Your Room-by-Room Guide to Styling to Selling a House Fast
Part two explores how to style each room.
Living areas:
Allocate a good portion of your time and budget to your entrance, living, dining and entertainment areas. Declutter and reassess how the room looks.
Place large books on decluttered shelves, decorate a side table with pot plants or flowers, drape a throw over that scuff mark on your sofa and team it with some fresh cushions in your chosen colour scheme.
If you have lots of room, a brilliantly styled table enhances any room from a simple bowl to a stack of gorgeous books, - simple but effective.
If your floor needs a pick me up, check out your local op shop or vintage store for rugs or head to an affordable department store. Put them away after each open home, and they'll remain as good as new for every inspection.
Tip: To create the illusion of space - pull all furniture away from the walls and anchor all rugs under couches.
Dining areas:
Your dining space or kitchen is often where the majority of conversations take place. Keep the look uncomplicated.
Our suggestion is a simple table setting with the chairs to highlight the size of the space. Decorate the walls with one piece of artwork, add a lamp for mood lighting and a touch of greenery and a single bowl on the table. The above photo is a great example.
If you are selling your home yourself or using an estate agent, you need ample space to display your sales documents, property brochures and marketing material. Leave space for this.
Tip: Look for a simple classic look and feel.
Kitchens
Keep the bench as clean as possible, particularly if you have a combined kitchen/dining/living area.
Use your luxury appliances such as the bright red mix master or the coffee machine to enhance the space. Look to create a simple look and feel and limit the use of too many props. Remember to pop all the electricals away. A clean, clear bench top is the goal.
Notice the use of one colour in the photo above, which adds so much to this space.
Strip your cabinets and pantry of everything except the bare essentials too - you'll be surprised at how little you can live with and remember you are moving so you may as well start now.
Tip - Notice the one colour featuring in three locations in this room. The use of the colour orange and oranges is so simple yet so effective.
Bedrooms
You may love the well-worn feel of your old quilt but now is the time to pop it in storage. Again visit an affordable homewares store, check out online offers and invest is plain muted bed linen.
Arranging your bedroom like a professional property stylist is relatively simple - scatter cushions at the head of your bed and cast a textured throw, like this chunky knit, at the foot of your bed. There are even youtube videos to show you how to make and style a bed correctly.
Choose textiles that tie in with your chosen colour palette or style. Play around with your bedside furniture, borrow some if you need.
Decorate with two or three books, a vase of flowers or greenery, a scented candle or collectables. For the finishing touch, switch on your bedside table lamps and hang artwork above your bed if the space is unadorned.
Again don't be afraid to find inspiration online, on home shows or in blog posts like this one.
Tip: Imitation is a form of flattery- don't be afraid to copy!
Wardrobes
Potential buyers always peek inside built-in wardrobes and the more free space you create, the larger they will appear. If it's summer, pack up your winter wardrobe and put it in storage. Invest in some matching wooden coat hangers too for a touch of style.
Purchase storage boxes to store clothes and items not needed. Remember you are moving so you may as well pack now.
Tip: For additional space, use your suitcases. These can also be used for smaller items.
Bathrooms
While your bathroom must be clean and tidy, it is the room people spend the least time while inspecting.
If your bathroom is dated, consider painting tiles with the latest tile paint, and you can now easily replace the benchtops. A new mirror and a refresh paint job and a makeover are complete. One of the next Address team recently refurbished a bathroom for less than $350.
Resist the urge to splurge on a space that people don't spend much time in or prioritise during inspections. New white towels, a fresh bar of soap, a potted plant and a scented candle or aroma diffuser will complete the look.
You can purchase plain fluffy bath linen for just a few dollars each from those wonderfully affordable department stores, and a creatively rolled-up face washers hotel-style will create a look of luxury.
Empty bathroom vanities of everything you don't use daily, hide toothbrushes and toiletries, and neatly corral any remaining essentials in small baskets inside your cupboards or drawers.
Tip; Keep new towels rolled up in a box and pull them out before each inspection.
Shelves
Leave space free of items where ever you can. These bookshelves only have two pieces -
Stick to your colour scheme and experiment with arranging vases, plants, classic photos or objects. Use the everyday homewares you might already own, such as scented candles or decorative bowls.
Try stacking some books horizontally and others vertically for visual balance and be sure to leave lots of space.
Add finishing touches
In each of your rooms see if you can include one or two unique features enhancing the look and feel. It may be a signature vase on a table or a flowering plant. Use your imagination and those inspirational online photos you have saved.
Remember to pop away all of your personal and family photos. They distract buyers.
These extra details go a long way in suggesting to the subconscious how big a space is as well as allowing buyers to see their family in this home.
Finally before each inspection - the final 1%. All photography and particularly virtual tours pick up everything. The following will ensure your home looks brilliant.
Make sure the power cords are well hidden
Turn on all lights and lamps inside and out
Light any candles or switch LED candles onto 'flicker' mode
Angle shutters to let in the most light or open curtains and blinds
If it's cold, turn on your heaters or light a fire; if it's warm, switch on your air conditioning
Flip over the reeds in aromatic diffusers to refresh the fragrance
Scatter some cushions on your couch and cast a throw over any worn patches
Light any candles or switch LED candles onto 'flicker' mode
Angle shutters to let in the most light or open curtains and blinds
If it's cold, turn on your heaters or light a fire; if it's warm, switch on your air conditioning
Flip over the reeds in aromatic diffusers to refresh the fragrance
Scatter some cushions on your couch and cast a throw over any worn patches
Ensure all beds are freshly made and if necessary ironed.
Ensure all sheets are hidden and that nothing can be seen under the beds
Make those beds look gorgeous with your throws, cushions and fresh bed linen
Remove all items from your kitchen bench and thoroughly clean
Remove all items from your kitchen bench and thoroughly clean
Put fresh towels in bathrooms, clean and flush all toilets and put the seats down.
Roll the toilet paper roll up so nothing hangs done! Remember it's the little things that make a place look awesome
Wipe water from all showers, baths, bench tops and sinks
Roll the toilet paper roll up so nothing hangs done! Remember it's the little things that make a place look awesome
Wipe water from all showers, baths, bench tops and sinks
Make sure all pets accessories are in cupboards including dog beds, bowls and toys
Sweep the entrance and outside areas, weed the garden, mow the lawn and shake out doormats
Lock all your possessions away including all jewellery
Lock all your possessions away including all jewellery
This is a great final tip - Put all last-minute objects into a large suitcase and pop it in the boot of the car. This could be the kids' tennis rackets through to the dog bowls.
If you are selling with an agent lock all doors and windows and ensure you request your agent does the same on leaving. Also, ask him or her to turn off all lights and extinguish any candles.
If you are selling your home yourself, you are now ready to welcome your first buyers.
Your turn
It's now time to get this property of yours ready for sale. Let us know if we can help in any way.
