Presenting a home in its best light can significantly bump up the selling price and speed up the transaction. So why don’t all sellers dress their property for a successful sale?
Surprisingly, many people don’t change a thing before they put their home on the market (a decision that hits them in the back pocket). People who take this ‘warts and all’ approach to home-selling tend to fall into three categories.
- Sellers who have a strong emotional attachment to their home and can’t bear to change a thing.
- Sellers who think they have brilliant personal taste and can’t put themselves in the shoes of buyers.
- Sellers who just can’t be bothered.
Whatever the reason, take it from us: a little elbow grease and a small financial outlay can reap serious rewards.
We’re not suggesting that plush cushions and tasteful throws can make up for structural issues or a poor location, but most buyers are driven by emotion; they want to step inside a property and fall in love with it.
That’s where we come in to play.
At Butler Residential we create a lifestyle video for all the properties we market, which in turn creates emotion and adds something special to make your home stand out.
Here are a few styling tips for dressing your property before going on the market.
Declutter
Get rid of furniture or knick-knacks that have seen better days. Sell items that you no longer use (treadmills or exercise bikes often gather dust in the corner of spare rooms). Put bulky possessions that you just can’t part with into storage or better still, donate them. It’s all about creating space.
Tidy
Ensure paperwork, photos, toiletries and washing are out of sight. The same goes for shoes, coats, phone chargers, dog beds and cat litter trays.
DIY Blitz
Draw up a list of odd jobs that need doing and work through it. Fix broken cupboard doors and rickety fences and blitz carpet stains, mould and damp. Give tired walls a lick of paint in a neutral tone.
Identify Your Target Demographic
If you’re selling a four bedroom home with a garden, it’s a fair bet families will be your target market, so make sure the outdoor spaces are welcoming and safe. If you’re marketing a sleek studio, target young professionals and dress the property accordingly.
Don’t Send Mixed Messages
If you’re marketing a home but don’t have enough beds, you could borrow or make one. Boxes with a duvet over can look just as effective and make it easier to visualise an empty room. (Just make sure nobody sits on them) Similarly, if you’re trying to pass a small room off as a study, put a desk, chair and lamp in it. Never load up rooms with odds and sods like gym equipment, fishing gear, or bikes. This only confuses buyers.
Don’t Overlook Outdoor Spaces
Dress the garden just as you would any other room. That means taking any junk to the tip and installing garden furniture and a few colourful blooms.
Woo buyers! Set your emotions aside and think about what will hit home with them.
If you would like some honest property advice about how to get your home ready to sell, get in touch with us here at Butler Residential, we’ll be happy to help.
Share this with
Email
Facebook
Messenger
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Copy this link