How to Present Your Home for Market - A Female Agents Perspective

"A well-staged home can increase the sale price"

"It is about creating an emotional response in the buyers, so they see the way the house is presented – and they want that lifestyle." "A well-staged home can increase the sale price" Justine Wilson, director and principal stylist at Vault Interiors.

Throughout the years I have sold many homes, the ones that follow the brief and do all that is required have sold quickly and for more than the sales evidence would say. It is not luck, the market or anything but genuine hard work and knowing what it is that is worth doing that gets the results.

Staging a property professionally in some instances can be the right choice. However, with a few tips the confident everyday homeowner can prepare their home for sale like a professional and save thousands in the process.

BEDROOM

When preparing a bedroom for sale, make the bed a place a buyer would want to curl up on. Dress the bed with light coloured bedding, lots of matching plush cushions and a couple of accent colours/patterns. Use at least one throw blanket to bring the look together.

Decorate bedrooms with bedside lamps, a corner chair, plants, books and candles. A small desk or play zone in a child’s bedroom is appealing to the buyer.

If you are dressing a sleepout as a bedroom, make sure you use a floor rug to define and warm the room. If you have old style glass louvers then use soft curtaining to create a bohemian aesthetic, especially if the glass panels do not match.

STORAGE

Reduce the amount of clothes and personal items in the cupboards. Packed wardrobes and full cupboards leave the impression that there is not enough storage in the home. If you really do plan on moving, pack up all the things you can live without and put them into storage. You will thank yourself when it comes time to move.

DECORATING

You don’t need to keep your home blank and soulless just because you are decluttering to sell. Use your artwork and wall hangings strategically. Mirrors are helpful in filling a gap without being polarising to the buyer. It is important to stay loosely within a style.

Unoffensive objects arranged in groups of three or five look aesthetically pleasing along with cushions and a throw. Arrange books in layers flat and vertical with the occasional ornament to break up the look. Colour coding is popular also. A hero plant in the room

works wonders.

LIGHTING

Make use of lamps, they brighten up every room and create a warm ambience. If your property has old, out of style pendant lights or plain hanging bulbs, then you are best off buying some plain light fittings (preferably the type that do not require an electrician) and putting them up. For the other existing light fittings such as vintage ones, make sure they are clean, sparkling and working.

AIR

Try not to cook any strong-smelling food in the lead up to a home open and keep pet smells to a minimum. Some people find strong perfumes a turnoff so keep scents in the home fresh and light. A diffuser is a good way to distribute a scent.

DECLUTTER

Extra bits and pieces are distracting to the buyer. Pack it up and bring the feeling of space and ease to the home. Personal items should be kept to a minimum – allow the buyer to imagine themselves living in the home.

There are services which will bring a storage box/container to your home which you can fill with your extra goods whilst you are in the process of selling. They take it away and bring it back when you have your new home.

SPRING CLEAN

Spring clean your home. Clean the windows, the oven, rangehood, ceiling fans and air-conditioning vents. Wipe dust off all the surfaces including the walls, picture rails and built-in-robes. If you are not painting the house, clean the scuff marks and tend to the chips on walls and doors. Don't forget to high pressure clean the exterior and clean the windows until they sparkle.

PAINTING

The preferred shade of choice for home buyers is light and bright colours. Try to keep it neutral and if you have Scandinavian timber paneling or dark beams, consider painting those white to match the current trend. Fill and paint all cracks and chips in the wall. For high end homes I would suggest a fresh coat of paint throughout.

BATHROOMS

Freshening up a bathroom with new sealant around the edges cleans up grout. You may need to replace the tapware, shower head, paint the vanity or even change the mirror to get the bathroom sparkling.

There are reliable methods for painting on laminate, which are relatively easy. For the handy person, Bunnings is your first stop. If the shower screen refuses to sparkle, there are professional shower screen companies which specialise in bringing back the dazzle or replacing them.

GARDEN

Once you decide to go to market start on the garden, increase the watering fertilise the grass and focus on making that as lush as possible, prune hedges and trees gently, weed and fill empty spots with colour. Finish off with mulch as your last job before photos, making sure it is black as black against the green will pop.

READY TO GO!

It is best to start this preparation process when you first start to think about selling as it can take longer than anticipated. Buyers love to see a sparkling, fresh home which they can imagine their life in, and they are prepared to pay for that privilege.

Happy selling

Louise Simonette x