When staging your home in preparation to sell, you’re essentially ‘dressing it up’ to impress and appeal to viewers. Much like you would put on our best attire for a job interview or important meeting, you want your home to look its very best and make a fantastic impression on potential buyers. But fear not, there’s no need to do a complete renovation of your home—you simply require adding some little finishing touches to give your home a beautifully ‘polished’ and inviting look.
Here are five essential accessories for staging your home for a quick sale, guaranteed to inject that ‘wow’ factor and make a wonderful first impression on each and every viewer. And the good thing is, you can take all of these things with you when you move to your new property!
- Soft furnishings
Soft furnishings—like cushions, throws, and rugs—are simple, affordable, and extremely effective ways to spruce up and transform your home. They can update the appearance of your furniture, add texture and warmth to a space, and bring a little bit of extra luxury and comfort to each room—exactly what potential buyers are looking for when viewing properties. It really is quite amazing what a difference cushions, throws, and rugs can make–and thankfully, reasonably priced soft furnishing are not hard to find these days!
- New Bed Linen
Fresh bed linen, ideally in subtle, neutral shades and simple styles, is an absolute must when showing your home to potential buyers. This is an area that many sellers fail to maximise, but dressing your beds (especially in the master bedroom) can transform an average room into a stylish, relaxing haven in an instant.
Stick to light colours, plain linen or simple patterns—best to avoid anything too bright, bold, or flowery, just to ensure it appeals to as many viewers as possible. Have at least two plump pillows on both sides of the bed, perhaps some lovely scatter pillows on top and a beautiful throw along the bottom of the bed. Think of your ideal hotel room and try to replicate that atmosphere and sense of simple luxury!
- Bath linen and toiletries
Bathrooms are not always the most exciting of spaces (unless you have a fabulous roll top bath with solid gold taps and a chaise longue in the corner!). However, it’s easy to spruce up your bathroom and make it a little more special with some brand new, unused towels that you put out only for viewings.
Clear away all of your usual toiletries and toothbrushes, etc (just hide them in the cupboard!) and put some select luxury toiletries in the room, strategically placed for maximum effect. Staging your home is all about creating an inspiring space; projecting the image of a luxury lifestyle that potential viewers could have for themselves.
- Flowers and fresh produce
Vases of freshly cut flowers, a beautiful orchid, a centre floral arrangement on the kitchen table, a row of votives with little posies, a lovely bowl of colourful fruit on the countertop, a basket of fresh vegetables on the kitchen island… Simple ways to make a big impact and create instant appeal. Flowers and fresh produce add colour and style to rooms—finishing touches that everyone appreciates and gives the impression of a warm, happy, healthy home.
- Room fragrance
Creating the right atmosphere relies on all the senses, including smell. Fresh, gentle fragrance is an immediate pleasure for potential buyers when they enter your home. It’s one of the first things they will notice and can impact their impression of the property.
Prior to home viewings, air all of the rooms early in the day by opening the windows for an hour or two, then burn some fragranced candles for a while before viewers arrive. You could also use fabric fresher on your upholstered furniture, carpets and rugs, and soft furnishings to give everything a lovely fresh laundered smell.
Diffusers in subtle floral or fresh ‘cotton’ scents or are also wonderful and very stylish, easily blending into your decorative accessories. If viewings are taking place in the evening, it would also be nice to leave candles lit to create a cosy, homely atmosphere.