5 Ways to increase chances of renting out or selling your home

Visit any furniture or home décor shop and the one thing you would have noticed is how everything is so nicely displayed, as though you were in a real home.

Take for example IKEA’s showrooms, which are decorated to look cosy, and homely. The outcome? You feel like buying almost everything they showcase, so that you can replicate it for your home. Talk about effective marketing.

What if we told you some of these techniques can be used to help make your home more attractive to potential tenants and buyers?

Just as how fashion shops use mannequins to show you how to put outfits together (to compel customers to buy the clothes), a tastefully made home helps your future clients to envision how their living space can look like, and adds to the attractiveness factor of your home.

Here are five tips for you to help you market your home before your next viewing, and perhaps even help you close the deal at a better price!

1. Clear the clutter

There are a few good reasons to clean away the clutter in your home. Firstly, clutter creates the impression that you home is smaller than it really is, and we all know that size is an important consideration factor for buyers. If buyers cannot envision that their future home will be spacious and uncluttered, the less likely they will be inclined to choose your home.

Secondly, clutter can subconsciously make future tenants or buyers feel that the place is hard to clean or maintain – not a good thing. Since you will be moving out anyway, it makes sense to clear the clutter once and for all, and you will be surprised how much better and spacious your place will look.

2. Clean the mess

This is similar to point number 1 above. Nobody likes a dirty home, and if you leave dust and grime lying around, chances are, your place is not going to be very attractive to those viewing your place.

If you are just renting out a room, clean up places that tenants are likely to use often, such as the bathrooms and toilets. Also, if you are providing furniture and furnishings, such as beds or wardrobes, make sure that they look spick and span. If not, it is almost guaranteed that no one is going to choose your place because these items are going to be what tenants look out for (they are going to be using it after all).

3. Rent some furniture (if possible)

If you are looking to rent out your place, you might want to consider renting some furniture to make the place look less sparse. Furniture helps to make a living space look liveable and inviting, in contrast to a stark and cold space.

Also, draw attention to interesting corners in your house. For example, a balcony is an attractive feature for many, so you might you want to tidy the place up, and perhaps even get some furniture (daychairs, blinds). If you have bay windows, get some throw cushions or a throw to spruce up the feature. You will be surprised how little touches can make a big difference.

For home sellers, buying new furniture does not make much sense, but you can do simple things such as cleaning up your furniture, rearranging them, or even repainting walls to give your home a fresh look.

4. Keep things simple

Do not go overboard on decorating, because you do not want to distract potential buyers or viewers with overly loud decor. Keep away huge statues, vases, and art pieces; the key is to achieve an effect where nothing stands out. This helps to create an overall neutral and calm environment, perfect for making decisions (such as whether to buy your home!).

5. Use scents

No, we are not saying you should spray the place with perfume before each viewing. For a few dollars, you can get a can of air freshener to keep your place smelling fresh and inviting. Ideally, spray some about an hour before your viewing, so that the scent is discernible, but not overpowering. After all, you do not want to make it so obvious that you just sprayed air-freshener.

Alternatively, you can also use scented candles to add a touch of fragrance to your home. Scented candles also make the place look inviting with their soft lights glowing, and are especially nice when placed in the living room. Instead of scents that are too sweet, use those that remind one of home, such as the scent of cookies baking, or lavender.

Share your own tips with us at our discussion forum or Facebook Page! You can also subscribe to us for more tips and guides!

Content inspired by this article from The Straits Times.