To think some little things make a house look expensive?

[Stressmode]

Selling my house and trying to make it look like normal people live there! My husband disagrees and says people will only be looking at bricks and mortar. However I recon there are certain things that help people a feel for a place and show it off well. Not just because I am selling my house but because I want to get some nice stuff for my next place. I am autistic so kind of struggle with this stuff.

What little things make a house feel elevated (classy, expensive, nice… not sure which) ?

Not got much budget, but trying to work out which things help with interiors.

We viewed one house and the owner wouldnt
let us look in one room as her baby was asleep.

another house we viewed was being rented and it was an absolute tip, a smashed window in the door and dirty underwear on the floor in the bedroom.

Oh , I don't know . If I move , I'm leaving my 302 month old DS as a Fixture and Fitting

I offered on my house before I'd even been inside it! (I knew the houses for years, just hadn't been round the particular one I was buying until my offer had been accepted because I bought off someone I knew). But looking at houses with my DD, houses that appear as blank canvases make it MUCH easier to imagine how your furniture will look/fit in the space. Houses where the walls and floors seem crowded make me think that it might be hard to fit the existant furniture in.

Uncluttered. Fresh paint. Tasteful furniture and decor. Well maintained.

Get the windows cleaned inside and outside.

Remove clutter.

Make sure it smells nice.

I look at the size of the rooms, the light and layout, so clean windows, uncluttered walkways etc. plants lend a good fresh look

Clean with minimal artificial smells and no half dead house plants. Don't forget the outdoor space, tidy and swept with no empty planters or random piles of stuff.

Oil door hinges and make sure no doors slam

Go and have a look at some show homes to get an idea of how the professionals stage a house. High end fixtures and fittings really elevate a house.

Who are you are trying to sell the house to? First time buyers, families, downsizers? Think about what they might think is valuable.

Nobody is going to offer you more money because you’ve got nice cushions and throws.

Good lighting and nice lamps really make a difference in a house.

I do generally look past what is in the house and focus on floor plan and what the house offers. However, it does get my back up when people have put zero effort in to have a general tidy and clean up, bit of a red flag really into what kind of people they are and if they really want to sell. I would be embarrassed by some of the states we have seen.

Good quality, timeless, solid wood furniture is what I notice but obviously that’s not a quick fix. And good quality fabrics on curtains etc.

Bit of Jo Malone diffusers help

Cushions & plants. Most importantly de-clutter and make sure you use colour, there is nothing worse than a bland house.

Start with kerb appeal - make sure they havent decided its a 'No' before they've walked in the door.

Bright, clean, welcoming....no bins, sweep path, etc

Unless you have the time and money to go all out and properly 'stage' your property, don't bother. (This is what an estate agent told me and I think it's the one thing he was correct about.)

Keep it clean and tidy; get rid of tatty furniture and anything you won't be taking with you when you move; try to arrange the furniture so that it makes the rooms look spacious and have things in the 'right' place (e.g. dining table in the dining room); tidy the garden and make any small but obvious repairs (like fixing a leaning fence or missing fence post); get the entire place painted and, if you have something like an old, leaking/hard water damaged tap in the kitchen or bathroom, replace them with new ones.

It's really surprising, but most viewers seem to have a total lack of imagination. They need to be able to easily see themselves living in a house, so totally empty rooms baffle them, as do places stuffed with furniture or even something that's just not their style.

I think just uncluttered, as clean as you possibly can, and make sure it smells nice.

if you wanted to go above that then maybe nice fresh flowers in a vase, and a couple of cushions on the sofa.

Anyone/ Anywhere - please no 'expletive-deleted' candles.
Why would anyone want their home to smell of cheap fake scent? (Even the posh ones do this, I'm afraid.)
For those of us with breathing problems/sensory issues they are a massive turnoff and for some of us also a genuine health-risk.
Added to which, almost all candles are massively bad for the environment.

Don't you care about the world that your children will grow up in??

I think the main thing is to make the home feel 'loved'. I get nervous if it's really scruffy, because I think what else haven't you done? Are you ignoring a leaky roof? Damp? It makes me thing that you don't spend time/money on the house.

-Good EA photos fo the listing is the start, otherwise, no one will view!
-Kerb appeal
-A clean entrance area. Not cluttered with old shoes/coats etc
-No personal photos, wedding or baby pics
-If there are diffusers, smellies, candles etc, I wonder if they have a damp and mould problem!

Zero clutter: everything off worktops, all shoes hidden away
Crisp, clean, white linen on the beds.
Nice towels in the bathroom - nothing flowery or overly patterned.
All toiletries in cupboards, not left out in bathroom
Hide away the laundry basket
Fresh flowers
Photos (not too many) in simple, metal frames
No traces of pets
As mentioned above, none of those sentimental message prints - especially not anything written on ‘shabby chic’ wood

Boot of the car is good if you need somewhere to put things for a viewing - see pet beds and laundry basket!

Best of luck!

Just make sure it’s clean. I don’t need any more photos of an Aesop hand wash when the rest of the house is a state!!

I've sold two houses this year and purchased one.
When selling - declutter. If you have no space to put unnecessary crap, put it in a box in the car, shove it under the duvet etc. Make sure the house is aired and smelling good. You don't need any fancy adornments. Plants help though, makes everything look fresh.
When buying, I pay attention to the layout of the house, structure, roof, boiler, electrics, flooring - these can be very expensive to sort. Kitchens and bathrooms are v important - any grout/sealant that needs updating, do it.
Be ultra critical of your own house - imagine what you'd think if you'd rented it as a holiday home, would it pass muster?

I think it's important to show how space can be lived in well. It's not necessarily about the cushions and the candles but furniture placement, hints at lifestyle, lack of clutter, space being maximised all help to sell a house.

I wouldn't buy new things for this house- just declutter, make the beds nicely for viewings, put out fluffy white towels in the bathroom, make sure the house smells lovely (if nothing else fresh air) I've twice sold a house when I've stuck a pineapple in the fruit bowl. This could just be coincidence though.