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.
