If you would like the complete Gallerie B experience of ‘Styling Tips to Sell Your Home’, press play below:
(A big thank you to Eric from Nella Digital for helping set the scene)
Thankfully our house sold at auction three weeks ago. It is only the second home we have sold, our first was a small apartment in our ‘pre-kids’ life. I have watched most of my friends buy and sell homes over the past few years and I think the majority of them would describe the process as stressful. For me, the most stressful stage was preparing the house for the marketing campaign, photos and video. Once that was complete, it was a matter of maintenance, not always easy with kids. I think the girls’ memory of this stage will include a crazy mum telling them to watch TV sitting on the carpet (so as not to ‘de-plump’ the cushions on the sofa), and eating their dinner on the floor because the dining table had just been wiped and was set up with the agent’s brochure display!
In light of my experience, I have put together some ideas and tips for styling your home to sell.
1. Street Appeal
The street appeal is important to attract and entice as many potential buyers as possible. We employed a company called See Through Property Services to assist in the heavy-duty cleaning and it was money well spent. In one day they professionally cleaned the house externally including the weatherboards, driveway, deck and paths. To do these jobs properly ourselves would have taken up a few valuable weekends. They also steamed the carpets inside and cleaned the windows. We made sure the garden was tidied and pruned, and I bought a new doormat for the front entrance.
We were so lucky with the weather in the lead up to the auction. It was perfect for the front Iceberg roses to bloom just in time.
2. Declutter
This was one of the more time-consuming steps. Ten years in the same house can result in a lot of accumulating (I’m avoiding the word ‘hoarding’!). The kids bedrooms were the main offenders. Miss 9 has a large room and over the years she has managed to fill it with her ‘knickknacks’. I wanted it to appear as spacious as possible and pretty but not childish. I removed a large bookcase which looked messy and re-arranged some furniture. We borrowed some side tables and a bed head from the beach house. The turquoise lamps we already had. I changed her bedding (from pink polka dots) to a more neutral white, and added some softer accents in mint and pink to compliment the lamps. The ‘lovely’ original cream floral drapes were always on my list to change, but unfortunately we ran out of time.
Miss 6 has a very small room. Again, I de-cluttered her desk and bedside to make the room appear bigger.
In the kitchen I removed all appliances from the bench and kept it as simple as possible.
3. Stylish Storage
We don’t have an abundance of cupboard space in our house so I have had to get creative with storage ideas. These baskets under the console are the perfect hiding spot for the ever-growing pile of magazines.
It was a great opportunity to sort out the girls’ toys and books (while they weren’t home!). These baskets are ideal for storing all their treasured bit and pieces.
4. Light
To increase the amount of light in all rooms, I introduced as many mirrors and lamps as I could. We already had most of the mirrors, they were just waiting to be hung. It’s amazing what jobs finally get done when you are selling your home! The mirrors helped to optimise the natural light while the lamps illuminated some of the darker rooms with the added bonus of providing ambience.
5. Colour
Of course colour was like the icing on the cake for me. I added colour to each room through different accents and accessories.
The bathrooms are fairly neutral so I used some Missoni towels and co-ordinating Savon hand lotion and soap.
Green apples en masse add a pop of colour in the kitchen.
Fresh flowers are a real treat and are a perfect way of adding colour.
6. Candles & Music
To appeal to all the senses, I burned a couple of candles in different rooms at least an hour before each inspection and always had our ‘lucky charm’ Tony Bennett Duets II album playing.
Have you sold a house recently? What was your tip for presenting your home to sell?
Belinda XO