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.

When we marketed our last house I displayed all my Emma Bridgewater and bought a new aspirational biscuit tin from the range. I was convinced it was the perfect country cottage accessory. We did sell quickly but I don't think it was that!

Think about your ideal buyer (often younger than you) and what would make them go "aaah". But don't buy anything you wouldn't keep for the next place.

I look at the structure and measurements of a house too but plenty of people can't get past their first impression.

Presumably the OP is trying to get the most for their house and not the least 😂

Why? They'll be taking it with them!

I buy the house not the frills so I would stick to basics

This is extremely patronising. Are you an unscrupulous landlord who won’t actually be living in the houses?
Most people’s thoughts would be:
-Laundry over bannister= airing cupboard too small/doesn’t warm up enough/damp or mould risk
-Airer in conservatory= nowhere else for it, house is too small, damp/mould risk
…ad infinitum
People are fully entitled to be put off by things like this, and as a pp had said- if the seller is that sloppy with this sort of thing, what else haven’t they bothered maintaining? The boiler? The plumbing?

OP, something no one had suggested to take with you are some nice real wood items- fruit bowl, butchers block… they will give off a nice quality vibe on your uncluttered surfaces. We’ve maintained our houses well and dressed them well, and each time we’ve sold quickly and for over asking price. So if you can present the full package, do-plenty of people will love it.

I tried to put myself in the shoes of ideal buyers and what would appeal to them aesthetically (ours was very much a first-time buyers’ home!) and so staged it accordingly - lots of house plants, no dated decor, each room clearly showing its intended function. Bowl of lemons and limes on the counter, (empty) coffee pot on the stove, fresh flowers in clean water on the dining table, making sure the outside table and chairs were set out. And then no clutter anywhere, no dressing gowns on backs of doors, scuff marks cleaned off walls - that kind of thing. We had five viewings before we accepted an offer; all commented on how beautifully presented it was so I guess it worked…!

Absolutely no clutter anywhere, and open the windows! Fresh air and a clean smell. No awful fake smelling devices. Fresh linens and towels. Put the dirty washing in the boot of the car. If you have pets, deep clean.

for people who will be influenced, you are selling a dream. if they're looking for a country cottage then its things like a beautiful quilt, a basket of freshly picked veg with your gardening gloves and a nice outdoor seat with a cushion and a freshly put down book. (hard in march, but a greenhouse can be staged too)

if its a seaside home then a bowl of shells/seaglass and a pair of binoculars on a sea facing windowsill. Family home? then playroom or great storage solutions or make the kids rooms look amazing even if you take it all with you.

I know people are all saying they would never be swayed but some really are, the people who bought our old house contacted us 6 years later to ask what the colours were so had clearly never redecorated (weirdly they didn't want the leftover paint when we asked, but there you go) so I think some people do buy what they see, even though I personally always just want to rip stuff out and start again.

Have a look at what developers do with their show homes. Loads of examples on line.

People wanting doer uppers is fine. But for me, clean matching fresh bedding and towels, nothing on ANY surfaces ( I had a car full of crap ahead of viewings)

Clean and fresh smelling. No clutter.

It worked for me

And No one wants to look at other people’s messy stuff.

Agreed. Things like - I moved the laundry basket out of my DS’s room (it was one of those Ikea plastic folding ones with no
lid, no-one needed to see his food-covered babygros!), put a good-condition teddy on the chair and swapped out the knackered plastic toys for some wanky wooden things he’d been given and never played with😂

I’ve been viewing houses recently with my son, and I’m quite surprised by the factors that subjectively influence me. Although I like colour and use it in my home, badly decorated houses look a lot worse if they aren’t white or neutral. Grey really does suck all the life and light out of a house. Patchy dark blue also steals the light and will very obviously be hard to cover. Decluttering is crucial, stuff all over the place seems to twin with inadequate cleaning. Keep worktops clear. I don’t want to buy a house that will be filthy when I turn up with all my stuff in a van. Clean your paintwork and windows . Clean your carpets and floors. Clean your toilets and sinks. Have a banister. Invest in beautiful bedding and make the beds properly.
Too many paintings can confuse the eye, just have one or two per room. We viewed a lovely house, walls covered in nudes. They were everywhere. It wasn’t just distracting, it was uncomfortable, although there were also other issues. Artificial grass and plastic flowers really upset me. I’d rather see a jungle than a desert. Hang curtains properly or take them down. Bad DIY is infinitely worse than dated but good quality stuff. We’ve seen half painted walls, missing tiles, weird combinations of floors, doors that don’t open, showers and extensions only suitable for people under 5 ft tall, and grimly unappealing home bars and hot tubs. The house he is buying is clean and bright , painted white with tasteful furniture and unobtrusive fixtures. My home is colourful, cluttered and full of books. I’m planning some changes.

1. Right location.
2. Good price.

Wow, bit much 😆

There is a whole business around property staging so it obviously works on some level - even if it apparently doesn’t on you!

This is useful OP https://www.hamptons.co.uk/articles/10-tips-to-stage-your-home-for-a-viewing#/

This is what I don't get, seriously. I've never bought a house based on anything the vendors will take with them.

Looked at some EB mugs today in local garden centre. £25.00 !!!

To some extent I agree with the "no clutter" advice. However, part furnished can make it feel full and lacking in storage. Personally, I wanted somewhere with space for shelving over somewhere empty.

@NotMeNoNo I'm sure someone bought your house because of your aspirational biscuit tin. Don't deny it! 😂

Don't get the pets and dirty washing mixed up!!

No thanks, keep the garden outside

it’s probably worth remembering many buyers will look at 3 or 4 similar properties in a day. While bricks and mortar might be what they are looking for, if you’ve got 3 houses with same sq footage, with similar layouts in a similar area, the “feel” of a house will be the thing that swings it.

so as others have said, get rid of clutter, let them see the space you’ve got.

Light often makes two very similar spaces feel different- so make sure curtains and blinds are fully open. This is one area I would spend money, if you have any gloomy rooms, get good lamps, add mirrors etc to make the room feel brighter than it is.

Aww, I like this. I want to see family home if I am buying a family home. I don't mind a blank canvas, but I think it is weird to not see a picture of a baby in a house a baby lives in.

Yes, I think baby pictures are nice. We saw one house where they had loads of family photos from over the years, it was really lovely..

A surprisingly large number of people react well to a house when it's full of really nice things because you've set the scene as to how the house can look.

They can then be somewhat disappointed when you move out, take their things, and they have all their old stuff in there!

Very random but we got some comments about a pineapple in the fruit bowl. Looked nice and means welcome apparently. It was there by chance.