Whether you are selling or letting a property, making sure it looks appealing is essential to getting it sold or let. According to Rightmove statistics, staged homes sell for 8% more than non-staged homes on average and according to Homestaging.org.uk 95% of staged homes sold quicker than those that were un-staged. The logic behind staging is that by investing into how the property looks you will gain more from the sale of their property. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Here is a list of simple and inexpensive touches that can be made to your property to make it stand out.

Paint the exterior – if the exterior of your property is painted a light colour, this must be touched up. After years go by, the paint will get dirty and look unappealing. First impressions are key and if the house looks dirty that is not a good start!

Make sure the garden is cleared – one of the worst things to come across as an estate agent is a property with an unkempt garden, it makes interested parties believe the property is not being well looked after and that the current homeowner doesn’t care about it, which are red flags to potential buyers/tenants.

Make sure to de-clutter – When entering the property, the applicant needs to see it at its full potential. Make sure the entrance hall is clear of any household items that may make it less welcoming. Make sure bedrooms and reception rooms are clear from unnecessary furniture and trinkets and try to make sure the television isn’t the focal point in each room, it isn’t a homely quality.

Make the space feel larger (and brighter) – Paint the interior walls a lighter, neutral colour if they’re not already. If you are intending to let/sell a property you must be prepared to make some minor touches to the décor to fulfil the response from the applicants, you want. By painting the walls lighter, the rooms will be naturally brighter, seem larger, and therefore look like a blank canvas for whoever is viewing it, ideal to get them remembering the rooms and interested in the property.

Clean the carpets – by shampooing your carpets they won’t just look better, they’ll smell better. If you have pets, even though you can’t smell them, potential viewers may be able to smell odours that may be off-putting. Shampoo the carpet yourself, pay someone to do it, or if the carpets are poor, investigate what you have underneath before replacing them. You could find a good floorboard that could be sanded, painted and made an attractive addition to the property.

Optimise your bedrooms – when someone views your house, the smallest bedroom is always a point of contention, is it a double bedroom? If you can fit a double bed in the bedroom, it leaves the viewer with no doubt that it’s a double room and this adds value to the property. On top of this, if you have a bedroom that is quite small, get a single bed in there. So many viewers of empty houses will question whether the bedroom will even fit a bed in, so prove it, and keep their interest.

New kitchen? – a lot of the time, we get asked whether we would recommend putting in new bathrooms/kitchens, the simple answer is, of course, it is up to you. But we suggest thinking about the cost to the value you will add to the property. Will a brand-new kitchen return investment when other improvements aren’t made around the house? It’s likely the answer is no. However, full renovation may lead to a higher valuation and could be worth it.

If you’re thinking of getting yourself moving, feel free to contact our dedicated teams in Bexhill, Eastbourne and Hastings.

Kerry Newstead MARLA MNAEA
Sales Director – Oakfield Estate Agents