Part of helping people to imagine your house as their home is the presentation. You will need to ‘set scenes’ and take away anything that distracts from them.
We all know real life is not like what we see in show properties or magazines – what is included in show homes is enough furniture and style to create character but enough space to let viewers visualise their own versions.
Part of presenting an established home for sale means removing some of your own preferences and real life accumulations to allow them to imagine their own style and furniture.
Give Space Purpose and Purpose Space
A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. Similarly a room that makes a great office is better than a room that makes a cramped office / gym.
We all know in real life, a dining room table can double up as a family place to eat and a space to work. It is better to show an empty table and let your viewers imagine their uses than to show a table being used for more than one purpose because both an eating table full of papers and a work space cluttered by condiments suggest some sort of compromise/lack of space.
You might like a choice of bath oils but if your bathroom shelf is too crowded people will see what you cannot fit on to it (comfortably) rather than what they can.
Depersonalise
Depersonalising a home does not mean remove all your beloved knick knacks and family photographs or painting all walls the same shade of off white. It means don’t let any one thing over power everything else.
You might love bright pink or ornamental pigs but not everyone does so try to limit those things (or your own penchants) to ‘subtle suggestions’ of your love rather than screaming it from the roof tops (or every available surface).
Keep a couple of your pigs on display but consider tucking most away in safe storage out of the way – e.g. in the attic or a shed so that viewers are not overly distracted by them.
A small collection of family photographs can ‘strike a chord’ with viewers – especially if some show the family enjoying your home but too many can make viewers feels are though they are intruding.
If you love vibrant colours, perhaps restrict the use of them to small areas to lift a room’s colour scheme than to dominate it.
Balance is the key and that does not mean ignoring your own preferences – after all, it is your house and you might continue living there for quite a long time if no-one makes an offer on your house so it has to be somewhere you enjoy living but perhaps not as extreme as you would like it if you weren’t trying to set a scene for someone else too.
Declutter
Although declutter and depersonalise can mean the same in some instances such as choosing one or two of your favourite bath oils/pigs instead of a distracting number of each, it also means simply putting things away.
Clear that corner in the kitchen where your favourite cook books are close to hand. Don’t leave your dishes to drip dry. Put the tea and coffee jars in the cupboard. Move the mop outside. Let people decide for themselves that the space under the stairs could be a good storage space, don’t show them by leaving piles of magazines 1or toys. Out of the way is not the same as out of sight.
Don’t shove everything haphazardly into cupboards – viewers check there and nothing says crammed more than things spilling out as they open the door. Crammed is not a word you want potential buyers to think during a viewing.
Stop views into another room interfering with people’s appreciation of the room you are in by making sure the doors are gently closed before you begin the tour.
Clutter is often a result of there not being any ‘official’ space to store different types of item which results in them getting left where ever there is space, along with lots of other objects ending up in an unorganised mass . If there isn’t an official place to store keys and mail, they are more likely to end up in the same pile cluttering counters.
A simple solution is to dedicate a container for the different types of clutter – e.g. a bowl for your keys, a container for pens, another for mail
Some people who live in the property they are trying to sell pack away items they do not use regularly to the attic, a shed or even storage containers to declutter for the entire period they may be asked to show people around the house.
While it can be an inconvenience and sometimes expensive option to pack away belongings while you wait for a house to sell, a well presented property can make a huge difference to first impressions and the time it takes to receive an offer.
Ambience
While it is advisable to depersonalise and declutter property for sale, it is also advisable to leave enough furnishings to ‘set scenes’ (empty property generally takes longer to sell)… to stoke people’s imagination so that they can see themselves living there.
e.g. If you think the balcony is a great place to relax with a good book in the evening, consider leaving a book on a chair in the vicinity (as long as it doesn’t look cluttered). Use it as a prop to mention how you love reading there.
Think of magazine shoots – use a small selection of your furniture and fittings to suggest a use for the spaces in your home.
Finesse
Finishing touches are the small things that shouldn’t really matter…. but we know from experience that they do. Who doesn’t think a touch of candle light can make a difference to how much you enjoy fine food?
It would look rather strange and unbelievable if your table is permanently set for fine dining but a bowl of fruit, a vase of flowers or any other center piece invites buyers to notice the space and potential.
Likewise, if you have a beautiful, modern and sparkling bathroom anything that doesn’t fit will steal attention so put out your best towels and make sure they are hanging nicely. Put the toilet seat down and the lid on the toothpaste.
Of course everything else has to be perfect – these are the tiny details that only make a difference if viewers don’t have any other concerns but they can add a touch of class that many buyers find very attractive.
In short, get rid of anything that might make anyone think ew. It’s not just about scoring points through the things that matter, it’s about not losing any through the things that don’t too.
Throw out stained tea towels, store your dish cloths purposefully and keep your bins clean. Plump up the cushions. Use your best sheets and make sure the pillow cases match. If you have curtains, make sure they are clean, fresh and crumple free. Open windows. Buy flowers that smell nice.
As the saying goes, the devil (in this case, rejection) is in the detail.