3 simple ways to entice buyers when staging your property
You’ve valued your home and it’s on the market — now what? Rather than waiting around for an interested buyer, staging can give your property the competitive edge it needs to sell quickly and for a better price.
Put simply, ‘staging’ is the art of presenting your home in the best possible light, in order to attract potential buyers. And it can be extremely effective: statistics show that a well presented property will not only increase your chances of a quick sale, but also sell for up to 10% more than an unstaged home.
Here are three simple staging strategies to sell your interested buyers a vision.
1. Remove personal clutter
In order to make their property seem as inviting as possible, many novice stagers opt to fill their homes with homely knick-knacks, such as candles, picture frames, and warm soft furnishings.
While a touch of cosy ‘hygge’ is great for home staging — the golden rule here is that less is more. You are selling a vision to your prospective buyers: too much personal clutter can be a distraction, make a room seem smaller, and make it much harder for visitors to put their own hypothetical stamp on.
Instead, your goal should be to strip back your home to be a blank canvas for the buyer to illustrate as they see fit. You can achieve this by removing any excess clutter, sentimental items and furniture, and maximising the available space and natural light.
2. Master the art of interior design
If you’re worried that your rooms are lacking character, we recommend displaying some thoughtful pieces of artwork. Wall art is an incredibly influential aspect of interior design, boasting the ability to add warmth and texture to your home, set tone and ambience, and effortlessly create a focal point, all without taking up valuable floor space.
However, art is also extremely subjective — it can cue subconscious feelings or associations in your buyers, and it’s highly unlikely that every prospective buyer will share similar tastes. Err on the side of caution here and opt for something neutral that complements your interior design. Landscapes, nature, and abstract art pieces can be effective choices, as can still life and tasteful silhouettes.
After you’ve chosen your artwork, keep the rest of your furnishings modest and consider framing them for added impact. As the experts at Soho Frames point out, “a picture frame can often be much more than a border, but part of the whole artwork.” The colour, material, and construction of a frame, as well as the placement of a piece, are crucial factors to think about when bringing your space together.
3. Maximise your kerb appeal
According to research, 68% of house-hunters claim that they could be persuaded to offer more money for a home with kerb appeal — the attractiveness of a property and its surroundings when viewed from the street. From cleaning the gutters and tucking away the bins, simple improvements to your property’s exterior can set the stage and attract buyers quickly.
According to one survey, the external features of a home are most likely to entice prospective buyers into making a higher offer are double-glazed windows, a well-maintained roof, and cared-for plants and trees. Lower-cost modifications, on the other hand, can still make a significant difference: a clean lawn, power washed walls, and a newly painted front door are all rated as having compelling kerb appeal.
Remember that first impressions count. Your building’s facade should act as an inviting advertisement for your home, and if it’s not up to par, prospective buyers will be turned off.
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