ines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possibl

Home Staging Techniques 7 - Keep It Tidy – Put Away Your Smalls

I know I talked about keeping the place clean. But remember to keep it tidy too.

Selling is hard work because you have to be ready for ‘that’ viewing at any moment. This means that you really have to get into the habit of tidying away as you go along.

Washing should be in the laundry bin, in the machine or away in the cupboard. Don’t let your viewers have to negotiate a clothes airer in the bathroom or bedroom, it won’t leave a good impression. Likewise don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink or a pile of clean dishes on the draining board…clear it away.

Get everyone into the habit of putting away stuff after they have used it…this may be a bit of a battle with the kids or the other half, but don’t give in. Make your life easier by getting a few toy boxes for chucking in all the loose toys and invest in a remote control tidy for the end of the sofa.

The hallway is often a wonderful dumping ground, try and find space to put away all those things that have been abandoned over the last few months. If it is summer then weed out the winter coats and shoes and put them away.

Home Staging Techniques 8 - Make Each Room Count

It’s simple really. When buying we tend to look for a 3 bedroom house, a 2 bedroom apartment. I.e. we buy by the number of rooms.

What you want the viewers to do once they leave your home and go away to think about it and talk about it with their partner is to remember each and every room.

Often I see properties with rooms that are general dumping grounds, or confused because there is no obvious use for them, like a dining room piled high with office equipment and filing cabinets, or the second bedroom empty but for a set of drums and a wardrobe.

This is a real mistake because if a viewer can’t see what the room is for they may well dismiss it as unusable or worse forget it.

Make each room count. Give each room a purpose or use so that your viewers can see how they could use it.

Property is expensive, make sure that yours offers the viewers good value for money.

Home Staging Techniques 9 - Grow the Space – Start Fertilising Now!

Seriously, buyers are buying space. Space is a premium so you want to make the most of yours.

When selling your home think of ways of making the rooms look bigger. In later articles we will take a look at using lighting and colour to help increase the feeling of space. However you can do a number of things just by moving furniture around.

Firstly in your main rooms try and thin out the furniture. If you have a number of side-tables and footstools could you move one or two out of the room.

Tip - the more floor that can be seen the larger a room will feel.

So get everything you can off the floor and into cupboards or into the garage, loft or shed.

Try and keep the lines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possible

y be a bit of a battle with the kids or the other half, but don’t give in. Make your life easier by getting a few toy boxes for chucking in all the loose toys and invest in a remote control tidy for the end of the sofa.

The hallway is often a wonderful dumping ground, try and find space to put away all those things that have been abandoned over the last few months. If it is summer then weed out the winter coats and shoes and put them away.

Home Staging Techniques 8 - Make Each Room Count

It’s simple really. When buying we tend to look for a 3 bedroom house, a 2 bedroom apartment. I.e. we buy by the number of rooms.

What you want the viewers to do once they leave your home and go away to think about it and talk about it with their partner is to remember each and every room.

Often I see properties with rooms that are general dumping grounds, or confused because there is no obvious use for them, like a dining room piled high with office equipment and filing cabinets, or the second bedroom empty but for a set of drums and a wardrobe.

This is a real mistake because if a viewer can’t see what the room is for they may well dismiss it as unusable or worse forget it.

Make each room count. Give each room a purpose or use so that your viewers can see how they could use it.

Property is expensive, make sure that yours offers the viewers good value for money.

Home Staging Techniques 9 - Grow the Space – Start Fertilising Now!

Seriously, buyers are buying space. Space is a premium so you want to make the most of yours.

When selling your home think of ways of making the rooms look bigger. In later articles we will take a look at using lighting and colour to help increase the feeling of space. However you can do a number of things just by moving furniture around.

Firstly in your main rooms try and thin out the furniture. If you have a number of side-tables and footstools could you move one or two out of the room.

Tip - the more floor that can be seen the larger a room will feel.

So get everything you can off the floor and into cupboards or into the garage, loft or shed.

Try and keep the lines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possibl

go away to think about it and talk about it with their partner is to remember each and every room.

Often I see properties with rooms that are general dumping grounds, or confused because there is no obvious use for them, like a dining room piled high with office equipment and filing cabinets, or the second bedroom empty but for a set of drums and a wardrobe.

This is a real mistake because if a viewer can’t see what the room is for they may well dismiss it as unusable or worse forget it.

Make each room count. Give each room a purpose or use so that your viewers can see how they could use it.

Property is expensive, make sure that yours offers the viewers good value for money.

Home Staging Techniques 9 - Grow the Space – Start Fertilising Now!

Seriously, buyers are buying space. Space is a premium so you want to make the most of yours.

When selling your home think of ways of making the rooms look bigger. In later articles we will take a look at using lighting and colour to help increase the feeling of space. However you can do a number of things just by moving furniture around.

Firstly in your main rooms try and thin out the furniture. If you have a number of side-tables and footstools could you move one or two out of the room.

Tip - the more floor that can be seen the larger a room will feel.

So get everything you can off the floor and into cupboards or into the garage, loft or shed.

Try and keep the lines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possibl

ong>Grow the Space – Start Fertilising Now!

Seriously, buyers are buying space. Space is a premium so you want to make the most of yours.

When selling your home think of ways of making the rooms look bigger. In later articles we will take a look at using lighting and colour to help increase the feeling of space. However you can do a number of things just by moving furniture around.

Firstly in your main rooms try and thin out the furniture. If you have a number of side-tables and footstools could you move one or two out of the room.

Tip - the more floor that can be seen the larger a room will feel.

So get everything you can off the floor and into cupboards or into the garage, loft or shed.

Try and keep the lines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possibl

ines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possible. Pull back the curtains and give the nets a wash…or better still get rid of them, if you can bare it.

I also like to change light bulbs in all the appliances. Increase the wattage in those lights that illuminate internal spaces like hallways and bathrooms. (Don’t overload the appliances though). Even on bright days I like to have a little artificial lighting on to add some depth to the rooms.

Home Staging Techniques 11 - Will That Smell Help You Sell?

I won’t linger on this one too long, stale cigarette smoke, last nights take away, the cat litter tray, that damp musty smell in the back bedroom, the cooker hood filter, the drain outside the back door….Does that smell help you sell? Get things smelling fresh…open the doors and windows and let the air circulate.

Now although I have set you quite a list of jobs to get started, and there are many more on the road to preparing your home for the viewing market, none of these cost a fortune to do, and most cost nothing at all.

Once you have started on the process of getting your home ready you will feel a lot more positive. Remember that you are not only preparing your home you are also getting yourself ready for the move as well.