Design tips to get your home sale ready

Inspirational design tips to give your property kerb appeal.

There are two important things any home owner needs to sell a property: the right price and the correct presentation. A good estate agent will set the right price and a unique marketing plan for your home and I can help you with the rest by letting you in on a few designers trade secrets that will give you the knowledge and skill to improve the presentation of your home. The result will be stunning and it will really impress your buyers.

In the UK most properties that come to the market are presented in a lived in state and this might not suit the tastes of your prospective buyers. It’s best to detach yourself from any emotional attachment to your property prior to sale and try to look at it through your buyers eyes. Properties that have been carefully prepared for sale and which are well presented tend to sell faster and attract more offers. More offers can mean more profit and a quicker sale. Remember, presenting your home well doesn’t mean a complete redecoration or spending money on new furniture, it just means a bit of time and effort directed where it matters most.

If you are like most people, you will have some idea of what’s needed but you may be so familiar and comfortable in your home that small faults just don’t jump out at you anymore. These unsightly details can be exactly the kind of things that your buyer will notice and may just let the side down. That’s where I come in, by showing you how to evaluate what’s needed to start with and then by giving you some no nonsense low cost tips for making the right first impressions.

How do you know whether you really need help improving the presentation of your property? Often the tell tale sign can be getting viewings but poor feedback and no firm offers, even though your agent is sure the property is priced to suit the market. It might be that a few small details are putting potential buyers off and preventing potential buyers seeing the true value of your home. The key to improving the appearance of your home is to dress it to appeal to the widest audience, without wasting money on work that is unnecessary.
Are there some properties that would benefit more than others from really good presentation? Well the evidence and feedback from the many thousands of buyers that have passed through Hunters doors over the last decade, would suggest not. In fact whether your property is for sale, to let or would appeal to an investor, good presentation can really get you more offers in all cases.

“Getting to grips with the presentation of your home before you sell can only have positive benefits. You will be amazed at how much more confident you will feel about showing buyers around as a result and how good you feel about your property and your chances of selling it quickly to the right buyer.”

“When it comes to preparing your home for sale or rent, it’s worth putting in a bit of extra effort. A few simple changes can have a really positive impact on those all important first impressions.”

 

Decorating your home for Christmas

Minimal clutter is key to selling your home, but here at Hunters we’re not hard-hearted enough to frown upon Christmas decorations.

Don’t get into the seasonal spirit too early. Leave putting the decorations up until a few weeks before Christmas, so they look at their best for viewings over the festive season.

Hand-made and natural decorations, mixed together with cherished old favourites, is the look to go for. In hard financial times completely matching schemes can seem in rather bad taste, so play it safe by taking inspiration from the outside.

Go for a traditional Christmas tree. Forget tinsel and instead opt for a few pretty baubles. The colours don’t have to match and are more on-trend if they don’t. Bring branches and holly inside and have a welcoming garland on the door. Candles complete the look.

Finally, don’t forget outdoors. With the nights drawing in the chances are that people may arrive for a viewing when it’s dark, so pretty lighting - again, no gaudy colours - and clear pathways will help make the right first impression.

How to dress your property to attract your buyers

Tip 1:

Choose colours wisely in your home. Be totally honest about the type of person you are… Bold and vibrant people can opt for eye popping colours, particularly in a bathroom, hallway or dining room but if you’re gently weaning yourself off magnolia and beige, then this might be a step too far. Choose a neutral palette of greys and vary the tones from room to room, keeping the woodwork a constant pale grey.

 

Tip 2:

Use natural light and let the sun shine in, quite literally and if you are in a northerly room, then simply position large mirrors opposite the windows to double the effect of the available light. Make sure your curtains lie against the window reveals and not against the glass, so as not to obscure the precious light. Use tie backs or hold backs, if necessary.

 

Tip 3:

Placing furniture seems an obvious and basic concept but thinking about the placement carefully beforehand, makes all the difference to the ambience of a room. Make sofas sociable and position these opposite one another whenever you can. Additional seating can be two beautiful upholstered armchairs placed side by side,at right angles to the sofas. A fireplace or TV can then complete the fourth side. I liketo pull furniture slightly away from the walls too, rather than decreasing the sense of space this trick seems to have the opposite effect, as the room never feels cramped.