How to stage your home for a quick sale

For a buyer to make an offer on a property, it’s imperative that they feel they can see themselves making a home there. For this to happen, a delicate balance has to occur in your home – it must offer a glimpse of being ‘lived in’, but also be clean, tidy, open and airy – allowing them to picture their own furniture and belongings in the space.

The sales process can be drawn out and stressful, but with a little planning and foresight, it needn’t be. Here we share three simple yet effective ways you can stage your home for a quick sale – without breaking the bank.

1. Start outside and work your way in

The very first thing potential buyers see when they pull up outside your property is the exterior. This includes the driveway, garden, front door – even the roof and guttering. The components of your property’s frontage will also be the very last things viewers see as they leave – so it’s important to get this right in order to create a positive lasting impression. Fortunately, freshening up your frontage with a new, clean look can be inexpensive to achieve. For example, spending £30 on bright bedding plants provides a colourful and cheerful welcome, whilst a lick of paint on your doors and paintwork can work wonders. You could even hire a pressure washer (usually for as little as £50) to blast away dirt leaving a beautifully clean path and driveway. Mow lawns and brush gravel neatly prior to every viewing.

2. Keep it clean and tidy

Cleanliness and tidiness cannot be overestimated when it comes to selling your home. Grubbiness and clutter can be incredibly off-putting – and it’s not difficult to see why. The condition your home is in at a viewing represents the type of property they can expect to receive when they buy – so dirt, grime and mess does little to persuade potential buyers to part with their cash. Before each viewing (or group of viewings, if they are scheduled together), spend some time thoroughly cleaning your home from top to bottom. Go the extra mile – sweeping away hard to reach (but easy to spot) cobwebs, wiping dusty skirting boards and removing baked-on dirt from hobs and ovens.

3. Declutter, downsize and rearrange

Now is possibly the best time to declutter and throw out items you no longer need or use. This isn’t just for the benefit of your buyers – it also helps you further down the line, as you’ll have less to pack (and potentially clutter your new property with). It may take a day or two, but it’s well worth going through your entire home room by room to identify where clutter could be thrown away, given to charity or packed up prior to a viewing. Make sure that CDs and DVDs are neatly stacked or boxed up, and remove any large personal items such as photographs and boldly coloured paintings – they won’t be to everyone’s taste, and may prevent viewers from being able to see themselves settling into your property.

Little things can make a huge difference

Once you’ve considered the three points above, have a think about small touches that could have a significant effect on the way buyers perceive your home. For example, a pleasant (yet not overpowering) scent to greet viewers as they walk in, a bunch of fresh flowers on the table, ensuring that all light bulbs work before they arrive. For more property buying and selling tips, browse our handy blog posts and resources – including advice on every aspect of moving from planning and packing to choosing the right catchment area for schools.