Selling your house - Tips to quickly and easily create a home that is highly desirable to potential viewers
If you're trying to sell your home in the present climate now is the time to ensure you're doing everything possible to make your home stand out. Staging your home can make all the difference to a potential buyer. Home staging is the act of preparing your home before it goes up for sale. This doesn't have to be an expensive over haul and adding a few finishing touches can make a huge difference. The objective of any ‘seller' should be to sell as soon as possible and for the best possible price. Houses that sit on the market for too long can make potential viewers nervous that something is wrong with the property or the asking price.
Try to eliminate any negative problems before the house goes up making it attractive to the highest number of purchasers. When selling your home you want to draw the viewer in, you want them to see the best attributes of your property. You need to remember your selling a ‘home', buyers need to be able to visualise themselves here enjoying your space and creating their own memories. Buying a home is an emotional decision and you want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home.
Keep your home clean and carry out any minor repairs works first. Next its time to start the decluttering process. Depersonalising your home is important it will give viewers the opportunity to imagine themselves living in your house. Not everyone has the ability to see past personal collections, photos and religious artefacts, so take the safe option and pack them away.
You'll still need your home to be warm and inviting so take a look around with fresh eyes and consider cost effective ways of ‘up lifting' your home. If the walls are tired consider giving them a fresh coat of paint in an easy neutral colour. Add some plants to the outside of your home to make it look inviting and clean the windows till they sparkle.
Your hallway is the first area potential viewers will encounter. Keep this area clutter free, tidy shoes, coats and umbrellas away. Consider purchasing a sleek console in a style that reflects your home. If you're careful in your selection then this piece can always come and grace your new hallway or living room. Hang a mirror above to open up the space and reflect light. Keep the area simple and add just a few touches, a small table lamp and a decorative bowl to the surface area.
Define each room in your house; buyers need to know what each room is for, so that they can decide where they will place their own items. Sell the lifestyle and you will sell the house.
60% of people move to gain an extra bedroom. A bedroom will add more value to your house than a study so make sure every bedroom has a bed on display. Giving the study a make over and transforming it into a bedroom is a simple task and worthwhile investment. Purchase a bed that suits the space of the room and look for something simple and stylish. Don't go out and buy something cheap, as it will only dampen the rooms appeal.
Every room should be dressed, buyers can usually look past children's rooms but they still need to be clean and clutter free. Purchase a beautiful trunk to store toys away in. These can come to your new home and if you've invested in something with a timeless appeal they can even be used in your new hallway, study or living room. The master bedroom needs lots of consideration; this room needs to be dressed. Invest in new crisp bed linen and add a beautiful throw and cushions to really complete the look and give your bedroom a luxurious and sophisticated feel that will appeal to adults.
Keep the laundry out of sight in a laundry basket with a lid and declutter the room as much as possible. Use surface areas of your chests and bedsides to display a few decorative accessories so the room doesn't feel cold and stark.
Add a mirror to the room to reflect light and keep the space as spacious as possible. Your new home will offer new walls so mirrors can easily be taken with you. If the room is small look for a large mirror as these can really help enlarge the room and help it appear brighter.
Bathrooms need to be spotless for viewings so give them a good clean. Replace tired shower curtains and mats. Remove any unnecessary toiletries and think of how inviting hotel bathrooms are. Try to convey this look in your own home. Replace your worn towels and invest in new soft, fluffy towels neatly arranged. You can never have enough bath towels so they will easily find a home in your new bathroom when you move. If the bathroom is large enough add some additional storage like a locker, potential buyers need to see that all of their own possessions can find a home, alternatively hang a mirrored bathroom cabinet that can double up as a mirror and also reflect light.
Dress your living room so it looks inviting and relaxing. You want potential viewers to imagine themselves sprawled on the couch in front of the TV. Hide away DVD and CD collections in a tv unit and keep the room neat and streamlined. Bring interest to dark corners by adding a simple floor vase with some decorative sticks. Colourful fabrics and a few pretty cushions placed on furniture can stop a room looking bland and also give new life to an existing sofa.
Rearrange furniture or bring in new pieces and artwork. Your old battered coffee table may be leaving when you do and not coming to your new home so why not replace it now. Then simply add a rug underneath and you have created a new focal point, rugs can also be a great way of hiding blemishes in existing flooring and can help define a living space.
Before viewings turn on your lights. Open shades and drapes and allow as much natural light to filter in as possible. Add beautiful floor lamps and table lamps and make sure these are switched on too. Floor lighting can instantly change the appearance of your room and can offer a warm and subtle light. Place them in corners, on top of sideboards, or behind plants to create an intesting layer of light.
Your home is now a "set" that needs decorating to increase a home's sense of peace, warmth and order. The dining room table can showcase a new table runner with a central decoration; consider a beautiful bowl, a vase filled with fresh flowers or even a set of candles. Your coffee table can have a beautiful tray with matching coasters set on top just waiting for you to sit down with a cup of coffee and relax. Place an open book with a cosy throw on your occasional chair. Empty your bookcases or shelving units and use them to display a combination of books and decorative accessories so they don't look too cluttered. In the kitchen display a vase with flowers, a small potted plant or even a bowl filled with fresh fruit.
If you're sceptical about the benefits of going to all this work or doubt that it will make any difference in selling your home, put yourself in the place of a home buyer. Visit a show home for a modern development. These show homes are perfect "sets" and buyers can easily visualise themselves here. The paint is fresh, the woodwork clean, mirrors sparkles, the towels in the bathroom are fresh, there are no toys littering the floor and there is artwork carefully arranged around the house.
Now leave the development show home and visit a friend or family member's home that is older. The house is lived in, family clutter and photos reflecting their lives and memories are everywhere. Children's toys are stacked in the family room. Homework is spread out on the dining room and although it's not dirty it may not feel very spacious.
Even if both homes are identical in size and location, the first home will feel larger due to its clear layout and will be more appealing. It has showed off its good points and none of the bad and visualising yourself in this space is much easier. If you want to sell your home, consider the benefits of a quick make over.
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