7^th September 2020

We all know that it’s important to make a good impression on potential buyers who view your Chester property.

We also know that homeowners don’t live in untouched show homes. And that’s a good thing. As well as the house itself, potential buyers are looking to see what kind of life they can build there. 

So how can you make your house look its best and increase the chances of selling? Here are our 6 home staging tips to help you along the way.

Freshen up bedding

Of course, you’re going to make sure your beds are made, and the bedding is clean and smelling great. But this is an area where it’s worth sparing some extra thought. What bedding is going to show off the room to its full potential? Which makes the room look most inviting?

Go for unfussy bedding. It’s probably best to put away the Manchester United novelty set and opt for clean, classic shades like white or grey in cotton and linen.

Think like a hotel and make the bed neatly, with nicely plumped cushions and perhaps one or two decorative pillows.

Low level lighting

Compared to harsher overhead lights, low level lighting creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in a room. 

Think about positioning of lamps to light areas of the room that may not get a lot of natural light. Use the light sources you have to highlight key areas in the room you’d like to draw the eye too, like a beautiful fireplace or mirror.

Having multiple light sources, from two or three lamps spread around the room, also cuts down on the shadows and glare.

Smelling good

There’s an old saying about baking bread or brewing fresh coffee for a house viewing, and it’s true that both can create a lovely sensory experience for house-hunters, and paint a subconscious picture of what it might be like to live there.

But rewind for a minute. First, make sure that the ‘base smell’ of your house is right. Each house develops its own aroma, based on any number of things: cooking, laundry detergent, cleaning products and even, ahem, human smells.

Clean soft furnishings, hoover floors and air out rooms to achieve a nice neutral smell.

The rule of three

A handy tip stolen from the world of interior design: group similar things together into threes. This arrangement is naturally more pleasing on the human eye and makes a space feel more cohesive and less cluttered.

For example, three candles on a worktop? Group them into a little triangle. Picture frames on a mantelpiece? Make an arrangement of three of them.

Warm, but not stuffy

There are plenty of non-visuals cues that make a house viewing enjoyable for a prospective buyer. One is getting the temperature right.

You don’t want to leave every window wide open in December. That way the first thing they’d associate with the house is ‘cold’. Aim for a comfortably warm air temperature around the house, but avoid turning it into a tropical hothouse. Especially in the cooler months, people will arrive to viewings in their coats, so take that into account.

Fresh flowers

Finally, one or two simple arrangements of fresh flowers can work wonders. Remember, you’re not just selling the house but a ‘lifestyle’ of what it’s like to live there. And who doesn’t want to live in a place with tasteful bouquets brightening it up?

Chosen well, flowers can also boost the ‘good smell factor’ of a room. Win-win.

Read more about  Preparing a house for viewing.

See our Guide to Presenting Your Home for Sale and Conducting Viewings.

At Matthews, we’ve been helping homeowners in Chester sell their properties for more than three decades. If you’re looking to successfully sell in 2020, speak to our team today.