make sure window coverings hang level.
• Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz?
• If it looks like nobody lives in this house, you’re almost ready.

10. Check curb appeal.

If a buyer doesn’t like the exterior of your home, they’ll not warm to the inside.
• Keep pathways clear.
• Mow the lawn, trim bushes and shrubs.
• Paint faded window sills.
• Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.