When it comes to selling a house something often overlooked is the presentation. Sure people tidy up, make it smell nice and give it a quick clean, but they are not presenting the house for their potential buyers. Its know as projecting, and its what all buyers do when they look at a house, the key is to present your house in a way that allows the buyers to project positively on the house.
The most important aspect of presenting a house (after ensuring its clean) is setting up the décor and furnishings. And unless your house is architecturally distinct, or somewhat historical you should be focusing on a modern décor. The short tip is to try and style your house like a magazine, but of course there is more depth to it.
One mistake I see a lot of people make is to mix emotions with taste. Sure that sofa may have been a big part of your family life over 10 years with plenty of happy memories, but a potential buyer sees an old, worn sofa bringing the aesthetics of the house down. So replacing that sofa with a Modern Sofa would be a good idea. Now the sofa has been replaced does the rest of the furniture match well or do you need to style the whole house with Contemporary Furniture ?
Before you begin worrying that I am advocating spending thousands on replacing the furniture of the whole house, I am advocating the hire of Modern Furniture to style your house whilst you are selling it. It’s cheap and it makes a huge difference for potential buyers. Earlier I mentioned projections and this is where your styling skills come to the fore. Your goal is not to over-stylize the house, but to show the function and potential of each room, and to promote its potential.
Have a look at these two examples before, both nice rooms, fairly simple but the way they have been styled makes all the difference. The first uses modern furniture, clean layout, high quality furniture, showcasing the function of the room, and consistent with the rest of the house.
The second image shows another nice room, with dated furniture, clashing colors and styles, and a fake TV and fireplace to really emphasis the word “cheap”. Assuming the houses were exactly the same structurally which one would you choose?
Here are some tips to help you style your house properly:
- Show the functionality of a room – If it’s a living space add a sofa, if it’s a bedroom add a bed (you will be surprised) and so on.
- Neutral Styles – You’re not styling for yourself but for potential buyers. Having red and black themes throughout your house, quirky or unique furniture or other personal touches may help you with some buyers but hurt you with others. Let their imaginations do the work for you, stick to neutral themes and they will “project” their own ideas on the house
- Go modern, go high quality. New, quality furniture will bring a wow factor to the house. Although its neutral in colors and style it will add to the overall appeal of the house, quality by association.
- Along with your furnishings, hiring of some indoor plants can be a good idea. Its add freshness and a splash of color to a house.
So please no more ratty sofas, no more home gyms in a bedroom, no more multi functional rooms, no more houses with 10 different styles throughout, spend the money on presenting the house properly and you will be rewarded in the final sale price.
