Having sold a flat and a house, and working within the interior industry, I’ve had a bit of experience with what to do, and what glaring mistakes people make when marketing their house.
From not cleaning to leaving the smell of your lunch wafting around before your prospective buyers turn up is just the tip of a huge iceberg on really simple things you can do to make your home look, and feel instantly more attractive.
It’s not difficult to do, and whilst they might not add real value, they will give a better perception of value, and make your potential buyers feel more at ease as they step through the front door.
10 Useful Ways To Make Your Entire House Look Its Best Before Selling
1.Remove All Unappealing and Oversized Furniture
Having furniture that is too bulky is a common interior design mistake. My best advice is that if it feels too big for a space, it probably is.
The main spaces worth paying attention to are hallways and spaces between furniture, ideally there should always be a metre gap between items such as from dining chairs to a console table, this helps flow of traffic and stop the room from feeling small.
Get rid of anything too bulky, and if you want to keep the furniture for your next house, or for sentimental reasons, then consider renting a storage unit before selling your property. Take a step forward to invest in the right storage in London, New York and all the surrounding cities to store your important furniture.
Renting storage units is a cost effective way to store items in between moves or renovations.
2. Deep Clean Your Home
I know this seems like an obvious one, but the amount of properties I viewed when it had not been cleaned was outrageous.
The first impression is made as soon as the prospective buyer walks through the door, so make it a good one! Before you even list the property and get photos, create a checklist to run through both snags and cleaning items on the list.
It’s time to clean all of those places that probably haven’t been cleaned in a long time, and think about your eye of sight. A key place is when you’re walking down the stairs, if you have prints hanging up or a mirror, check the tops for dust and dirt.
An extension of this is on the day of viewings. Make sure everything is cleaned, dishes are put away and your laundry days are perfectly timed so nothing is being aired to dry.
3. Repaint All the Walls and Repair Ceilings
Have your home looking its best by repairing any scuffs, marks and dents on the wall before you list the property.
Once they have been repaired, make sure they are touched up with paint. Cracks, peeling paint and damp are all worrisome features for a buyer, so fix everything you can prior to listing.
Or perhaps, it’s time to consider repainting walls all together in a fresher, on-trend colour. The power of a fresh lick of paint is so underrated, and even if your furniture and layout is dated, paint can go a long way at making a space feel cosier and more welcoming.
Avoid bright white where possible, it creates a clinical feeling and even in dark spaces it can end up feeling flat as it can only bounce around what little light is available.
Neutrals and soft colours are always a sensible choice in transitional spaces like a hallway as it’s the first place your potential buyers will see, so put them at ease!
4. Update the Hardware and All Important Fixtures
The devil really is in the detail, so focus on little fixtures and hardware details. Switching a plain white plastic socket to a brass one completely elevates the look and makes the overall finish look more expensive, it’s all about perceived value.
Hardware such as door knobs and cabinet handles are another quick and relatively affordable fix. If you have dated or scratched hardware, consider switching these up for an elevated look on a budget.
5. Enhance the Curb Appeal
Whilst first moments really matter when someone steps inside, the reality is that the exterior of the property is the true first impression that counts.
Focus on elevating your curb appeal to make your house look more attractive. You don’t have to spend tons of money doing this, just ensuring the grass is cut and there’s no weeds is a better start than many make.
Even just upgrading lighting outside your front door, or adding some plants on either side will help to lift the exterior and make it feel more welcoming.
6. Stage Your Entire Home
It can be difficult if you have a busy household with both kids and pets, but staging your home will dramatically impact the appeal from buyers. You want the buyers to be able to imagine living there.
This includes styling furniture and using tasteful accessories for a well lived in, yet stylish home.
Get rid of pancake flat cushions on sofas, add some flowers to your dining table, remove your soaps and bin from sight. These are just a few small things, but they really do make a difference. Also, no one needs to see your toothbrush or medicine sat on the side.
7. Add Some Statement Pieces
With your bulky furniture gone, and as you’re at the staging process of getting your home ready for sale, consider adding some statement pieces that look so good in your home, that the buyer will want to purchase them with the sale too.
They don’t need to expensive, but use things that bring charm and character to the interior.
Some statement piece ideas could be;
- Some antique furniture pieces
- Larger pieces of artwork
- Add a thrifted gallery wall or painting
- Vintage mirror
8. Setup All Rooms for Intended Purpose
Yes, we all have one, but no one else needs to see it!
I’m talking about the spare room which doubles up as a dumping ground for everything and anything you probably haven’t used for years.
When staging your interior, set each room up for its actual purpose. You need buyers to envision how it will feel if they are living there, how would they watch TV in the living room, how might they use the spare room?
Many prospective buyers need to see how their life would work there, rather than having to imagine it.
9. Make Your Home Smell Nice!
No one needs to know what you had for lunch. I’ll say that again.
Selling your house can become a bit of an operation when you’re still living there, but please think about what you should or shouldn’t be cooking before viewings. Yes, smells linger and it is the one thing I pick up on before my eyes have even hit the interior.
This is common sense, but don’t cook fish the night before viewings, don’t cook eggs an hour before your buyers turn up. This is your permission to grab a meal out for lunch.
The main thing I remember about homes when I view them is the smell, once you get a bad whiff it stays with you. Also, when you live in a house, ‘your house smell’ is something you can’t smell, but others can. So air the house out well beforehand and light a candle or wax melt to help vaporise any bad smells well in advance of the viewing.
Having done it a couple times myself now and also viewing well in excess of 30 properties on my last stint, I really have seen some sights, and smells. There are so many subtle changes you can make to your property which end up having a huge impact on your buyers experience.
What else would you add to the list?
