HOW TO ADD VALUE TO YOUR HOME (OR COMMERICAL SPACE) IN PREPARATION FOR SALE OR RENTAL
Staging is the preparation of your home (or commercial space) for sale or rental to maximise the sale (or rental price) and pace of sale (or rental). With COVID-19, selling online is standard, so taking time to stage and photograph your space to the highest quality is fundamental to your sale! Here are Top Staging Tips from staging specialist Natasha Rocca Devine, The Interiors NRD
Top 10 Tips
- Make A Plan: Decide what is that you hope to achieve? Prepare for sale? Or rental? A quick fix to get a quick sale? Luxurious interiors to get the highest return on investments? From there, decide how much you have to invest, how long you want to take to complete this project and the overall plan, which you can communicate to your agents to get a clear strategy from the start
- Allocate the USP’s (Unique Selling Points): Decide what are the key USP’s in the space and work from there. Keep it simple. If there is a superb view, invest in the emphasising the window features etc. If there is a beautiful garden then invest in additional pieces. And so on.
- Survey: Access the floor plans of the space and or take photographs of each room and garden. Use this to make a to do list. Most importantly, plan to mark out where new and existing furniture can be placed and create a list of what is missing to complete the stage.
- Budget: Based on your to do list, create a budget and use this to research your choices in furniture, home accessories etc. Also, create a list of who and what will be required to help you in each step of this process. This will further assist you in your choice of team to help you; painter, movers, cleaner, gardener and so forth.
- Clear: Remove all idle existing furniture and/or place them in one area of each room to allow space you to plan the best use of this. Donate to charity, hire a skip, or sell them at a local vintage market, to clear out anything that you no longer require yet in a positive way.
- Clean: Budget for cleaners pre-and post-project. Along with carpet cleaners, window cleaners and even furniture respray to restore older pieces of furniture. Also, air it out to ensure you have the space free or smells, such as pets or cooking, and choose candles to assist this.
- Colour: Invest in a re-paint of the entire space. Or if your budget does not permit, choose key areas such as doors and window frames to emphasize key structural features. Opt for neutral colours such as white, off white and creams to ensure the space looks larger. Alternatively, choose on trend colours in key rooms to highlight the space in a different way.
- Add Light: Open out the windows to allow in natural light. Along with layers in lighting to create a space which bright but not overbearing or costly. Choose mirrors in hallways and small areas which can help to create a sense of breadth and maximise the square footage.
- Invest: When purchasing home accessories and furniture, opt for new pieces combined with vintage, which can be resprayed or touched up to add some classic style into your space. Alternatively, opt to rent furniture off a staging company (or borrow off family and friends), particularly if you require your existing furniture with you as you move during this period.
- Outdoor Choices: As a garden is a luxury for many apartments or city homes, ensure the garden is well kept and re-plant new bulbs where required so it remains at an optimum sellable or rental value. For balconies, add in plants, clean any stoning or glass and create seating areas to make it more desirable.
Photograph Right: Regardless of whether you are preparing for selling or renting, investing in camera and/or taking time to photograph each room is key! Take photos from different angles of each room, along with detailed shots. The more diverse the better to entice the buyers or renters to move forward.
In sum, these tips will ensure to increase the value of your home (as per the staging statistics noted) and assist in the pace of sale so you can move forward faster. All in all, during this time of COVID-19 more than ever, you will not regret the investment!