How to get your home ready to sell in 2024
With more properties on the market than in recent years, if you’re planning to sell your home in 2024, you could be up against more competition than you think. So, it’s doubly important to consider the presentation of your home before you put it up for sale, to make sure it stands out from the crowd as a dream home for prospective buyers.
Research shows that buyers will decide in just eight minutes whether they will buy the property they’re viewing, so sellers don’t have much time to make an impactful impression. Buyers these days are surrounded by images of dream properties, thanks to Instagram and interiors influencers, so expectations could be higher than you might think.
Yes, there’s all the usual things – tidying up, weeding the garden, painting over scuffs and scratches – but how do you really create the impression of a relaxing, stylish, inviting home that will make buyers fall head over heels within those crucial first seconds?
Make sure your home is clean and fresh
Presenting a clean home is always key – it’s hard to fall in love with a home that looks grimy or has a questionable odour. It also reassures buyers that your property is well-loved and well-looked after, which can enhance its appeal.
Take time to assess your home, paying attention to the small things that might escape your notice day-to-day – particularly in areas like the kitchen or bathroom.
Light candles (citrus, vanilla or ‘clean cotton’ fragrances work well) or place diffusers in different rooms too.
Clear the clutter
Presenting a tidy home allows buyers to envisage how easy life would be, but daily debris can cloud that vision. Zoe Berry, from Edinburgh-based home organisation company LIFE/EDIT, says, “There are two major problems with clutter: it distracts buyers from your home’s features, and it makes your property feel less spacious.”
Spend time clearing out anything you don’t want or need – or if you can’t bear to part with belongings, consider moving items into the loft, a watertight shed, or even renting a storage unit.
Depersonalise, but don’t lose everything
Time and time again, we’ve heard the adage that homes should be a ‘blank canvas’ to appeal to buyers. However, experts believe this is no longer true, as Zoe explains: “Having furnishings and wall hangings in place is often more inviting than empty rooms and blank walls – people buy homes using their emotions, or to put it simply, there’s never a second chance to make a first impression.”
It’s a fine line – remove excessive memorabilia, artwork, and family photos, but keep a sense of ‘you’ to show how welcoming your home is.
Think about interior trends buyers will love
You absolutely don’t need to repaint your home before selling it – touch-ups on marks and scuffs are more than sufficient – but if you have bold, bright colours, it might help to tone them down and paint your spaces in an on-trend palette.
Creams, beiges and soft blush tones are all on-trend and universally appealing, to add light and warmth.
Try staging your home for selling
Home staging is a trend that has become increasingly popular with sellers and is recommended to help you boost your home’s appeal. Zoe tells us: “Home staging is huge in America, and now sellers locally are realising the advantages it can bring. Staging a home makes it more appealing visually and allows potential homebuyers to envision how the home might look once they move in. We’ve seen research that shows that staged properties sell, on average, twice as fast and for up to 10% more than properties that haven’t been dressed.”
But what is it? Simply put, staging your home ensures it looks its best. Think of magazines or the big reveal at the end of a home makeover show – flowers in vases, bowls of fruit or a pot of coffee in the kitchen, towels stacked in the bathroom, a neatly made bed with matching bedside tables and lamps… all these things make your home feel luxurious and polished. Who wouldn’t want to live in a home like this?
Add textures and lighting wherever you think needs it – dark corners need a lamp or mirror to brighten it up, and blankets, cushions and curtains bring a feeling of comfort.
Part of staging is also defining the purpose of each room. Zoe recommends that if you’re pitching a space as a bedroom or a home office, it has the appropriate furniture to show how that space should be used.