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When it comes to real estate in Beenleigh and Eagleby, there’s one name you need to know: Benjamin Waite. As a trusted expert with deep local knowledge, proven results, and a passion for helping clients succeed, Benjamin is the go-to agent for sellers, buyers, and investors in the region. Worth the Waite is more than just a podcast—it’s your insider guide to Beenleigh's property markey, offering valuable insights and strategies designed to position you for success in the property market.
From understanding local trends to maximising your property’s value, each episode equips you with the tools and knowledge you need to make confident Real Estate decisions. With a friendly yet professional approach, Benjamin shares real-world advice, stories, and tips, making complex real estate topics accessible and actionable. Whether you’re planning your next move or simply want to stay informed, tune in weekly and discover why working with Benjamin is always Worth the Waite!
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An open home is your chance to make a lasting first impression on potential buyers. But how can you make your home stand out? Today on Worth the Weight, I'll be sharing my tips on preparing your home for an open house right here in the Beenleigh and Eagleby area.
Looking to stay ahead in the Beenleigh and Eagleby property market? Want to get local insights from someone who knows this community inside and out? Then you've come to the right place. I'm Benjamin Waite and welcome to Worth the Waite Beenleigh and Eagleby's local property podcast. Where we'll be diving into everything you need to know about real estate right here in our beautiful region.
Hi, I'm Ben, Benjamin Waite, and welcome to Worth the Waite. For many sellers, the open home is a nerve wracking experience. You put so much into your home and now it's finally time to show it off. This episode, I'll walk you through how to make the best first impression on potential buyers in the Beanlea and Eagleby area with the tips.
Tailored specifically for what buyers in this area are looking for. First impressions are crucial. Buyers often decide within minutes if they can picture themselves living in your home. And when it comes to an open home, details do matter. So let's hit the first one. Curb appeal. Everyone knows what it is, or I think they know what it is.
But essentially, it's how he probably looks from the curb or from the street. This is a really, really big first impression. Now, as I've mentioned in previous episodes, if you want to check that out, the link will be below. But, there are three options to nail a first impression. It's to drive up to your curb.
Now, a lot of that we can't really control because it's going to be neighbours, it's going to be nature strips, it's going to be some of the council and how they maintain everything. So it's always nice to be friendly to your neighbors. So when you are selling, you can kind of, you know, ask a favor to them to tidy up a little bit.
So that's your first impression. Your second impression is when they approach your curb, open the front door, open their car door and walk to your front door. That's the second impression, which will be all of your front garden area, which is important for, you know, straight edges, high pressure hose the driveway and the pathways, you know, make sure there's no weeds growing in your gutter, clean under your eaves, all that kind of stuff.
And then the third, the third and last impression will be upon entry when they walk through the front door. Once they're inside your front door, decluttering and depersonalization is important. People like to walk into a home and I know it sounds a bit cold, but they kind of want to have like a display home, really.
So a really, really good rule of thumb that I kind of tell to a lot of my clients is When you've got, you know, a lot of, a lot of things on surfaces like coffee tables or shelves or, you know, hallway, runners, to have one item, really, really good rule of thumb is to have one item, it's okay to have some personal photos because it, again, it communicates the story that a lovely family lives here and has fun because we want to communicate, we want to sell that story, so a couple of personal effects is really good.
We don't want to have it, you know, like a, yeah. A doctor's waiting room. So some, some books or some coffee table books is quite good, but decluttering. Makes a room feel larger and usually one or maximum two, items on a surface is usually a pretty good, is a pretty good rule. So, what areas to really focus on in your home?
So, the main areas are your living room, your kitchen, and bathrooms. Living room, again, it's decluttered, it's open, it's clean, you, might have, some gentle lights on, curtains open, letting some lights in, letting some natural light in. But, this is going to be where a lot of people will spend time.
So they want to be able to envision themselves living in this space. Kitchen. Is the heart of the home. Usually the kitchen is, it tied in with your meals area, especially with open plan, plan living. So, a lot of people typically without being, you know, gender typing, but typically the, the mum will look at this area.
