How To Get Your Home Ready To Sell
Selling your home can be a nerve wracking experience. The stress of putting your home on the market, looking for a new home, preparing for the big move and all of the to-ing and fro-ing between you, solicitors and estate agents, is something that many are only too familiar with. However this all comes after the first big hurdle – getting an offer on your home. When you put your home on the market you need to make sure it appeals to potential buyers, but where do you even start? Interior Designers Happy Place specialise in show home interior design so are experts at what potential buyers are looking for when shopping for their new place. Here they share their tops tips to get your home ready to sell…
1. Curb Appeal Can Make Or Break A Sale
It takes most potential buyers around eight seconds to decide whether or not they like a house. So it is crucial to ensure that their first impression is the right one and they enter your home in a positive frame of mind. Buying a home is an emotional process, people buy homes with their hearts as much as to their heads. Create an amazing first impression and buyers will want to see more. Think about a new door mat, some plants in new planter pots. Maybe even a fabulous new house number.
2. Cull, Less Is More
Less really is more. Remove the clutter from your home, you don’t want buyers to be overwhelmed by all your stuff! While you don’t need to strip out your home’s personality completely, we recommend that you remove any highly personal items prior to selling, for example lots of family photos, unusual collectables, or controversial artwork. You don’t want to draw a buyer’s attention away from the main reason they are there. Have a good look at the amount of furniture you have in each room. A lot of us live with too much furniture which can make a space feel overcrowded and smaller. Consider renting a storage facility to store any items you can live without during the selling process. Also remove as many items as you can from your kitchen counters – stick to your basic appliances, but feel free to arrange some fabulous cookbooks or accessories that make your space feel more fabulous.
3. Clean, Clean, Clean
It should go without saying, but make sure you give your home a good spring clean to get your home ready to sell, and keep it up throughout the selling period. Expect that any viewers may open cupboards and wardrobes, and make sure you pay special attention to things like cleaning windows, dusting skirtings and clearing cobwebs. The cleanliness of your property says a lot to a buyer about what type of a homeowner you are, and what type of a home they may be considering buying.
4. Condition
Generally, the more flaws a buyer sees when viewing a property, the harder they will look for more. Do as much sprucing as you have the time and the budget for – repaint walls, replace lightbulbs where necessary, fix any broken or squeaky bits, etc. If your carpet or flooring is tired but you don’t have the budget to replace it, consider investing in some rugs to draw attention away.
5. Color is a Powerful Tool
Colour is a VERY personal choice but it’s impact is as strong as smell or sound. It can make or break a space. Try to keep the colour palette in your home to a handful of colours and more on the neutral side. One colour won’t create a mood! If your home is quite neutral it is really important to add patterns and texture to your scheme. You don’t want your home to be bland but you don’t want to overstimulate buyers with too many colours. If you feel daunted by colour a simple design rule is the 60-30-10 rule. This rule suggests that 60% of your space is the main colour of your room –walls, large pieces of furniture etc. Your next 30% is your secondary colour, which could be curtains, smaller pieces of furniture, etc. These colours should work harmoniously together to create a backdrop for your accent colour, which is your last 10%. Using this rule can make choosing colour less daunting, and help you achieve balance in decorating your home.
6. Curate to Create Visual Impact
We talked about decluttering which is so important but you still want you home to have style and personality. Adding beautiful layers through dressing and styling your home can hugely enhance the appeal of your home. Consider investing in some new accessories, artwork and lighting, or utilise selectively any good pieces you already have. There is lots of inspiration online, and the great thing is, you can take all of it with you when you find your new Happy Place!
7. Captivate the Senses to Create a Feeling of Comfort and Happiness in your Home
Try to engage all the senses when presenting your home for sale. Consider how your home smells and feels as well as how it looks. It is no good having a home that looks fabulous but doesn’t smell so good. Empty the bins and remove pet smells. Buy fresh flowers each week, get yourself some diffusers and scented candles. Think seasonally. Keep styling materials and colours lighter and brighter in the warmer months but add heavier layers and perhaps richer colours in the winter months. Light up your home too. Lighting is such a powerful design element but so often overlooked. Try to create a lighting scheme that creates a sense of comfort and is soothing and calming, and don’t forget the importance of natural light in your home!
8. Co-ordinate
Invest in some fresh bed linen and towels. Keep linen white or neutral, and add layers of colour and texture with throws and cushions. Fold and arrange fluffy towels in your bathroom to create a luxurious feel, and don’t forget the bath mat! Replace any bathroom accessories that are looking tired or grubby. Add some greenery in the form of plants and flowers – there are some great fauxs on the market these days so you don’t have to worry about maintenance if you don’t have much of a green thumb!
9. Concentrate On Your Best Features
You are selling a dream as much as a building. Think about the spaces in your home that you spend the most time in and what you love about them and enhance those aspects for your buyers as chances are they will do the same. Think about what makes your home a happy one and highlight those to your buyers.
10. Cost
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to get your home ready to sell if you make a plan and are smart about how you spend your money to create a Happy Place that buyers will want to snap up. Furnishing and styling your home is a bit like putting together an outfit. Not everything needs to be a designer label, it is about creating a cohesive and considered look. Having a couple of statement pieces does add a lot of impact however. Always trust your instinct and invest in pieces you love, you won’t please everyone but when you move to your new home you will have an amazing new piece to take with you.
Are you an interior designer or stylist that works on large design projects? You may be eligible for an Amara trade account which will give you access to exclusive discounts on all Amara products. Please visit our trade account hub to find out more.