When selling your property, your goal is to get the best price possible. This is an emotional time, often seasoned by stress and the pressure to have an immaculately staged home presented to the buyer. To catch the attention, your home needs to look better than the competition. It should be memorable and feel cozy and inviting. Apart from allowing potential buyers to see themselves living there, an increased comfort you create will make the property worth of a higher asking price. All these goals can be achieved by property styling. If you’re preparing your house for sale, check out these home staging tips.
Getting started with property styling
Consider hiring a property appraiser to find your home’s current market value. The professional insight can tell you what the house is worth, but more importantly, what in their opinion will add the value to your home before it goes to be listed. At the same time, you can schedule a building inspection to see if any structural repairs are needed. Serious buyers are likely to bring an inspector themselves, so any damage is best repaired before they have a chance to bring your asking price down. Walkthrough the rooms and try to see them from a buyer’s perspective, detached from your habits and lifestyle. Sell, donate, or dispose of everything that doesn’t add value to the property.
Declutter and clean
Spring cleaning or not, when selling your home, it’s important to ensure that every nook and cranny is clean from the ground up. Pay special attention to grout lines in the kitchen and bathrooms, as potential homebuyers are more likely to be sensitive to those areas than any other. Send the carpets and rugs for professional cleaning, and scrub timber and hard floors yourself. Clean the blinds from the outside and wash the curtains. Make sure windows and fly screens are free from smudges, cobwebs, and dead insects. Repair any cracks and nicks in the wall and remove pet items, trip hazards, and unnecessary bulk items. While you should remove family photos and personal items, make sure to secure valuables, especially if you organize an open house.
Spruce up the street appeal
While homeowners often focus on the interior only, experienced property stylists always advise that the street or curb appeal is equally important. After all, the street side is what the potential buyer sees first when coming to your home. make sure your fence looks inviting. If the current picket fence looks old and shabby, consider putting up a new one, or simply paint it and put up hedges behind it to make it stand out. The path to the door should be clear. It doesn’t have to be concrete – even a pebble creek or stepping stones are better than using the driveway. Having a well-manicured lawn requires significant maintenance, so instead consider planting more resistant, native types of grass that don’t need regular watering, and create a very trendy, natural unkempt look.
Bring up property style with a kitchen and bathroom
Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes, or they don’t. Homebuyers are extremely sensitive when it comes to these two rooms as any sign of neglect or improper hygiene might turn them away. Decluttering the countertops and other surfaces not only lets the materials and finishes come to prominence, but also allows for a better clean-up. Remove stains from sinks, toilets, and bathtubs and replace door and cabinet hardware. It’s every homeowner’s dream to have a bathroom with a charming, spa-like feel. Make that dream come true by putting up a few baskets with toiletries and plush white towels, scented candles, and a moisture-friendly rug.
There’s a common misconception that property styling works only with empty properties, staged from the basement to the attic. However, there are ways you can improve the look of the house for sale that you’re currently living in.
