Before you sell: the five things worth doing and the three that aren’t

Fresh paint, a tidy garden and honest photography add value. A new kitchen timed for sale usually doesn’t. Here is where we tell sellers to spend, and where to stop.

The question we get wrong most often

Before almost every sale, the seller asks some version of the same question: should I do the kitchen? Should I repaint? After years of pre-sale conversations across Brisbane’s southside, the patterns are clear enough to share.

Paint everything, fix the small maintenance jobs, clear the clutter and give the garden a day of attention. Then book a photographer who understands architecture, not a phone camera. Those five consistently return more than they cost. A full kitchen renovation, an extension timed for sale, or redecorating to your own taste rarely do.