The first inspection is on a phone
Most buyers meet your home on a small screen, scrolling. The photos decide whether they book a time or keep going.
A walk through your home with Alan. What to fix, what to leave, whether it needs styling, how the photos and open homes are run — and why each part shows up in the price.
Watch the video walkthrough35+
Years selling
1,000+
Properties sold
8
Stops on the walkthrough
One agent
Alan, start to finish
Watch first
From the front gate to the contract. What buyers notice, what to fix, when styling helps, and how the photos and open homes are run. Captions are on, so it works with the sound off.
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Why it matters
“Before we talk about price, let’s talk about what buyers will see. That’s the part you control.”Alan, at the kitchen table, before every listing
Most buyers meet your home on a small screen, scrolling. The photos decide whether they book a time or keep going.
A dripping tap, a scuffed wall, a tired garden. Buyers add them up, always guess high, and take it off their offer.
A new listing gets the most attention it will ever get. Launch half-ready and that attention is spent on a home that isn’t at its best.
You can’t change the street, the aspect or the market. You can change how your home presents. Done well, it costs little and protects a lot.
Preparing your home
Preparing is repairs, clearing and cleaning. Every home needs it. Styling is different. Some homes need it, most need a little, and some need none at all. I’ll tell you honestly which.
Decluttered, cleaned and arranged so each room reads clearly. No hired pieces. Right for most lived-in homes in good order.
Usually right when your furniture suits the home and the rooms already feel open.
Art, cushions, fresh linen, lamps, plants, sometimes a rug or an occasional chair — added to what you already have. It fills the gaps and lifts the photos.
Usually right when the home has good bones but feels sparse or tired, even when tidy.
A stylist furnishes every key room for the length of the campaign. Empty rooms photograph cold and read smaller than they are. Furnished, buyers can see how they’d live there.
Usually right when the home is vacant, or the furniture works against the space.
Tap whatever applies. It’s a starting point — I’ll confirm it when we walk through.
Styling is hired for the length of the campaign and priced on the size of the home. I arrange quotes and you decide. If it won’t pay for itself, I’ll say so.
The walkthrough
This is the conversation I have at nearly every listing. Front gate to back courtyard, the same questions come up. Tick things off as you go.
Tap a number to jump to that stop.
YouDoes the outside really matter? People are buying the inside.
It matters more than people think. The front is the first photo and the first ten seconds of every inspection.
Buyers form a view at the gate. Then they spend the rest of the inspection looking for reasons to agree with it. Let’s make that first view a good one.
YouIt’s clean. Isn’t that enough?
Clean and clear are different things. Buyers need to see the room, not your life in it.
I’d take out about a third of what’s here. The family photos, the collections, the extra chairs. Nothing wrong with any of it — buyers just need space to picture their own things. If it still feels tired once it’s clear, that’s when we talk about styling.
YouShould we put in a new kitchen before we sell?
Almost never. A new kitchen costs a lot, takes months, and it may not be the kitchen the buyer wants anyway.
What I want is a kitchen that looks cared for. Clean grout. Doors that close properly. Benches clear. Every light working. That gets you most of the way for a small part of the cost.
YouThe bathroom’s old. Is that going to hurt us?
Buyers forgive age. They don’t forgive mould, stained silicone or a tap that drips.
Those small things tell a buyer the house hasn’t been looked after. Then they start wondering what else hasn’t. Fix the small things and present it like a good hotel.
YouDo we need to repaint the whole place?
Not always. But scuffs, patched holes and strong colours photograph badly and make rooms feel smaller. A fresh light neutral where it’s needed is one of the best returns you’ll get.
Then light. Blinds up, every globe working, all of them the same warmth. Dark homes feel small. Bright homes feel bigger and better kept.
YouSurely nobody looks in the wardrobes?
Everyone looks in the wardrobes. Storage is one of the first things buyers ask about here, especially in apartments.
A half-empty wardrobe tells a buyer there’s room for them. A packed one tells them the opposite. Same with every room — give it one clear purpose. If it’s a study, make it look like a study, not a storeroom.
YouWe hardly use the courtyard.
Your buyer will. In Sydney, outdoor space is another room. Show people how they’d use it.
A small table, two chairs and a healthy plant is enough to sell the idea. Courtyard, garden, balcony, terrace — same rule. Clean, tidy and set up for living.
YouWhat do we need to have ready?
More than most people expect, and sooner. In New South Wales I can’t advertise your home until the contract of sale has been prepared. No contract, no campaign.
So we get your solicitor or conveyancer started now, not after the photos. And if there’s anything a buyer should know about the property, tell me at the start. It’s always better coming from us first.
Your solicitor or conveyancer will confirm exactly what your contract needs. This is a general guide, not legal advice.
Where the money goes
Preparation isn’t renovation. The aim is to remove reasons for a buyer to offer less — not to build the home you’d want to buy.
Every home is different. I’ll walk yours with you and tell you honestly which list each job belongs on.
Photography and floor plan
Most buyers see your home on a screen long before they see it in person. So the shoot gets the same care as the auction. I’m there on the day, we plan the shot list together, and nothing goes online until it’s right.
Buyers use the floor plan to judge size and flow, and to decide whether your home is worth a visit. It’s measured and drawn by a professional, so the sizes are right.
A home without a plan loses the buyers who shortlist by layout. I won’t list without one.
If your home is vacant and full styling won’t pay for itself, furniture can be added digitally to selected photos. It shows buyers the scale of the room and how it could live.
Virtually styled photos are always labelled as such and shown beside the real image, so nobody is surprised at the door. Drag the slider to compare.
Open home strategy
Most of the selling happens at the inspection, so I don’t rush it. Long open homes on the weekend, and private appointments on dates we set together before launch.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
An example only. Your days and times are set with you before the campaign starts.
On the weekend
I put real time into the weekend open. Buyers come when it suits them, not all at once at the door.
During the week
Serious buyers often want a second, quieter look. We choose the appointment dates together before launch, so you always know when the home needs to be ready.
After every open and every appointment, you hear from me. Who came, what they said, and where the interest is heading.
The timing
That’s enough for most homes. Rushing shows in the photos. Dragging it out costs momentum.
6–4
Weeks out
We walk the home and agree the list. Your solicitor starts the contract. Trades booked, styling quotes in, pool certificate started.
4–2
Weeks out
Repairs, painting, decluttering. Extra furniture to storage. Packing what you won’t need before the move.
2–1
Weeks out
Deep clean and garden tidy. Styling goes in. Contract finalised and with me, ready for buyers.
Shoot
Photos and plan
Photography, floor plan and video. Virtual styling added where it helps. I’m there for the whole shoot.
Launch
Campaign live
Online, then the first weekend open. Private appointment dates already set. You hear from me after each one.
What happens next
The next part of the walkthrough: open homes, offers, exchange and cooling-off, settlement day, and the move to your next home. With what Alan does at every step.
The video didn’t load. Open it in a new tab, or call Alan on 0412 176 074.
Next step
I’ll come to you, walk every room, and give you a straight list. What to fix, what to leave, whether styling is worth it, and how we’ll run the opens. No obligation. Just honest advice from someone who has done this more than a thousand times.
Alan runs every campaign himself. When you call, you get him.