Dressing Your Home for Sale

 

Don't rely on the viewer's imagination

We're going to be talking a lot about things like creating a clean and light space in this article. This is to help the people viewing the property to appreciate the size and feel of the space and imagine their items and life in your home. It's very important to create the right balance though - You're still selling a home, not a blank canvas.

Whilst you want people to appreciate the size, space, light and air, you also want to show the viewers the home 'in situ'. This means you want to present them with a working home, not a clinical whiteboard. You want to sell a lifestyle - if clothing and car brands can do it, so can you.

Go round your home and ruthlessly hide away any unnecessary items from all your rooms to create as clean and open space as possible. Once you have done this, then take a select few of those items and put them back out again. Not many - just enough decor to make it feel comfortable again and remember: no clutter!

Less is more

Your home is prime real estate. Every square foot is worth money so make sure it can be seen. Accentuate your rooms with well-placed objects, but do not attempt to fill every corner.

Don't forget that the centre of a room is also usable space. You don't need to push everything up against the walls. Try moving the sofas off the wall, you will lose central space but during a viewing your house will appear welcoming and spacious as you can stroll around the circumference of each room and the viewer's experiences it from all angles.

Kitchen and bathroom

Kitchens and bathrooms are the rooms that have the most impact on a perspective buyer. They are often the rooms people will emotional connect with the strongest. Help them envision each as more than just cooking and washing rooms.

Going back to selling the lifestyle, use plants, aspirational items and ornaments (no clutter!) to show both how modern and homely your space could be.

Light and space

These are the two most important physical aspects you want from a property.

The view from the main windows should either be obstructed with nets or championed (depending on what is framed in the view) whilst letting in the most amount of light possible.

Also use mirrors in narrow spaces such as hallways to create a feeling of space and reflect light and always avoid artificial light as much as possible.

It's not a show home

There is no hard or fast rule to dressing your house but always sanity check yourself. Have you overloaded the potpourris or have a bowl of fake fruit on the kitchen table? This is not a show home - you want to present a natural environment.

The entrance

Don't forget what your 'for sale' sign does. It is telling people travelling by know that your property is available to buy. But what does rest of the front of your house say?

Is the garden weeded and cut, bins empty/tidy, does the gate hang off or could the ground floor windows do with a lick of paint?

First impression count! Likewise, in the summer, keep the hedges cut back from the sale sign too, you want to make sure it's as visible as possible.

Don't be scared to spend money

A few hundred pounds is a drop compared with achieving the full asking price but don't throw money at this. Not at least until you have had a de-clutter, re-arrange and are happy you have done all you can without spending first.

Home and property insurance from Towergate

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About the author

James Cooper is a respected industry leader with over 10 years' experience in the home and property insurance sector. He works across a broad range of insurance product and policy development and delivery, including product development; customer sales and marketing; and P&L accountability.