Should i stage my house to sell, and how do i do this whilst living in it!?
Have you ever been to look at a new build property and viewed the show home?
Interior designers have hand-selected every aspect to make the show homes immaculate.
But how can a lived-in home compete with the perfection of a show home?
Have you ever been to look at a new build property and viewed the show home?
Interior designers have hand-selected every aspect to make the show homes immaculate.
The staging in the properties is perfect and allows you to envisage living in there, and entices you to buy.
Incorporating some of these staging tactics into your home when you put it on the market can allow your viewers to visualise living in your property and help you to achieve a higher offer.
But how can a lived-in home compete with the perfection of a show home?
Should you also hire an interior designer before putting your property on the market?
Is it necessary when you still have family, pets and kids running around everywhere day-to-day?
It is not practical to redesign your whole home just for selling.
The reality TV shows that follow high-end real estate agents often ask the sellers to move out before the designers come in to stage the property, but this is not feasible in the real world!
So how can you take key elements of property staging and add them to your home to make the most of your marketing and get the highest offers possible?
Here’s how!
Declutter:
This is always the first thing you should do when selling your home, and it is essential. A cluttered home feels smaller than an uncluttered home.
Fruit bowl:
Placing a full fruit bowl on the kitchen worktop or dining table adds a bright freshness to the kitchen. Using the same kind of fruit shows an intentional placement and not just the family’s fruit storage. All lemons work well, or all apples of the same colour or type. Ideally, the bowl will be prominent and colourful, and there will be nothing else on the worktop. Put away all items that do not need to stay out - cooking oil and spices are not a display or ornament and do not need to stay out.
Clear the tops and leave your fruit bowl in pride of place, just like the showhomes.
Set the table:
Having the dining table set up as if you are about to sit down to a meal, with place settings and a centrepiece, is what the pros do. Include glasses and candles and a charger plate at each place. Of course, this is probably not how you sit down to a mid-week family meal, but it is much more visually appealing than an empty table. It can also help your viewers to visualise hosting a formal dinner party or the all-important Christmas feast.
Make the beds:
Ideally, with white bed linen and complimentary cushions and throws. Toy story duvet covers are great but would never be in a show home. Aim to make your bedrooms look like hotel rooms.
Bathrooms:
Hide all bottles of products, shampoo, shower gel etc. And remove all cleaning products. Leave only ‘designer’ hand wash on the side of the basin, or decant your products into plain refillable bottles to keep everything matching. No show home would leave a bottle of bleach next to the toilet or loads of half-used bottles of shower gel!
Outside space:
If you have garden furniture, make sure that the cushions are all out, and the table is presented with either a jug of lemonade (including fresh slices of lemon would look fantastic!) or an unopened bottle of wine or champagne and glasses. You could even have a cake stand with some scones and a teapot with china cups and saucers.
Staging for the photographs is an excellent idea, and creates a visual representation of the lifestyle that comes with living in your property.
It tells the story of what life is like in your property, and then the buying decision becomes more about lifestyle than bricks and mortar.
Once you have had the photoshoot, you can keep some of the staging elements in place for viewings too.
No, you will probably not whip the cake stand out and a batch of scones for every viewing, but it is simple to lay the table, make the beds, have fresh flowers, and keep a fruit bowl full.
The more ‘put together’ your home looks, the more appealing it will be to buyers.
How can you sell the lifestyle in your property rather than simply stating the facts?
In the brochure, you could say ‘ imagine sipping a G&T on the patio on a summers’ evening’ rather than simply stating ‘the garden has a patio’.
This is selling the lifestyle more enticingly - and a picture speaks a thousand words!
By staging, you make your home as appealing as possible, ensuring that you achieve the highest offers.
We can give you a few pointers that are individual to your property and help sell the lifestyle of your home, so call now to book your appointment.