Home Staging – How to add value to your House

Home Staging is a way of styling your home to attract more buyers and encourage a higher sale price.

It involves improving the overall look of the property by depersonalising your home and looking at it through the eyes of a potential buyer. You can pay a professional company to do this, however DIY Home Staging is something you can do yourself.

Start from the outside of your home – kerb appeal is a major factor when a potential buyer arrives – it’s all about first impressions.   Clear any weeds, hide the wheelie bins, have the windows cleaned a few days beforehand and wash the front door – if it needs a coat of paint, it is worth doing so.

Make sure every room has a clear purpose – if your home has 3 bedrooms, make sure there are appropriate size beds in all of the rooms – don’t fill a small room with a king size bed so there is no room to walk around – change the  bed linen and place clean towels in the bathrooms.

If your home has a separate living room and dining room, use them for the purpose they are intend for – try not to use the dining room as a storage unit for all your sporting gear or spare bicycles –  make sure there is a table and chairs and set the table, whether it is with just a basket of fruit  or going all out with placemats and cutlery and your best crystal wine glasses – as if your are about to host a dinner party – it will just make the room look homely and lived in.

If your sofa is looking a little tired, add a few new cushions and throws – it will instantly be updated.    Leave all blinds and curtains open during the day to add as much natural light as possible and place vases of fresh flowers around the house to brighten up the rooms and make them feel welcoming.

Declutter your home of non essential personal and sentimental items before placing the house on the market – pack them all away in boxes and hide them in the garage or rent a small storage unit – it will mean less packing once the house has sold – the feeling of spaciousness will be worth the storage costs.

Clear all the kitchen worktops of any kitchen utensils, washing up liquid, phone chargers – just leave a kettle and toaster – it will make the kitchen look a lot more spacious.

Give the house a deep clean before a viewing from the carpets, cupboards, light switches, cobwebs – this is one of the most important factors of home staging – it will be easy to keep on top of the cleaning after you have done this.

Tidy up up the garden – mow the lawn, again,  clear any weeds and remove any dead leaves – cut hedges and paint any fences – hide away any lawnmowers, broken plant pots, garden tools.

Create  an alfresco seating area with some outdoor garden and chairs and if you have sun loungers put them out in the summer months – it will give the buyer a great vision of an outdoor entertaining space.

It is definitely worth spending time and a little money in styling your home ready to sell – some estate agents predict it could add 10% to the value of your home – every effort you make beforehand will totally maximise the sale price of your home.