Getting ready to sell your home when lockdown lifts

If you were getting ready to put your home on the market at the beginning of March, there's no doubt you've had a frustrating couple of months! Thanks to the lockdown implemented in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, all real-estate-related plans ground to a halt. The good news, however, is that the Deeds Office has started the process of reopening, and there are a number of things you can do now to ensure that finding a buyer for your home is as quick and easy as possible.

What goes into a virtual valuation?

With the help of a virtual valuation, the team from Jawitz Properties can put your home on the market while lockdown level four is still applicable. To get a virtual valuation done, you'll need to submit some high-quality photos and videos of your property to allow the agent to get a detailed view of your home. The double incentive behind taking great high-resoluton photos, is that should we take your home to market, these are the images that will be used to market and showcase your property and all its features while we are locked down. Once lockdown is over, we can timeously schedule a professional photoshoot of your home. Over and above this, your Jawitz real partner will carry out comparative sales research based on the prices of other properties in the area that are similar to yours. Buyer demand for homes in your particular suburb will also be factored in, and based on all this data, the agent will determine a suitable marketing price for your property. 

Taking photos that allow your home to show off

When you are taking the type of photographs that are going to make somebody want to buy your home, there are a few rules that need to be followed. The first rule is that before you even think of picking up your camera or your phone to start snapping, you're going to need to make sure everything looks clean, tidy, and inviting. It is far easier to grab the attention of a prospective buyer with pictures of a clean, clutter-free, gleaming kitchen than with pictures in which there are dirty dishes in the sink.

Second of all, think about the time of day when you take your photos. Natural light beats flash every time. The only time you should be using your flash is if you have a room which never gets natural light. Taking photos of every room when the light is best will probably mean taking pictures of different parts of your home at different times of day. There are times when your flash will be needed though, so play around and see what looks best. Photos that are even the slightest bit blurred will not be able to be used. #RealTip: It's also a great option to have all lights on in the house when taking these photos to ensure the room is well lit.

When you're taking a photo of a room, you want to get as wide a perspective of the space as possible. You don't want your child's bedroom to look as though all it can fit is a bed. The best way to do this is generally to stand in the doorway when taking your photo. The same thing applies to photos of the bathroom - a photo of just a basin or a shower will not help to sell your home - your picture needs to give the viewer the "bigger picture". #RealTip: Always take your photos in a "landscape" perspective. This means holding your phone horizontally. Vertical photos are not advised, and their use in marketing your home is limited.

With regards to taking photos of the garden, the best advice here is to focus on the focal points. If you have a water feature or a pool in your garden, these need to be up front and centre in the photos that you take. Remember, a listing will generally only show one or two photos of the garden, so make your pictures count. 

During this lockdown and beyond, the team at Jawitz Properties is committed to making the process of selling your home as easy and straightforward as possible. We are offering you a free digital valuation to find out what your home is worth and get started on the road to finding your home its next owner. Contact us for more information.