How to help buyers fall in love with your home
Getting your house sold, especially during a pandemic can be really tough. But rest assured, there are things you can do to get buyers to fall in love with your home. Since February is the month of love, I decided to share my top tips to get cupid to fire his shot at potential buyers. I’ll cover simple DIY fixes as well as items that may need a bit more budget, but if you want your home to stand out, being proactive and honest about what it takes to get it sold is important.
Declutter to entice more buyers
No one likes a messy space and buyers will be distracted if there is too much stuff all over the place. In this room there was just too much going on and it really functioned as a overflow room. But by decluttering, you could see it functioning as the extra inlaw suite that it was including a mobile kitchenette.
Decluttering can extend to the bathroom as well by streamlining all the toiletries and can even make the space look bigger.
Carry out small improvements to your home
It’s important to invest in the small improvements within your home as this can really make a big difference, repaint a dingy wall, tighten up that door handle that’s falling off, walk around the property and find the little niggling areas that need a bit of love and get them fixed. In this flat here the paisley wall paper is too taste specific. Instead of removing it, we painted over it, creating this nice neutral look. The chair now gives just the right amount of burst of colour.
Create a neutral palette
When you are preparing your property for sale, I recommend that you create a neutral palette so that buyers feel at ease when they enter the space. This will make it easier for them to envision themselves living there.
Add colour with accessories
Once you’ve updated the space with a neutral palette, you can add pops of interest through colourful accessories such as throws, cushions, vases and so on. This will elevate the space without overwhelming the buyers for the work they may have to carry out to make it their own.
Check your lighting
Lighting can make a huge difference to a space, and there’s nothing quite as disconcerting to a buyer than when they are viewing a property and a switch doesn’t work or a light doesn’t come on because the bulb hasn’t been replaced. Go around and update your lighting so the space can be bright and inviting, particularly for the darker months & for evening viewings.
Clean your windows
This may seem like a tedious job and is one that can often go overlooked by sellers, but when you invest in a window cleaner (or take the time to do this yourself!) this can make a big difference to your property.
Create curb appeal
Whether it’s clearing the pathway and tidying the garden if you have a house, or putting a nice door mat as well as knocker in front of your flat, maximising the first impact that your property will have as buyers arrive for viewings is essential. You can also invest in some beautiful plantings to go outside the front door, as they can go a long way to liven a space and create an inviting experience.
Highlight the property’s best features
If your property has some specific features, like a really special view, hard wood floors, or high ceilings, then make sure it can be seen. If it’s a fireplace, make sure you show it off. In this flat, the fireplace was hidden by the sofa, if you can believe that. We removed the extra sofas so now the fireplace is the focal feature. You’ll also notice that now you can see the beautiful floors, which were previously covered.
Consider the staging of the space
Staging is an element of my job that often gets overlooked by potential sellers – this important element of your property selling process can go a long way to enticing a buyer to want to view your home. If that means getting rid of an oversized sofa and fit something more suitable, then do it. Again in this flat by getting rid of the oversized sofas, we were able to create a dining space that really works with the space.
In this space, we traded out the barstools in the hallway, which felt really awkward with the desk which seems to make much for sense.
For more details on staging and why it’s an important part of your property selling process, this article covers the process in more detail.
Show off outside space
To finish off my list of top things to do to help get buyers fall in love with your property is to show off your green space if you have it! Buyers are craving outdoor space right now, so if you have it, dress it up. In this flat, we pruned the tree in the interior courtyard and fresh flowers just liven it up.
And in this home, with a fabulous back garden, it was dressed and really show worthy. We even featured the dog in our pictures. If you are planning to sell your property and want to know more about what buyers are looking for in 2021, then this article covers my full list.
I hope this has shown you some ways to get your home ready for sale and help buyers fall in love with your property. For the full list with details on getting your home ready for sale, and viewing tips, I have a free download which you can receive here.
