At Bayleys Marlborough, as you would imagine, we know a few things about how to sell a house! It’s our job to keep an eye on market trends so we can be sure that we give our sellers the best advice. Of course, watching market trends doesn’t just involve analysing median prices and sales periods. It’s also important for us to keep up to date with how people are living their lifestyles in Marlborough and beyond.

Around the world, there’s been an upward surge in the number of people who are choosing to work from home. In the U.K. it’s estimated that half of the workforce will work remotely by 2020. This desire to work from home is certainly something we have also seen in New Zealand. As people leave the larger, more expensive cities, many choose to keep business ties there, but operate from the regions. To that end, it has become more and more important to ensure your property caters for these buyers… A home office really can help to sell a house.

Four ways to ensure you have a home office that will help sell your house…

• Ensure your home office is… A home office
  

  If you’re lucky enough to have a home office already in situ, make sure it’s clutter-free and doing its job to help sell your house. The humble home office can often turn into a popular dumping ground. So, before your first open home make sure it looks like an area where a professional can work undistracted.

• Double up
  

  If you have a spare room consider making the space as flexible as you can before commencing viewings. Multi-purpose spaces appeal to prospective buyers, as they can imagine the uses more readily. Think about removing a large bed and replacing it with something smaller. Add a simple desk and chair to complete the home office space.

• Make space
  

  If you don’t have a dedicated home office, think about how you can adapt the space you do have to make it appealing to buyers who wish to work from home. Often a large entry way or, in a two-storey house, a landing can be adapted to accommodate a working space. A clever use of shelving and a fold-away work station can be enough to convince your buyers that they can operate their business from your house. We love The Foldaway Desk from Philbe Design.

• Move it outside
  

  Garages or outbuildings can often be converted into office space in a relatively cost-effective way. Even if you don’t want to go to the expense of a full conversion before you sell your home. Think about clearing the clutter and setting up a work space in an outbuilding. This will serve to convince your buyers that it can be done!

Fast broadband and good cellular coverage can often be a big draw card for buyers who want to work from home. So, if you have superfast broadband or have adapted your home with smart technology to increase your Wifi signal make sure our agents know about it!

If you’re thinking of selling contact us today for a free property appraisal.

The good news is that we’re past mid-winter… But there are still some cooler months to get through between now and spring. One of the joys of living in Marlborough is the fabulous outside lifestyle that is afforded. Outdoor elements have a natural appeal to us as humans. Earthy elements help us to feel relaxed and calm. But if you’re selling in the winter months, how do you show the benefits of that outdoor lifestyle to prospective purchasers? That’s easy bring the outside in!

If you’re selling in the cooler months here are four ways that you can create a naturally inspired home that will show off the great Marlborough outdoors lifestyle, even in winter!

• Room(s) with a view:

  Sounds obvious! But all too often it’s easy to overlook your outside spaces in winter. While, many prospective buyers will be concentrating on the warm, cosy feel of the inside of your home. Others will want to imagine themselves enjoying the garden in the summertime. Make sure that your outside spaces look attractive from the inside of your home. Leave some pots and planters with winter colour suitably positioned so that they are visible from the inside of your home. If you have overgrown bushes or damaged fencing, tidy them up! Bring the outdoors in by allowing your buyers to enjoy views of landscaping, planted areas or garden seats.

• Airy-Fairy:

  Shortly before a viewing, open the windows wide and let in the fresh air! But, this needs to be timed well. The last thing you want, when you’re selling in winter, is for your house to feel cool. If it’s just too cold to do this, seduce your viewers senses by other means. Choose home fragrances that are naturally inspired by the great outdoors, check out the range from our good friends at Thomas’s Department Store.

• Say it with flowers:

  Bring life into your home by investing in a few well-placed houseplants or fresh flowers! If you have a worrying habit of killing off your houseplants, then it’s time to rejoice you can now fake it ’til you make it! The lovely Alex Fulton has added a fabulous range of General Eclectic realistic artificial plants to the AFD Store.

• Forage for frills:

  There’s nothing quite like a trip to the beach, even in winter time. So, head off on a treasure hunt with the family. Carefully used pebbles, shells, jars of beach sand and driftwood can be fashioned into beautiful and inspired home decor that will help to bring the outside in.

At Bayleys Marlborough our agents have a wealth of combined experience, and can offer lots of tips and advice to help you prepare your home when you’re selling in winter.

If you’re thinking of selling contact us today for a free property appraisal.