It's a great time to sell your home

What to look for in a real estate agent

• A good agent should know your area as well as you do, from school catchment zones to what's happening with local development and rezoning.
• They can tell you honestly what's worth fixing before you list, and what would just be money down the drain.
• Fresh eyes matter. An agent walking through your home for the first time will spot the things you've stopped noticing, good and bad.
• The best agents understand what buyers in your suburb are actually looking for, and what genuinely adds value versus what just looks nice.
• Look for a proven track record of results in your specific suburb, not just a big name across the wider Perth market.
• Open house inspections are one of the easiest ways to see a shortlisted agent in action. Turn up as a prospective buyer and watch how they handle themselves.
• Resist the urge to choose whoever is cheapest. Commission rates in WA aren't regulated, so they vary a lot between agents, and the agent who charges a little more but consistently gets stronger results usually works out cheaper in the end.
• Ask for a clear, itemised quote covering commission, advertising, marketing and any other fees before you sign anything.

Don't hold back on questions. You're handing someone the job of selling your biggest asset, and the agent you choose can make a real difference to what lands in your bank account at settlement.

Presenting your home: the don'ts

• Don't leave the bed unmade. It sounds obvious, but it happens!
• Don't swing too far the other way either. You're not running a hotel, so there's no need for hospital corners. A couple of extra cushions and a throw is plenty.
• Don't try to disguise faults. A pot plant awkwardly placed over a crack or a stain will draw the eye straight to the problem instead of away from it. A better move is to create a genuine point of interest elsewhere in the room.
• Don't leave hairline cracks in the walls on show. A quick coat of paint goes a long way.
• Don't get carried away with bold colour. Buyers need to picture their own furniture and life in the space, and strong feature walls make that harder. Stick to neutral tones and save the personality for the styling.

Presenting your home: the do's

• Put the TV away, or at least out of the main sightline. Screens have grown so large in recent years that they can dominate a living room and make it feel smaller than it is.
• Pack up personal items such as kids' artwork, family photos and travel souvenirs. Buyers need to imagine their own life in the home, and someone else's memories on the fridge make that surprisingly hard.
• Bring in fresh flowers or a few healthy plants. It's a small touch that makes a home feel cared for and lived in, without feeling cluttered.
• Declutter properly. Clear knickknacks and everyday clutter off benches and shelves, and don't just shuffle it into cupboards. Buyers do open wardrobes and pantry doors, so pack overflow items into boxes and store them off-site if you can.