One of the biggest deciding factors in choosing a new home is whether or not you can imagine yourself living there. While sellers want to show a home with a personality, it’s important to leave some breathing space for viewers to imagine what their own influence on the property could be.

We’ve laid out our best tips for achieving that balance between a house that’s lived in, and a house that’s ready for a new lease of life.

Rooms Roles

Sometimes life tends to blend our homes into one big living space. The kids do their homework in the kitchen, your laptop and a bunch of papers from work have taken up the dining room table, and the living room occasionally resembles a makeshift ironing service.

While arrangements such as these might suit your day-to-day life – they can sometimes blur the functionality of each room. For example, if you prefer casual meals around the kitchen table you might not get much use of your dining room aside from those days you need a quiet space to work from home. However, for another family a big beautiful space to hold dinner parties could be the precise thing that makes them fall in love with your property.

Make sure the purpose of each room is as clearly defined upon viewing as it is in your property description. If you are advertising a home with a dining room, set it up in such a way that a viewer can picture what it would be like to eat there.

Be you – but not TOO you

It’s always good to make the most of the space you have, and for some there’s nothing more homey than a bookcase stuffed full of interesting reads. However, the stacks of volumes on the floor that wouldn’t quite fit on the shelves could take the overall effect from cosy to cluttered.

As previously mentioned, a bit of personality goes a long way – but don’t let it spill over to the point that the property is unimaginable without it.

Take a children’s bedroom; if it is themed to suit something they love then that’s great – your buyer could be imagining what theme their own child would like. However, make sure to take down any less than perfect wall decorations, such as tatty posters or ticket stubs. While they may hold sentimental value for the current room resident – they could be hiding the overall potential of the room from prospective buyers.  

It’s the little things

When you dream of your new home, you don’t imagine lightbulbs that do not work or a slightly wobbly living room door handle.

While an issue such as these is, to many of us, a mild nuisance that doesn’t need addressed straight away – it can stop your home from being shown in its best light.

Visitors might not notice one bulb that is out in the living room light fixture, but they will note that the light doesn’t carry into the corner of the rooms. It might seem like a small factor, but it’s the little things that make the difference between a house and a potential home.

Before opening your property up for viewers, ensure that all minor maintenance has been taken care of. If something is easily fixable then it’s definitely worth doing so – just in case!

Space for inspiration

Downsizing? You might not have need for that extra room upstairs but the likelihood is that those who are interested in your property could do with the space – so make sure you show it off!

There’s always the temptation to treat unutilised spare rooms as impromptu storage – but when you’re selling up it’s the perfect opportunity to spark your viewers’ imagination. Got a lot of fitness equipment? Turn the space into a mini gym; a spare T.V. set could be the foundation for a cosy snug; and a desk and computer could turn the space into a nice office.

Although your lucky buyer may choose to switch things up when they make the home their own – it’s a great way to show how the home could be adapted to different lifestyles. 

There is one golden rule that applies to almost all properties. If you want it to look at its best, declutter. With many local self storage businesses it is easy to do.