We know that when you decide to put your property on the market the process can feel overwhelming – especially as it can be full of uncertainty. Where do you start? What do you need to do to your home to make sure it doesn’t linger on the market? Take this as your quick guide to those simple décor touches that can highlight and hide, and will help to get your home sold. They will make your house glow and appeal to buyers in the hope that it will be snapped up quickly.
What should you keep and ditch when selling your home?
Keep – Fresh flowers
There is nothing like fresh flowers to make a space feel warm and inviting, it gives the buyer the sense that you care about your home and how it is presented. Think about adding flowers to key spaces such as your dining table, maybe the kitchen island, the living room. You could even think about artificial or dried flowers, succulents or orchids to supplement your displays – a bunch of lavender on a pillow or in the bedroom is always a lovely touch.
Keep – Mirrors
Any room can benefit from a mirror. They brighten the space and can make it appear larger, which is amazing if you live in a smaller home. It’s not only hanging mirrors, think about adding some mirrored finishes – perhaps a vase, tiles, or even the odd piece of furniture, as when strategically placed they can easily enhance a room.
It is also worth thinking about replacing works of art with mirrors, as we all have our own tastes and should they not align with a potential buyer’s preferences it could subconsciously turn them off your home. Use a large wall mirror in a small room, as this adds dimension to the space making it more appealing, and place mirrors near windows so the space can benefit from the reflected light in the room.
Keep – New towels
Ditch – Used towels
Yes, towels. This may seem a strange conversation to have, just like which way the toilet roll should be placed (although the answer is always over, in case you’re curious). Bathrooms are one of those rooms that can win buyers over; they want to see a haven, a spa-like experience that makes them want to relax and ease their stresses away. And nothing screams luxury quite like fluffy new towels, which is why we recommend you purchase a couple that can be used for photographs and viewings.
These sacred towels are there for display purposes only – that is, until you move, then you can get the full experience of wrapping yourself in these glorious bundles of softness.
Keep – good lighting
One quick way your home can turn off buyers is to have no light shining in – there is nothing attractive about a dark and moody home. We would always recommend the rule of three when it comes to lighting your home – by this, we mean having three sources of artificial light per room, such as two table lamps and one floor lamp. Make sure you use clear, incandescent lightbulbs.
In addition, don’t forget to emphasise your home’s natural light – open all your curtains and blinds and cut back any trees that could be stopping light from flooding a room. A light-filled home is welcoming and will sell more quickly.
Keep – Blue
It has been scientifically proven that the colour blue can make people feel more relaxed and calm. That doesn’t mean that you need to grab a paint brush and start adding blue to your walls, as this could see buyers running. You can add blue in a more subtle way, such as adding a blue or teal cushion, a throw or even a planters in your garden.
Ditch – Politics, allegiances
We are all have our opinions, sports teams we support, and groups we may be aligned to. This is great, but not everyone will have the same viewpoint. You may be lucky and only have viewings from similar minded people, but what is more likely is that someone will view your home and instead of focusing on what your property has to offer, they will take away that you have different opinions. Where possible, neutralise your home so it can appeal to the widest number of buyers possible.
Ditch – Collections
You may be passionate about vinyl, be Star Wars obsessed or a Lego nut! But when it comes to preparing your home for sale, find a way to hide your collections or tone them down a lot. A lot of ‘things’ will not only make your home feel cluttered, making buyers think it lacks storage or is smaller than it actually is, but it will also make it hard for a buyer to envision themselves living there. This is never a good thing when you want to sell.
Ditch – The personal
We all have family photos and portraits displayed in our homes, and they are doing no harm – right? Actually, they can hinder your sale, as again buyers will only see you in this house and could struggle to picture themselves living there. It isn’t just photos but also medals, fridge magnets, costumes – anything that reveals too much about your personality or lifestyle. You should make space for buyers to imagine your house as their home.
