You’ve decided to sell your home and of course you want to get the most you can for it, but how do you make it stand out from all the other properties for sale? With the current market being very much in favour of the buyer, there are quite a few properties on the market and making yours stand out is key.
In South Africa, home staging has taken off in recent years, with companies popping up to offer services for staging your home. Of course, you don’t have to necessarily hire someone to do it, you can follow a few simple tips and tricks to do the basics of home staging, but to what lengths is it worth staging your home for sale?
While some may feel the need to go all out in staging their home, in reality keeping it simple and making a few small changes would be of most benefit for the average person. On the one end of the scale you can renovate, redo bathrooms or kitchens or perhaps just paint a few walls, de-clutter and make a few small changes.
True to the “keeping it simple” way of things, below are a few tips and tricks to get the basics of staging your home done.
Work on curb appeal
As the saying goes, first impressions last, and as such the outside of your house is the first impression potential buyers will see. Start by tidying the outside, power wash walkways and driveways, wash the windows, mow the lawn and tidy any flower beds. If the garden is lacking some colour perhaps plant some flowers that are in bloom. Stage the outdoors too, if you have a patio or outdoor bbq area, put out patio furniture, clean the bbq, make it look welcoming as potential buyers want to imagine themselves enjoying the amenities on offer.
De-clutter
While you want your home to look lived in, it mustn’t be over cluttered with knick knacks and personal items. In simple terms, de-personalise your home.
If you have a lot of clutter, you may need to rent a storeroom to keep it out the house while you’re having show houses or potential buyers coming to view the property.
Do a deep clean
This should go without saying but a clean house looks good. Touch up any scuff marks, paint walls and skirtings if needed and make sure all cupboards have door handles. The bathroom and kitchen should get a good deep clean and make sure there is no mould or caked grease.
Deep cleaning carpets will brighten them up while also removing any odours. If you have pets, ensure you air the house to get rid of any pet smell as this can be very off putting.
Move/Remove furniture
Rooms that are overcrowded can make them look smaller than they are. Move things around and take out items if need be. The living room and master bedroom are probably the two most important rooms that potential buyers take note of so start with those ones.
The dining room can often be overlooked and a big bare table can be unappealing. While having a big centre piece seems like the quickest option, it can come across as stiff and formal. Try a few smaller vases or bowls arranged together to give it a more relaxed feel.
Spare/guest rooms
One can often be guilty of letting the spare/guest room become a bit of a ‘dumping ground’ for things not in use or boxes that haven’t been unpacked. Remove any unnecessary things and get the room looking clean and fresh.
Final touches
On the day that photos are going to be taken or you’re going to have a show house or visitors, put out some fresh flowers or a bowl of fruit and fresh folded towels in the bathroom. Final touches can make a big difference.
As sellers, you want to try get the best price for your property and home staging might seem worth going all out, but the key is to find a balance between what you spend on getting your home looking good versus what you expect to gain in value. The rule of thumb is keep in simple, always.
If you’re looking for interior design or help with home staging, fill in our contact form on www.nonres-sa.com and we will assist you in finding someone for you.