So, you have decided the time has come to sell your property? Perhaps you want to move to a nicer area? Maybe you are adding to your family and need a bigger place? No matter why you are selling your home, you will, no doubt, want to ensure you secure a quick sale at the asking price. One of the ways you can ensure this is the case is through home staging. This is all about presenting your property in a manner that makes it as appealing as possible, enabling viewers to envision themselves living in your home. It’s about getting rid of barriers and presenting the perfect lifestyle. With that being said, read on to discover plenty of useful suggestions.
Why you need to sell the lifestyle, not the property
Home staging is not just a case of rearranging your rooms and purchasing some new items to make your house look more attractive. Home staging is about creating a lifestyle. You want your viewers to walk through the door and imagine the life they are going to have living in this property. That is what a home is all about and it is up to you to lead the viewer on this journey.
This is why personal photographs, medals, awards and such like should be packed away. This makes your property homely for you, but it will make it even less so for the potential buyer. How can they envisage their life in the property if it is laced with another family’s photos? This doesn’t mean the house should be empty of decor, though. A beautiful picture frame can become the centrepiece in any room so long as it is filled with something that doesn’t create a barrier in terms of the viewers’ imagination, for example, it could be a black and white canvas of your favourite racehorse.
You need to play towards your home’s character and style. If you live in an old Victorian townhouse, you should play on the traditional, cosy and homely feel. But if you live in a contemporary fifth-floor one-bedroom flat, you need to portray a different lifestyle – the independent lady or the bachelor. These are the types of people that are going to be interested in your property, not a family with children or an elderly couple. Sell the lifestyle these people want to lead and you are guaranteed to succeed in your quest to sell your home.
Why each room has to have a definitive purpose if you want your property to sell
Imagine you are viewing a home. You walk into a room merely to witness a tower of junk or lots of boxes. What do you think? “What a waste!”, “this rooms has no point” and such like. Viewers will not see this as an extra space, they will view it as a wasted one, and thus it becomes a negative.
If you have a room like this in your home, think of an effective way to use it. Why not turn it into a home office or study? This is usually the most obvious option to go for. Aside from this, other ideas include creating an extra living space, a children’s room, or an entertainment room. The options are endless. You simply have to make certain that there is a reason to spend time in the room in question.
However, if that’s not the case with your home, but you are still struggling to find an ideal buyer, then maybe it’s time for you to hire a real estate agent. With their vast expertise and knowledge in the area, you will be able to find a potential buyer for your property very soon. With a real estate agent by your side, the chances are you’ll get an exceedingly appropriate value for your home.
It is important to ensure that the buyer knows what they should use each room for. You may think this sounds a bit silly. Surely, if there is a bed in the room you know it is a bedroom! However, if you have a greater degree of office elements in your room than relaxing ones, you are giving a contradictory message.
Five effective tips for de-cluttering to sell your home
De-cluttering is one of the most important things when it comes to home staging. Not only can clutter make your property look messy and disorganised, but it can also make it appear smaller. Nonetheless, de-cluttering does not mean shoving everything to the back of your wardrobe. Read on for some top tips…
- Invest in wire hangers – A mixture of plastic hangers from various high street stores in an array of different sizes is never a good look.
- Tackle one room at a time – Rather than walking around aimlessly picking up items, tackle one room at a time to be more effective when de-cluttering.
- Cereal boxes on show? – Invest in some glass bars. Not only is this actually better for keeping your food fresh, but it looks much more stylish too.
- Store items in your car – If you find yourself with a big box full of items you need to hide before the viewing, stick them in your car. Nothing is off bounds when viewing a property and you never know who could want to take a look inside a cupboard or wardrobe to get an idea of the space.
- Consider the floor space – Are there unnecessary items taking up floor space? If these do not add to the presentation of your home, get rid.
Why you need to style your dining room table before a viewing
When you stage your home you want to create a sense of comfort. You want people to walk through the front door and feel welcome. This is what they want from their potential new property. One of the ways to achieve this is through styling the dining room table.
Imagine you are viewing a property. You walk into the dining room. You see a bare table and some chairs. What feelings does this evoke? Truthfully, it probably does not evoke any. Now, imagine you walk into the room and the table is laid out with beautiful cutlery, plates, and a stunning centrepiece. You can instantly envisage yourself sitting at the table having your dinner with your family. The difference is astounding. You change a bare and uninviting space into one that is massively appealing.
Needless to say, if your tableware is plain or doesn’t match, you will want to keep that hidden. Time to invest in some new items! You won’t have to spend a lot. When it comes to the centrepiece, a series of smaller pieces can look better than an oversized arrangement, as this can have too much of a formal vibe as opposed to a homely one.
Is professional home staging worth it?
High costs can be a big turn off when it comes to professional home staging. Should you really spend hundreds of pounds for someone to tell you how to stage your home?
Of course, the initial investment may be slightly daunting to many. But, when your house sells quicker and makes you more money, it is certainly more than worth it. It is highly likely that you will make your initial investment back and then some.
A home stager will advise you on how to make the best of what you have got, with a few little tweaks along the way. Why is this beneficial? Well, most buyers actually make their decision based on something little.
They are more likely to make their decision based on the paintings you have in your home than the number of bedrooms there are! One trivial thing will stick in their mind and you have lost the battle before it has even begun.
You may not wish to invest in professional home staging straight away. However, if you are struggling to sell your property this is definitely something you should consider. You will be shocked by the difference home staging can make. A quick sale and more money, isn’t that what we all want?
How much will a home stager cost?
If you choose your home stager wisely you will find that they end up paying for themselves! In fact, they can make you thousands of pounds! But how much should you pay for a quality home stager? Let’s find out…
Of course, all home stagers charge different rates. But generally, you have two different costs you will need to consider. To begin with, will obviously have to pay the rate the home stager charges for his or her time. Secondly, there are then the items that they suggest you buy and the changes they recommend you make to your home. You will have to pay for those too.
The good news is… when it comes to making home improvements, you can actually specify a budget. The home stager will then make suggestions to fit in with this. Generally, you should invest between £500 and £1000.
What about the home stager’s time? Well, you will first need to pay a set fee for the initial assessment of your home. This is typically set at a rate in the region of £300. After this, you will then pay for the home stager’s service by the hour. Time is typically charged at a rate of between £30 and £50.
So there you have it: plenty of different tips that you can use to stage your home in a beautiful and attractive manner. Good luck!
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.
