October is one of the best months to put your Sunshine Coast home on the market. The spring sunshine works in your favour, and buyers in Caloundra and surrounding suburbs are out looking for a change. With more homes for sale this season, it’s crucial to present your property at its absolute best. What’s the secret to achieving this? Home staging.
Staging is all about preparing and styling your home so that it shines in photos and in person, highlighting all the best features and helping prospective buyers dream about living there. When it’s done right, it can speed up the sale process, and even add thousands to your home’s price tag – two things that feature highly on every seller’s wish list.
The good news is that, if you have some time, inspiration, and elbow grease to spare, staging your home for sale is an achievable DIY project. Here’s how to get started:
1. Spring sells – maximise the October advantage
Spring brings fresh energy that’s perfect for showcasing your home’s blooming gardens, lush greenery, and bright, welcoming feel. Make The Winning Move by booking a free home appraisal with First National Real Estate for your chance to win $10,000 towards home staging, garden and exterior tidy, pre-sale cleaning and much more. Job done! With the market buzzing, October is your prime time to shine and attract eager buyers.
2. Don’t let buyers drive on by – prep your exterior
Skip your gym visit this weekend and gear up for a serious pressure washing, gardening, and general exterior tidy-up sweat session. Pay extra attention to first-impression forming elements, such as your letterbox, front door, and front gate, and cover any weedy garden bed sins with fresh mulch and colourful blooms. A polished exterior tells buyers the home is well cared for and makes the entrance feel warm and inviting.
3. Make your interior exude clean, neutral, and inviting vibes
Staging aims to help buyers connect emotionally with your home and imagine their lives living within those walls, which is impossible when your home is loaded with family photos and other personal items. Start with a serious decluttering and depersonalising mission, and follow this up with a deep clean – the type where you wipe walls, dust skirting boards, and clean the inside of drawers. Expect prospective buyers to peek inside drawers and cupboards, so ensure these are looking at their organised and orderly best.
4. Give the spring sunshine a helping hand – illuminate your home
Not many buyers are excited to walk into a home that feels cramped and dreary, so prioritise natural (and artificial) light when prepping your house for sale. Let the spring sunshine bathe your interiors by giving your windows a thorough clean, and employing the clever tactic of using mirrors to reflect light and create the illusion of more space. Switch on the warmth too, by updating your lighting with 2700K warm white bulbs.
5. Small swaps for big gains – tasteful, subtle, and seasonal décor
Skip the full-scale reno and make some simple updates that will bring dated décor and fixtures into the 2020s. This can be as easy as switching out your kitchen cupboard handles for a more modern fixture, replacing your vanity mirror or replacing tired and dated drapes. Infuse your space with affordable, seasonal accents like cushions, throws, rugs, and artwork – Kmart’s home décor range has you covered.
6. Prioritise high-impact spaces
Buyers naturally gravitate toward the lounge, kitchen, bathroom, and master bedroom, so focus your efforts on these areas of your home:
- Kitchen – make your kitchen feel as spacious as possible by keeping your benchtops clear of too much clutter – if you’re working with a small space, even things like knife blocks and small appliances are better stowed away.
- Master – in the master bedroom, don’t just make your bed – turn it into a magazine-worthy styled masterpiece complete with throw pillows and blankets that buyers want to curl up on.
- Lounge – create a relaxed functional lounge space by assessing your furniture and current layout – could you lose that armchair to make it feel more spacious? Would a new rug help define areas in an open-plan kitchen, dining, and lounge space?
- Bathroom – turn your functional bathroom into a sumptuous day spa with the addition of some humidity-loving indoor plants, scented candles, plush new towels, and functional, fresh accessories like ceramic soap dispensers or a bamboo bath caddie.
7. Minor renovations that pay off
Invest your precious pennies in minor renovations that deliver high impact at a reasonable cost. These are things like fresh paint that can instantly lift, freshen, and lighten your interior, replacing a dated front door with something more modern, upgrading your home’s lighting, or modest landscaping to your front yard that boosts curb appeal. These minor tweaks can help get more buyers through the door and ultimately help sell your home.
8. Don’t overlook the small details for open homes
Once you’ve put in all the hard work, don’t forget the finishing touches for open home days. Light those scented candles, grab a few bunches of fresh flowers, and dot them around your home. Pop a tray of cookies in the oven for an irresistible aroma. If you’ve got a fireplace and the weather is right, light it up for warmth and ambience, or if the sun is shining, cast open bifold doors to showcase your indoor-outdoor flow.
9. Professional home stagers can make a difference
If you don’t have the time, energy or an eye for design, professional home stagers are a worthwhile investment. Often, they’ll make your home look so good that you’ll consider staying! Their ultimate goal is to help potential buyers form an emotional connection with your home, and they’ll do this by highlighting the best bits of your home and glossing over any flaws. Here’s how a good home stager will typically work:
- Consultation – after a walk-through of your home, they’ll formulate a plan based on the target market your home is likely to appeal to (for example, first-home buyers or downsizers). At this point, they may also advise you of minor updates and repairs that will be worthwhile.
- Decluttering and depersonalising – home stagers are masters at creating a blank yet inviting canvas where potential buyers can imagine themselves living.
- Space planning and layout – they’ll bring in rental furniture (or rearrange your existing furniture) to highlight focal points like fireplaces and create optimal flow.
- Styling and décor – with plenty of seasonal and neutral décor on hand, home stagers will bring in houseplants to fill vacant spaces, artworks to modernise a dated lounge, floor lamps to boost ambience and fabulous rugs to cover worn floors.
- Exterior – they’ll often advise or organise exterior tidy-ups to make the most of your home’s curb appeal.
- Prep for photography – most buyers’ first interaction with your home is online, so making sure it looks good for the real estate photography is key. Home stagers pay careful attention to lighting and clear space so that your home presents at its absolute best.
From first impressions to final offer, staging makes a difference
When it comes to selling your home, staging really is The Winning Move. Whether you tackle it yourself or bring in the professionals, it’s these touches that create a welcoming atmosphere, help buyers connect emotionally with your home, and ultimately move you through a quick sale process. And remember, by booking your free home appraisal with First National Real Estate this month, you’ll not only receive expert advice on the most impactful staging steps, but also the chance to win $10,000 towards home staging, moving, cleaning, and more with our ‘The Winning Move’ property appraisal competition. Good luck!
DISCLAIMER
The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial, or real estate advice. You should make your own inquiries and obtain independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any legal, financial, or real estate decisions. Click here for full Terms of Use.