Home staging: How to raise the value of your apartment before selling

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Leaving a home behind and moving into a new one is not always an easy decision. Most people share many memories in every corner of the old house. But when you finally take the decision to move out, you need to say goodbye to your home in a good state so that its new owner can feel welcome as soon as they step in. After all, wouldn’t you want someone to do that for you when you buy a pre-owned home?

Now how do you get someone to ‘like’ your home enough to buy it? A home that has seen many seasons may have lost its sheen to the weather and wear and tear of everyday living. You’ll need to restore some of its lost glory – i.e. do a proper home staging, to get it into shape before a prospective buyer walks in.

Think of situations when you’ve walked into someone’s home and instantly liked or disliked it. Something as small as a cluttered room may discourage a potential sale and something like good lighting can turn the deal around and may even fetch the price you want. Ready to catch a good deal? Here’s how you can prepare your home for sale:

House cleaning before selling

You may have a routine everyday cleaning happening in the house, but you need to go a little beyond that when you have an important buyer visiting.  A clean clutter-free environment is any day more attractive than a grimy, untidy one. Take a step back and look at each room in your home to see what is the first thing that catches your eye. Start your cleaning from that point.

Go from top to bottom and left to right in each room, so that you don’t miss out any surface. Use liquid bleach to remove signs of mould and mildew from bathrooms and a good detergent to scrub the grime off the kitchen tiles. Do this as soon as you plan your sale. If you are too busy to get to all the tasks, simply hire a service for house cleaning before selling. There are several available these days online, and you can get one at the click of a button. That way, when you have a potential buyer, it’ll be easier to prepare your home for sale with a ‘broom-ready’ final finish. 

Small repairs

Put on a buyer’s hat and screen your house for loose wires, screechy doors, chipped off paint and cracked flooring. To a potential buyer, all of this will translate to the extra money they’ll have to spend after they buy your house, giving them a bargaining leverage on the overall price. Snatch back that leverage with some handy tips for home sellers on fixing the little broken things.

Conceal the wiring so that you don’t have anything loose hanging on the ground for a potential trip-over. Fix leaky faucets (and while at it, give them a good scrub). Sew up any curtains whose hem has come loose and fix broken lighting.

Changing the arrangement of space

Your potential buyers will want to visualize themselves in your home with all their belongings. If they find the house too cluttered with your things, they’ll not be able to visualize any space for themselves. As a part of your home staging, get rid of any bulky furniture which you may not take to your future home. Move things around a little to show off space. Anything that you don’t immediately need can go into hidden storage under the bed. If you choose to move things into the attic, make sure it is neatly stacked away.

Selection of accessories

Select accessories that have the potential to add life to the most unassuming corners. It may be an intriguing painting or a ceiling art that catches the eye. If it can hold their attention, buyers can visualize how it makes them feel and unknowingly bend towards a positive sale.

Most Indian houses are a good mix of traditional and modern things and you can use this to your advantage in most rooms. Children’s room, for example, can have an added floor rug and bean bag to make the space welcoming.

The right kind of lighting

Open up all the windows to let in natural light (especially for rooms that have a good view). For areas that are dim, add floor or table lamps. Brighten up the bathroom with bright lights. When inviting the buyer, be sure to switch on all the lights in all rooms, to flood your home with light.

Decorate right

Décor is a great way to show off potential value during home reselling. Your particular décor taste may differ from your buyers, but it can definitely show your aesthetic sense and how you’ve appreciated the finer things in your home.

It can be a nice, intricately woven table spread, the crockery display in the kitchen, the neat arrangement of cushions or the display of bath salts in your bathroom. Good décor will not only give rise to new ideas but also elevate the potential value of the space.

Here are some handy tips for home sellers on D-day: The day you have a potential buyer come, here are the things you can do.

Broom and swipe the floor clean with a good floor cleaner. Add an aromatic touch to each room. Fresh smell is equal to fresh environment. Keep the sink free from dirty dishes. Hide the dirty laundry inside the laundry bag or even the washing machine. Water the plants so that they look alive. Don’t cook anything with a strong aroma. If the buyer is a vegetarian, the smell of chicken may drive them out of the door!

On the contrary, cook a yummy, ‘safe’ finger food like cookies or bread bites which you can offer on the go while they look around. Keep the toilet closed. Really. It makes a difference. Put on fresh and clean bed sheets. Remove the stress from home reselling and get the upper hand in the bargain with a well-staged home. Check out another ideabook for inspiration - 6 Ways to Deep Clean Your House.

Which idea from here inspired you the most? Let us know in the comments!

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