When you’re selling your home, you want it to look its best for the potential buyers who walk through the door. That’s where home staging for sale comes in.
Staging houses for sale has become popular over the past few years with experts stating that it can add an extra 5 to 10 per cent to a property’s sale price.
So what does a home stager do and is it expensive?
Well, you can attempt this yourself with some simple measures that will improve the presentation of your property. It will take time and a little elbow grease but it can be done. Simplicity is the key. However it is a fine line to getting it right, you do not want it to be so sterile that you lose that feeling of it being warm, cosy and inviting.
Get rid of the mess
Begin with a major declutter. Look at your space and anything that is messy and looks out of place and try and find a home for it. Clutter takes up space, and space is what sells. Make your home look bigger and more attractive by getting down to just the basics. You don’t have to get rid of things forever, but you should certainly be packing them up and getting them out of the house.
De-personalise
You really want to make the house feel like a home without it being too personal. Takedown photos, kids artwork, takeaway menus etc. One of the main objectives of home staging is to help buyers imagine the space as their own. The quickest way to do this is to set a blank canvas. You want the home to have style, but it should be devoid of personal touches that suggest this home belongs to the seller, not the buyer.
Space sells
Look at all your space in each room. Clear out furniture if it makes the area feel crowded. Depending on the size of bedrooms, they may only need a bed, bedsides, lamps and an artwork. Just make sure the bed looks beautiful. Perhaps invest in some nice bedlinen, to bring things up a notch.
Work with what you have
We don’t all live in a show home. Homes are for living right? but when it comes to selling your property that have to go completely out the window. The buyer wants to buy into a dream and you have to sell it. But let’s be practical you have furniture and you have to use it. You don’t want to have to move all your stuff out and hire furniture, not when you are living there. So if your lounge has seen better days. then dress it up with some new cushions and throws.
Create spaces
Prospective buyers want to imagine themselves sitting at your dining area or in a comfy chair positioned in a sunny spot. So, take advantage of the space and light in your house even if you don’t use it that way. Consider making new spaces. A rug will anchor an area and totally transform a space. You may need to look at the space and see if the furniture needs to be repositioned, so that the room has a better flow. Sometimes, you can just be too close to space and can’t see what you need to do. You can find property stagers to use your existing furniture and enhance your space with a few choice pieces, beautiful bed linen and rearranged furniture. This investment is money well spent and if it gets you a 5 – 10% increase on your house it’s only a fraction of that reward that you will need to spend. We have transformed many houses some of which have had their asking price increased because the house looked so good after our transformation. So if this all feels a bit daunting then check out our property staging.
Neat as a pin
Make sure your house and the outdoor areas are clean. A manicured garden shows that the homeowner has taken pride in the house. Clean decks, entrance ways, windows and especially the front door. The house may need a fresh coat of paint in some areas. Do whatever it takes to show the property is well maintained.
Appeal to the masses
Once you have cleaned and decluttered, remove all the nic nacs and try and look at your house with fresh eyes. The majority of people can handle neutral soft furnishings, go with what will appeal to the masses, not to a select few. Think about who would be looking to buy your property, the demographic that you want to appeal to.
Dress to impress
For your final bit of styling, add fresh flowers and plants, or if the house is going to be unoccupied you can purchase realistic artificial greenery.