Once you decide to put your home on the market, the way you stage it and present will be the key to selling it faster at a good price. The curb appeal is important, but it’s the interior that counts the most.
Staging a home for sale and decorating it to your own taste a home isn’t the same which is why many homeowners leave it to the professionals. However, there are things you can do yourself that won’t break the bank but will leave a positive impression. A good combination of colour, a clever choice and positioning of furniture and a few unique accessories will help potential buyers envision themselves in your home and here are a few tips on how to do it.
Keep it clean and fresh
Nothing puts off buyers more than a dirty and cluttered space, so your first step is cleaning your home and making it look fresh and crisp. If your bathroom is older, reglaze the tub, regrout the tiles and replace the hardware. In the kitchen, declutter the countertops, repaint the cabinets and walls. As for other rooms, take the same bright approach and replace dark curtains and old rugs for new, light-coloured ones and for a small investment, you’ll have a pleasant and inviting home.
Finally, make one more tour of every room and ask yourself what its best asset is and then stage it so it capitalizes on those strong features. Use the furnishings in a way that will visually expand the space and accent its architectural features.
Stage a cosy kitchen
The kitchen is unquestionably the heart of the home and one place that draw the interest of buyers the most. An easy way to make it cosy is by tempting scents coming from freshly made brownies or muffins set up on the kitchen island.
When it comes to its design, you may find it too expensive to do a full remodel and change the layout, but you can still do some tweaks to improve its appearance like repainting the walls and cabinets and replacing the backsplash. The room will be instantly brighter and more inviting.
When staging it further, focus on creating vignettes – a grouping of three eye-catching items that form a pleasing picture such as three matching tea towels on the stove, coffee, sugar and tea jars and a pretty set of salt and pepper shakers with a decorative oil decanter.
Create a lively living room
The fundamental design principle for living rooms is the 60-30-10 rule which means you should introduce colours by these percentages. For instance, 60% of the colour in the room is neutral taking up the walls mostly, 30% is secondary and it’s usually reserved for furniture and 10% is the accent colour that infuses vibrancy to the room and comes in the form of a few pieces such as an original area rug, artwork on the wall or the creative vignettes.
Make a functional dining room
As modern home design leans towards open floor plans, formal dining rooms aren’t a favourite anymore and might even seem as a wasted space. If this is what you have, you need to stage it well so potential buyers see it as a perfect space for hosting gatherings. Luckily, all it takes is a tastefully set dining table.
To do this, bring out your best dishware, polish up your silverware, put on a fancy table cloth and napkins and pick a unique centrepiece. Avoid using fresh flowers as they won’t last long and it’ll cost you a lot to have them replaced every third day. Instead find a non-floral piece that will decorate the table like glass jars with seashells if it’s summer or acorn, potpourri and candles in winter, or a lovely arrangement of tiny succulents.
Give the space some personality and character
The standard staging practice dictates that you stick to neutral colours and remove all very personal items. However, this doesn’t mean your home should be completely devoid of any personality and charm.
You need to infuse some character and interest so your home doesn’t appear too cold and sterile. A few unique items and a punch of carefully selected accent colours will give the space a vibrant note. Just be selective and minimal in the use of accessories. Feel free to mix and match modern and vintage elements and add a few dramatic items like a lavish chandelier, dark green armchair or a gold side table. These will work magic against a beige couch and ivory walls.
It ultimately comes down to having a positive attitude and staging a home that seems bright, fresh and happy with a pop of personality and charm. Those are the details that will attract potential buyers to fall in love with your home.
