Advertisement
Interior designers know some tricks that can help a house stand out in a crowded market. For sellers, it would appear to be a packed housing market.
The existing homes for sale inventory have risen steadily throughout 2022, but buyers aren’t exhibiting the same appetite that they did during the pandemic. Interest rate rises have scared off many buyers, as have the sky-high house prices in the US now.
Fortunately, some areas are still on the more affordable side. The median house price in the US is $396,700, but Cleveland and Ohio housing is still reachable. The median price of a home in Ohio is $221,200.
However, those aforementioned interest rates are still concerning for buyers, and sellers are finding it takes around 66 days to sell a house. This for many is too long.
Can you sell your house quickly in today’s market?
Marketing a home and receiving an offer may not take a vast amount of time. On average, houses were taking just 18 days to sell. Tricks such as staging and professional photography coupled with virtual tours help to market homes successfully.
But, after a bid has been accepted it can take another 48 days to close. To speed up the process many people turn to cash buyers. Property investors such as Cash House Buyers USA are seeing an uptick in motivated sellers who want a quick sale.
Nevertheless, there are ways to speed a house sale along and make sure your property is snapped up. Here are three interior design tricks that will show your home in its best light.
Make your rooms look bigger
The first hack is how to make your rooms appear larger. Square footage is a huge selling point in real estate, but the illusion of space can be just as effective.
Paul Gibbens of Housebuyers4u recommends to declutter your home. Remove anything and everything that is crowding your rooms. Next, consider the use of some mirrors. Mirrors can be used to trick anyone into believing a room is larger than it is. They add depth, and they will make any room look brighter. Lighting is also important in creating the illusion of space. You can make the most of a small room through lighting, by using both natural and artificial light sources.
In the daytime make sure blinds are drawn back to make the most of the sunlight. For artificial lighting consider using wall lights to illuminate any recesses and corners. Pendant lighting and lamps will also help to make a room appear taller, larger and brighter.
Change your flooring
Many buyers will emphasize the importance of good flooring. To recarpet a 2 bedroom home can cost up to $10,000. If a potential buyer walks into a home with tired or damaged flooring they will start mentally adding up the cost of replacement flooring. This will result in at best, a lower offer being made.
It is estimated that hardwood flooring can see an ROI of up to 80% making it one of the better renovations that you can make. You will see most of your investment returned, and you will likely receive higher offers.
If you want to follow some of the current flooring trends then consider bamboo. Concrete is another eco-friendly flooring option now. Concrete can be stained or stamped, but to many, it is too cold for a home. Therefore, bamboo makes a great alternative to hardwood flooring.
Some types of bamboo reach full maturity in just 90 days meaning it is sustainable as well as highly durable and more affordable than hardwood.
Alternatively, if you have good wooden flooring under your old carpets then one cheaper hack is to restore this. If suitable you can have this rubbed down and treated to create attractive flooring at a fraction of the cost of other options.
Take out the bold and bring in the neutral
Not so much a hack but something that may be necessary. Your bold wallpaper may be something you’ve enjoyed for a while, but it could be a huge turn-off to many others.
Wallpaper is enjoying something of a revival in interior design trends, but it can reduce the selling value of a home. Patterned wallpaper may appeal to one person and not to another. Plus, wallpaper is a pain to remove.
Strip your walls and repaint them in neutral colors. Neutral colors can help with the flow from one room to another. And you can add accents to neutral colors and hang some art if you find it too plain. Be careful when hanging art and accessories not to go overboard, and not to make it too personal. Leave room for the viewer to imagine how they would add their own touches once they move in.
Summary
Simple hacks and tricks can ramp up the appeal of a house. One reason that staging has become so popular is that it transforms a house into a home that appeals to a wider audience. By decluttering and adding mirrors you can make your home look more spacious.
Stripping back old carpets could allow room for a new look floor that is appealing to potential buyers. And stripping down bold wallpaper and using neutrals will give your viewers room for their imagination to take seed.