I love to be in the kitchen too, so I'll also look at this area too, but how the flow of traffic will be from the kitchen through the, through to that meals area. So if we can keep that open, and we can, we can again sell the story that this is going to be a very smooth and easy space to be operating within, that's what you want to do, and Make sure that there's very little clutter on the benches, on the bench surfaces.
And then bathrooms. Bathrooms is a bit of a forgotten area, but it also allows you to add a little bit of class and sophistication and panache to a home. So, If you've got a renovated bathroom, usually that will, that'll be a large cost center for a renovation. So if you can showcase that you've renovated a bathroom, that will definitely add value.
But also if you haven't renovated a bathroom, there's some really easy tricks that I'm happy to talk you through. And for a specific situation for you, on how to add value there or the perception of value around the bathroom. But also we want to make it neat and clean. Cleaning. Cleaning windows, cleaning mirrors, no smudge marks, that's a kind of a, a bit of a no brainer that a lot of people forget.
Tenants and properties is also a bit hard in this respect, but often I'll recommend getting a, getting a professional cleaner to come through and clean the home before open home or before photos for tenants and properties because we can then control the cleanliness because one thing I've learnt in this industry.
is that cleanliness is very, very subjective. Open spaces. Gardens, patios, backyards. So again, in the Beanlein, Eaglebit area, and Queensland in general, we are all about al fresco and outdoor living. That's where a lot of people are moving up for. So if we can then, again, communicate The flow and the ease of traffic between inside and outside and how you can spend long times outside, whether it's your deck, whether it's a patio, whether it's covered or not, but also, but we want to be able to show this.
So if we can kind of demonstrate that there is a kind of a lounge, it still depends on how much space you have, but it's really beautiful to show a lounging area. So you can kind of have some friends over, you can shoot the breeze in a, in a. Conversational and relaxed environment with some couches, you know, sometimes people have a TV there.
So that always looks great. Obviously this is all space dependent, but you've also got the ability to have the barbecue area there and then you can have some meals and entertaining. People want to show off their outdoor alfresco area and this is the way that they can do that. Lighting. Can also have a huge impact subconsciously.
So I mentioned before about opening the curtains and trying to let as much light in as possible. But if you're in a townhouse, for example, where you only have, you know, maybe windows in the front and the back, and naturally it's a little bit darker. We can, like, white paint will also help brighten the space up, but a lot of the time, when you don't have, it's more, it's not a newer build, you've got maybe the orange lights or the halogen lights or even kind of those, the warm white that we talk about, if we can kind of provide a white light, that will, again, make a space feel brighter, larger and more open.
Then the, the darker walls or a darker lighting option, and the other option, which I love, and again, it's subconscious, but the senses. So a little bit of music playing in the background. There's tons of research out there that music can stimulate and can influence decision making. It's a really cool research around, selling alcohol in, in sellers and they played, classical music and.
The volume of higher priced wines was increased because there was classical music being played. So, I'm not saying that you should play classical music, but that's the way music can influence, decision making. So, if we can have some nice, ambient, ambient, Music that will add to the, to the, experience.
People also will light scented candles again, that will, that will create a mood and a relaxing environment so that people can shop for their home unencumbered and in a stress free environment. And that, that does make a difference. Highlighting unique features in the home is also a great opportunity. Unique features might be a pool, might be a shed, again, entertaining area, or it might be a beautiful feature garden.
To round it out, an open house is all about putting your best foot forward. By focusing on curb appeal, decluttering, lighting, and timing, you're setting the stage for a successful showing that can attract the right buyer. Each tip I've shared today is meant to help you make a memorable first impression to get the best result for your home.
If you'd like a more personalized advice on preparing your home for an open home that you're having, I'm here to help. Feel free to reach out at ljhookerbeenleigh or benjaminwaite. com. au and thanks for listening to Worth the Waite. And remember, When it comes to real estate, it's always worth the waite.
Thanks for tuning in to Worth the Waite. If you enjoyed the podcast, please be sure to share with a friend and don't forget to hit that subscribe so you won't miss an episode and all my local property tips, updates, and insights. Until next time, I'm here when you need me.