Why home staging
You want to sell your home and are thinking about sales styling. A good move, because did you know that:
- a furnished, styled home sells faster?
- it usually brings in a higher selling price?
- this way, you earn back any investments very quickly?
Howcome?
Not everyone has the spatial insight to properly estimate the size of a room. And not everyone has an eye for the potential of an empty space or empty house. By furnishing it, the buyer gets a much more concrete picture of the home's potential. In addition, with the right furniture and layout, we can emphasize the strengths of the space, or disguise the weaker aspects somewhat.
This works even with houses that have already been furnished. After all, homes with dated or pronounced furniture quickly give the impression that they need a lot of work. How often do we hear that someone “can't see through something”? This brings feelings of insecurity. In contrast, a purposefully furnished home is more inviting, warmer and more attractive.
We have compiled for you, based on almost 20 years of experience, a checklist of focal points and tips. You will see that by investing some time, you yourself can optimize the home presentation.
General points of interest
Use of color
Choose 1 or at most 2 main colors and not too many complementary colors. Different shades of a certain color, on the other hand, are an option. Make sure that the rest of the used colors are neutral. This creates peace and balance in the interior.
Use complementary colors, both on the walls and in furniture and accessories. For example, what goes well together are warm yellow and gray, complemented by black or copper colors here and there.
Goal, layout and use of different rooms
Give each space a clear function. For example, you can present an empty bedroom as a home office. If the room is large, then the furniture may also be somewhat larger. If the space is small, adjust the furniture accordingly.
Neutrality
Keep the house tidy and neutral; hide unnecessary items.
Depersonalize: take personal items such as picture frames, souvenirs and clothes out of sight.
State of maintenance.
Make minor repairs: reattach that one baseboard that is loose, use oil for squeaky doors and remove old sticker residue.
Get rid of any mold and lime residue, replace the faucet bearing of a leaking faucet.
Make sure the bathroom, toilet, oven, stove and refrigerator look clean.
Furniture and lighting.
Let in as much light as possible.
Provide working lights in any dark corners.
Is the furniture still contemporary and does the lighting match the interior?
Styling
Details that repeat multiple times provide consistency. For example, this could be wooden legs of a sofa set that recur in the legs of a sturdy industrial lamp. Or the copper top of a table and a cushion with a copper-colored print.
Copper or gold elements add a lot of warmth and luxury to the interior and give a playful effect.
Natural elements such as wood and (imitation) fur add warmth to the interior.
Metal elements make it tough.
Be restrained with accessories.
Less is more: a few eye-catchers are often enough.
Decorate the house with flowers and plants and / or a filled fruit bowl.
Tips by area
Exterior
▢ Make sure the windows are washed
▢ Get rid of weeds and green algae between the stones
▢ Use tile cleaner, remove leaves
▢ Clean the buoys and door(s)
▢ How is the grouting? If necessary, repair.
▢ Clean gutters and downspouts
Hall
▢ Maintain a clean, fresh-smelling entrance/hallway
▢ Don't hang coat racks too full
▢ Clear the stairs
▢ Strategically open doors to allow light in
▢ Never put moving boxes in this room
▢ Clean the doormat, or replace it
Living room
▢ Clean up as much as possible (including toys)
▢ Remove personal items such as photos, souvenirs and clothing from view
▢ Bright flower(s) work wonders
▢ Hang curtains and net curtains straight
▢ With laminate or parquet flooring, finish the skirting boards
▢ Make the living room smell fresh
▢ Provide working lighting in any dark corners
Dining room and kitchen
▢ Make sure there are no dishes in the sink
▢ Keep trash out of sight
▢ Clean the dishwasher (especially the edges and top)
▢ Fridge and stove clean and fresh
▢ Look critically at handles and doors
▢ Make the dining room and kitchen smell fresh
Bathroom
▢ Work on mold (often on ceiling)
▢ Remove lime scale (anti-scaling)
▢ Check drains
▢ Clean shower pan edges properly
▢ Fresh (new) towels
▢ Brighten bath with nice bottle of bath salts
▢ Replace faucet leaky faucet valves
Bedroom
▢ No shoes or laundry visible
▢ Make sure bed is properly made
▢ Arrange clothes nicely or if possible by color in your closet
▢ Wash curtains and/or net curtains as needed
▢ Make space in bedrooms
After following this advice, you have made a big step towards an optimal home presentation! Following this advice, does it turn out that you need some other or additional furniture or styling? Or do you still have questions or are you confused about something? Feel free to let us know. We have been in the business of sales styling for almost 20 years.
We can help you highlight the positive points of the house and are happy to make it attractive to potential buyers. In the process, we bring in beautiful furniture and accessories from our inventory for the best sales presentation. How that works. Read more about sales styling.
A nice bonus is that the costs for our styling are covered by selling expenses. You can deduct these costs from any excess value. This reduces the surplus value and thus increases the amount on which you can deduct mortgage interest.
