try not to panic, is the house safe and weatherproof with a kitchen sink, shower and toilet? if so, it should be OK to live in for the time being and everything else can be broken down into manageable projects ...renovations done after a period of living in the house will often be much better because you'll understand the house better and many more experienced HOUZZERS will have lovely romantic funny memories of living in houses while renovating..As previously advised, first make a copy of the existing floorplan with measurements, add a few photos inside and out (including back, front and the roof) and include a list of what you would like to end up with and we can make some suggestions with rough ideas of what would be most cost effective...You should be able to get something done for $250,000 but it will need very careful planning and the best place to start is to understand what you already own

living in regional NSW i'm sorry to say that the cost for building "in the country" seems much more expensive than on the coast.... plans i've done for several friends on the coast have been about 20-30% cheaper to build than locally (transport costs. less competition and volume discounts?)...i suggest you check some of the building companies like Gardner, Beechwood, Rawson homes etc building in your area for a comparison price

Thank you siriuskey :) The location is metro Adelaide so very hot summers and cool winters. Plans are for timber frame wall and roof construction, rendered hebel panels for all external walls and colourbond custom orb roofing. Party wall construction with 25mm gyprock shaft liner panels. Laminate timber flooring for living areas, carpet to bedrooms, tiles to wet areas, stone bench tops. Exposed aggregate concrete driveway & front footpath, grey concrete/paving to side path & pergola area. The market for these homes is predominantly downsizers, first home buyers and possibly single/separated parents with young children who do not want a large block of land. Basically nicely completed traditional/modern homes with above average finishes but not too high end.

He might be right - you may have a beautifully furnished home that looks like a display home, that doesn't need to be staged. If not, then I would seek a few quotes for staging and get a feel for what the different staging professionals can suggest for a budget staging. Some of them may be able to show you examples of similar post-war houses that they have staged. At the end of the day there are lots of people at the entry level of the market looking to purchase their first home (who like nice looking homes) and having it nicely staged will increase the amount of interest, the amount of competition and hopefully the price, due to the laws of supply and demand. Have you engaged your agent to just sell your home, or to try and acheive the maximum sale value? Best of luck with your marketing, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls