To Furnish Or Not To Furnish

You’ve spent thousands on renovating your property, the gaudy 70’s carpet has gone, the hideous net curtains have been dumped and the flaky woodwork has been repaired. The house is perfect and you’re feeling proud. But it’s empty. So what do you do? Do you leave it empty so your potential buyer can see what floor space they have to work with or do you furnish it so your potential buyers can imagine themselves living in your lavish home? Either option can be a real buzz kill- decorate it poorly and you’ll scare people away, leave the room empty and you’ll make it difficult for buyers to imagine living in the space.

The best idea is to find a medium- keep it simple, allow the viewers to absorb the available space, but also use basic furnishing to allow them to imagine how the space could be utilised.

1) Target your audience
You should be targetting a particular market, so cater for them. If you’re marketing a property for young professionals, there’s no point staging a ‘games room’ for the kids.

2) Stage with appropriate furniture
Don’t let money leave your pocket easily; there’s no need to buy lots of furniture for each room; borrow if you can and buy if needed, but only use key pieces, such as sofas and a dining table etc. Spending time and money on staging will reflect on your asking price and how quickly you sell your property, so it’s well worth the investment.

3) Do every room justice
Make each room display its full potential. For example, if the bedroom can fit a double bed in, then put one in. This will actually make the viewer value the space more and emphasise how big the room really is.

4) Make a room interesting
Create a focal point. This is quite important if a room is looking bland. Simple and cost efficient features like mirrors and art-pieces can drastically transform an ordinary room into something amazing.

5) Keep it fresh
Keep the rooms looking fresh and clean with simple staging tricks. In the bedroom make use of vibrant pillows and ironed bed linen. Keep the kitchen clutter free; perhaps add some colour with a healthy looking fruit bowl. Present your bathroom as a place to relax and unwind by adding folded or rolled up towels. Healthy looking flowers work wonders and they can be used in almost any type of room. However, be careful not to overuse flowers otherwise buyers maybe suspicious of what you’re trying to compensate for. It’s the simple features that go along way and make the biggest differences.

6) No need for clutter
Clutter is unnecessary, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. The purpose of those rooms is highly domesticated, so keep them looking bright and clean. There is no need for overcomplicated toiletries or cooking utensils. However, limited, high quality looking utensils stacked neatly can do no harm. Find the medium.

Final note
Like with most practises in life, finding a good balance is what usually works best. The key is to find a balance between space and furniture. Don’t abuse or underestimate how useful furniture can be, each tactic has its limitations, so it’s up to you to be sensible.

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