Tips For Presenting Your Home To Sell
Selling your home can be overwhelming for many reasons. Once you have made the decision, you will no doubt want it to look its best for potential buyers. But where do you start and what do you prioritise? Having just sold our beach home in Flinders, I well understand these challenges. I thought it would be helpful to share my Tips for Presenting Your Home To Sell.
Street Appeal
We all know that making a great first impression is important, and it is no different with your home. Prospective buyers will often do a drive by of the house before they decide on whether to take the time to inspect it. In our case, the high-pressure hose was our best friend. The house exterior and all timber decking were cleaned of dirt and cobwebs. We outsourced a gardener to prune back and tidy up plants and trees.
New colourful plants were added to existing pots and we had a maintenance person carry out the small yet obvious repair jobs.
All the windows were cleaned and we touched up exterior paint where needed. I also invested in some new doormats. The outdoor furniture was dusted and cushions styled on the chairs.
Declutter & Spring Clean
No doubt the most time consuming part of selling a house is decluttering. Depending on how long you have lived in the home this can be daunting. On a positive note, having a good sort out means there will be less to pack up! Consider the furniture in each room and whether moving it or removing it will make the room feel larger and more appealing. For example, in the bunk room, we usually have a central table but the agents felt the room would feel more spacious without it.
Sort through cupboards to maximise the storage space. Potential buyers want to see that they will have storage options so give them the best opportunity to see what's available. In the kitchen remove appliances from the benchtop and reduce any clutter.
While you are removing items from cupboards, wipe down the shelving or inside the lining of drawers.
Decor & Styling
You don't need an Interior Design degree to present the home well. Simple decorating is usually the best approach. For bathroom vanities, a decorative hand towel, soap dispenser and some foliage is perfect.
On coffee tables, a small stack of books is all you need. In bedrooms, I prefer to use white bed linen and bring in colour with accents such as cushions or a throw rug at the end of the bed.
Fresh flowers are always a welcoming touch on the dining table.
Create Ambience
Buying a home is an emotive decision so you want the potential owner to feel comfortable and happy in your space. You can create this ambience in several ways including maintaining the house at a good temperature. Turn fireplaces/heaters on in winter and air-conditioning or fans in summer.
For our winter auction, we also had the fire pit going outside at each inspection. Open curtains fully to maximise natural light, or if the room is dull, turning on a table lamp can help. Light a good quality candle (a couple of hours before the inspection time) and turn on some upbeat and inoffensive music.
And finally leave it in the hands on your trusty agents!
If you need any interior design or decorating assistance, please contact Belinda at Gallerie B Interiors (belinda@gallerieb.com).
Image Credits: Suzi Appel Photography