If you’re selling your house, you probably don’t want to be waiting around for too long. A quick sale is ideal, allowing you to get the price you want for your home and move into that property you’ve had your eye on fast.
There are times when it takes more than a handful of months to sell up, and this can be frustrating. To speed up your sale, you might find it helpful to give certain aspects of your home a refresh.
How important is interior style?
A survey by Hammonds fitted furniture specialists has found that interior design is a priority for two out of five (40%) of prospective buyers. Many are prepared to stump up extra cash for a property styled in a way they like.
The style that the majority of the 2,000 people surveyed liked the most was minimalism. So if you’re wondering how to make your home more desirable, this is a pretty safe bet!
The survey found that on average, people were willing to pay £3.6k more than the asking price for a minimalist home. The results were even more interesting when it came to those in the 18-24 year-old demographic. 12% of them said they would even pay as much as £10k more for this. So if you’re selling a home in an area that attracts young people, this is a good to know.
What might deter a prospective buyer?
The survey results also unveiled some interesting stats about what puts prospective buyers off the most.
- 33% of people said they’d be put off by a messy garden. Tidying up the garden is an inexpensive job and you only stand to benefit from doing it.
- 32% would offer below the asking price for a home decorated in a maximalist style. This is interesting because, on TikTok, the maximalist style has been trending in 2023. Despite this, it looks like actual house buyers actively don’t want to live in a house that follows this style.
- 24% lose interest in properties with “ugly wallpaper”. Try to assess your wallpaper from the point of view of a stranger. If it looks dated or overpowers the room, consider replacing the wallpaper or replacing it with a neutral shade of paint instead.
How you can stage your home
The key takeaway here is that your house is likely to see quicker if it’s a neat, zen property that exudes minimalism.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have a small splash of colour. Of course, feature walls and tasteful accent colours can infuse a sense of personality. In fact, green is enjoying some limelight right now. To increase your chances of selling fast, try to keep any colours muted and light.
Neutrals are a safe bet. You can use shades like white, off-white, cream, beige, grey and even brown. You can rarely go wrong with a colour palette that weaves one or two of these in.
Interior designers refer to this concept as “staging” your home, because you’re effectively setting it up to appeal to an audience.
Kirsty Oakes, Head of Product and Marketing at Hammonds furniture has explained a few clever ways to stage your home, stating “Home staging can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds when done by a pro… However, there are some easy ways you can stage your home without breaking the bank”
Aside from toned-down colours and tidying up, here are a few of her handy tips.
- Transform award spaces like eaves and corners into bespoke storage solutions. Make a point of showing them to house viewers because it’s sure to impress.
- Paint or replace your front door. Did you know that people Google “grey front doors” more than doors of other colours? The runners-up are black and green.
- Use scented candles, reed diffusers or room sprays. 37% of house hunters said they lose interest when they smell unpleasant odours!
Conclusion
There’s no reason to go into the world of house-selling blind. As with anything else that you can sell, it’s all about knowing your audience. Knowing who they are and what they want is a promising start to prepping your home for a quick sale.
