3017 days ago

5 expert tips on selling your home

Lodge Real Estate - City

First impressions count and looks matter whether we like to admit it or not. Home staging not only helps to sell your home faster but also attracts more buyers that are willing to put an offer on the table.

Here’s how the experts present their homes before entering the market:

1. Keep it clean and crisp
Remember your mum telling you to tidy your room? Well those days have spent as you need to create a home that is clean and neutral. The goal of home staging is to get buyers to mentally move in when they visit, but that’s difficult if it’s full of all your own stuff. Take the time to remove family photos and other personal items from your home too, as these can distract viewers from what your home really has to offer.

Be ruthless!

2. Create points of interest
A perfectly placed piece of furniture, plant or artwork in a hallway, awkward corner or at the top of a set of stairs can create a point of visual interest and encourage visitors to investigate further.

Points of interest are a great tool to add symmetry and balance to each room, it’s about showing the viewer the potential of the home and helping them visualise what it can be.

3. Balance is good
Studies have shown that humans find symmetrical and balanced arrangements more aesthetically pleasing—from art to faces and food—and yes, even how we arrange our furniture. Move your lounge furniture away from the walls and pair up movable furniture, such as your chairs, lamps, and side tables. If something doesn’t match try pairing it with something of similar size to balance the room out.

4. Each room needs a signature
Every room has its own distinct feature. It could be a fireplace, a different coloured wall, a piece of furniture, a window, or an artwork or mirror. Once you’ve found your feature, celebrate it and emphasise it.

5. Know your audience
Every good entertainer knows what their audience wants and how to give it to them. Think about the features that will help buyers to visualise the lifestyle they might lead in your home. A table and chairs for a family on the deck, a secluded reading chair in the sun, or a minimalist kitchen can all help sell a viewer on a different lifestyle—it’s important to understand what buyers are looking for and how they see themselves in your home which could soon be theirs.

Remember, think about your location and it’s context. Is it mostly families, working professionals, students or seniors? Use that information to guide your staging decisions. If you’re struggling for ideas a estate agent can always help with this.

Click here if you want to find out more or download a free eBook on this topic.
Get FREE eBook

Image
More messages from your neighbours
15 days ago

Poll: Are you a Te Huia fan?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

All three Hamilton MPs appear to be united behind the retention of the Te Huia passenger rail service between Hamilton and Auckland, as well as potentially expanding it to Tauranga.

But whether Hamilton East’s Ryan Hamilton, Hamilton West’s Tama Potaka and soon-to-be Labour list MP Georgie Dansey have the combined power to shunt transport minister Chris Bishop and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon onto their line of thinking remains to be seen.

Are you a Te Huia fan? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

Image
Are you a Te Huia fan?
  • 82.7% Yes
    82.7% Complete
  • 17.3% No
    17.3% Complete
75 votes
5 days ago

Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙

One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.

So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?

Image
Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
  • 60% Yes, supporting people is important!
    60% Complete
  • 25.7% No, individuals should take responsibility
    25.7% Complete
  • 14.3% ... It is complicated
    14.3% Complete
1033 votes
21 hours ago

Wild weather in the Waikato

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Waikato really copped it over the weekend, with wild weather leaving a hefty clean-up bill that may run into the millions.

While things are looking calmer in the days ahead, there are still plenty of slips and flooded roads across the district — so if you’re heading out, take it easy and stay alert.

We want to know: How did you and your whānau get on over the weekend?

Want to see what recovery will look like from here? The Waikato Times has the latest.

Image