Rare has it been, since I have commenced my home staging business where the Vendor believes home staging is a fix all and substitute for everything.
Home staging is fantastic, it will draw the eye away from imperfections, it will create warmth. And strategic home staging can make an area feel more spacious and overall improve the flow and energy of the home. But while home staging will affect your end ‘sale price’ it doesn’t actually add value to your home – because obviously any ‘value’ it does add, quickly drops when you remove the furniture 🙂
So how can you add value to your home?
Here are 5 things all agents and home stagers would like you to consider – to compliment home staging. These things will likely add some dollars to your sales price and minimise your market time.
The vast majority of homes I’ve staged have been either cleaned by vacating tenants, professionally cleaned, or the owners have put in their own elbow grease to bring it up shiny and clean. The latter often being the case if the vendors have left this home and moved onto a new home, or if their former tenants have left it in a state.
Specifically cleaning the areas found typically on a Bond Inspection Check List (ask your agent for one) is ideal. Your real estate agent will very likely have good professional cleaner they can recommend too.
Other areas to consider cleaning
If cleaning is likely not going to bring those walls up beautiful, and it’s been several years since paint job… It’s time for a paint job 🙂
Neutral light colours are always a winner. This will make it easy for your carpet layer, window treatment person and of course, your home stager will have a larger variety of furniture that will work in a light and airy space.
I’ve staged a few homes where the carpets have been replaced and I personally didn’t think they needed it. Bless these vendors 🙂 But a couple of times I’ve been, eep. Would it be unethical to place mats over stains that the new owner is going to be horrified about when they finally see? I personally don’t like doing it, and also, a mat to hide a stain is almost always not going to be where you would normally place a rug in a room.
The carpets may look ok, but smell funny, they may smell ok, but look old tired, and stained. Or they may have some crazy patten on them from the 1970’s. No one wants you to spend unnecessarily – so if you’re unsure if your carpets need replacing, your agent or home stager will give you an honest opinion.
I’ve seen professional ceiling height sheers completely transform an average home to wow. Not everyone has the dollars to do so, but when it is done, so good.
Do all homes need professional window coverings? No. But at the very least old curtains/ blinds removed and/or repaired. For some places (not all) bare windows would be better than decades old block outs or yellow dusty Lacey sheers that remind me of grandmas. And any stained and dented / missing/ broken verticals that our tenants have left behind, or that our kids (little rascals) have wrecked while growing up in the family home, definite need addressing.
There are sheers you can purchase, from Koos from Spot Light (or Ikea not as good but cheap), that are are more cost effective, as opposed to professional window treatments. I would almost always go white, and light, sheer. Let the new owners put in block outs if they want. We want it bright and light ready for your home staging 🙂
I get it, so many times my poor vendors have received keys back and their gardens are destroyed by former tenant pets, retic has been broken and never repaired. Whatever the reason. Dry and barren or desperately overgrown gardens are not the first thing you want your prospective buyers to see.
Retic repair, and sneaking in a bunch of extra watering days (if necessary) are 100% the way to go. Lawn mowing, edging, pruning and fresh mulch and some new plants if needed is going to give your home much more street appeal.
Almost always before we stage your home 🙂
This way our furniture is not going to be in the way of the painter (or be covered in paint), we do not make mess when we install, but we have arrived to mess countless times (sometimes left by tradesmen) so have your cleaner come before.
Good Luck and Enjoy
