Preparing Your Home For Sale in 2020
2020, the start of a new decade! All things are fresh, with a topping of optimism and intrigue as to what will come. If you are planning to sell your home this year, Marie-Louise Keeley, expert interior designer at House + Garden Furnishings, offers up her best tips and tricks to prepare your house for the tricky property marketplace.
Marie-Louise leads the Staging team in House + Garden, Ireland’s largest turnkey interiors and fit out company, fitting out entire properties for sale on behalf of estate agents, international funds, and investors. These empty houses transform into homes with lavish interiors, and are often seen on pages of the newspaper property pages, creating the vision of the dream home for prospective buyers.
When planning the sale of your private home, proper preparation along with perfect presentation are key to a prompt and profitable property sale. Follow Marie-Louise Keeley’s top preparation tips to help get your home more appealing than the next!
BEAUTY FROM THE OUTSIDE IN
It is of the utmost importance that your property looks the part from the outside. Your home needs to look fabulous from the moment the viewer sees it from the street. Giving the front door a fresh coat of paint is the first step to take. First impressions are key to the buyer. According to research undertaken by the UK’s Strutt & Parker, 76% of property purchasers agree that first impressions are everything when they visit a property. Spend some time tidying up the lawn and front garden. Small preparations such as cutting the grass and planting some flowers bring colour and vibrancy to the garden and appeal to the eye. For final exterior touches, clean the windows and make sure the curtains are spotless.
CLEAR AWAY CLUTTER
Allow the buyer to imagine their own life in your property by putting away your bits and bobs. Objects such as ornaments, souvenirs, family snaps, toys should be cleared away out of sight. Clearing clutter from all areas enables the potential buyer to see how much scope there is in each room. Remove any excess pieces of furniture to create more clear space. Try to see your property through the eyes of the buyer. While making your home look lived in is often desired, providing the buyer with the opportunity to envision the space as their own, is preferable.
WALLS & FLOORS
If the walls inside your property are looking at all rundown or tired, consider repainting them prior to putting it up for sale. Neutral colours are generally safe and effective. Colour choices such as warm grey or taupe are suitable. Prior to selling your home, ensure all of your carpets have been steam cleaned and be sure to polish wooden floors. Polishing wooden floors makes them look shiny and presentable which is desired when selling your property. The aim is to show your buyer how little work is required when they purchase your home.
CLEANLINESS
Giving your home a thorough, deep clean before showing it is always essential. Pay particular attention to the kitchen and bathrooms as they are most prone to gathering dirt. Make sure the inside of all cabinets are spotless, all appliances are sparkling, sanitary fittings are glistening, and grout is fresh. Steam cleaning your bathrooms can work miracles and is a safe, healthy and eco-friendly way to do so.
If you are interested in more help as you prepare your home for sale, House + Garden’s team of experts can organise to visit your property for a two-hour consultation on how best to dress your house for sale based on your target market. With their experience and skills in design, the talented team will assist you in showing your property at its ultimate best, accentuating all the positives. They will provide you with knowledge of the best furniture, wallpaper, lighting, fabrics, rugs, artwork and accessories needed to make a sale on your property. Consultations start from €300.
House + Garden have recently expanded their offering with their new retail showroom, where a large range of luxury ex-house furniture is on sale from their Sandyford Headquarters in the Stillorgan Industrial Park. Interior enthusiasts can look forward to getting ex-show house furniture at great prices, including living, dining and bedroom furniture, sofas, occasional chairs and footstools, dining tables and chairs, storage units, and a wide range of decorative accessories and cushions are on sale.
