Residz Team 3 min read
Selling your home at a premium might get harder as the year progresses. So what can a resourceful seller do? We know neighbourhood and lifestyle play a huge part in success, as does the investability score of your location. But a recent survey could hold even more clues, as this blog shows.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment survey reveals which home features are rated highest in importance by its citizens. I’m sure all Australians would agree these simple aspects of a home are highly valuable. According to the survey, the 10 most important features of a home are:
Except for storage, each of these important features was also described as being “important to my wellbeing.” You can see how helpful this could be in marketing your property. Marketing copy could bring forward these features.
As well, you could play up features nominated as most important when moving to a new home. According to the survey, the most valued aspects in this instance would be:
Giving buyers the property data they need on things such as these will help sell your home.
The survey was done during the pandemic so respondents were asked for property features that rose in importance during the pandemic. Here are their answers:
These results suggest a dark and gloomy home with gyms and running tracks nearby would not do as well as a bright and sunny home without them. The lifestyle offered inside the home has become hugely important to us lockdown-trained homebodies, especially those able to work remotely most or all of the time.
And, some features are deemed just not as important as others (Note: The pandemic would make some of these features less important than normal). Here are the not-so-important features:
Apartment investors should note that the most important features of those who would move from a house to an apartment are:
When you do sell your home, you may consider a “flee-change” to the country. The survey shows that when it comes to satisfaction, regional home dwellers are more satisfied with “the amount of sunlight that gets into the home” (74 percent vs 71 percent), “having access to parklands and walking trails” (77 percent vs 69 percent), and “having space for animals/pets” (79 percent vs 67 percent).
Metro dwellers are happier with “access to public transport” (75 percent vs 41 percent), “proximity to schools” (62 percent vs 53 percent) and ‘having cafes, food, and restaurant options near me” (64 percent vs 47 percent).
While different demographics prefer different features, across the board 90 percent of every single age group rated “Being able to open a window and control the airflow through my home” most important. Hmm, I wonder if those trying lockdowns in closed-window hotel rooms influenced some of the respondents?
Image: Sunlight and windows that open. Photo by C.Kininmonth