Practical tips for styling your home when trying to sell - it’s not just adding fresh flowers.
Styling your home for sale isn’t required, but it helps. And it’s about far more than buying fresh flowers and baking bread. Use these tips to showcase your home and maximise offers.
When selling your home, presentation matters. Nearly all buyers search online, whether on property portals, estate agent websites, email campaigns, or social media. Buyers rely on their phones for these first impressions.
With this in mind, your property’s photos and videos must appeal to buyers and prompt them to view. Instead of revealing every nook, create lifestyle images to evoke your home’s atmosphere. These strategies will present your property at its finest to attract buyers.
Styling: Consider how each room looks through the camera’s lens. Can you see items stacked above wardrobes or under beds? Is the bedding clean, and preferably plain white and ironed? Are the beds neatly made, or is the duvet messy and uneven? Attention to these details distinguishes a polished home from a neglected one.
For practical impact, declutter and tidy your home, then reassess the space. What needs straightening, plumping, or refreshing? Add distinctive flourishes to create visual impact in your photos. Use images to tell a story - think a colourful filled fruitbowl, a staged patio table with wine and glasses, or a breakfast tray with coffee and croissants.
Staged images help viewers envisage the lifestyle your home offers. Buyers begin with logic, looking at it, and then shift to emotion as they picture their lives in your space.
Lighting: Dark, gloomy rooms aren’t inviting. Blown-out windows or blurry images look sloppy. Aim for light, bright rooms and clear images to entice online browsers to view in person.
The photographer will do most of the work, but you can help. Open curtains and blinds to let in more natural light. To add warmth, turn on lamps, light candles, and, if possible, ignite the fire.
Angles: Camera angles matter. Poor angles create a strange impression of the home. Small rooms are hard to photograph, and large ones can be tricky too. Ensure angles show rooms at their best.
The photographer will capture the best angles, but you can help by ensuring at least one wide room shot and a selection of close-ups and lifestyle images for variety.
Colour: Bold accents make your home stand out. A vibrant chair or wallpaper can set your property apart. A striking floral arrangement on the dining table can create memorable marketing images.
With hundreds of homes available and limited viewing time, most buyers visit only a few. Entice them to see yours. With these tips, prepare your home for photos so the photographer can capture its essence.
If you’re planning to sell or struggling to find buyers, contact our property experts today.