Critique my photos – selling house

[Delara]

Hi all,

I'm planning on selling soon, and am looking for some feedback on staging.

I live in an area where the houses that sell for most are a bit eclectic and 'have character' and colour. The ones that sell for the least are plain (which goes against everything I'd heard about making your house a blank slate!) so I'm thinking of leaning into this and maybe painting the chimney breast wall green and painting the kitchen, which is probably the most bland bit.

I'm also wondering if the living room is too busy and if I should just have one chair and fewer accessories.

The wardrobe in the second bedroom blocks light from the window so would it be worth swapping it out for a desk?

Please do point out anything else – if something looks cluttered etc.

Also should I remove all cat equipment? Planning to remove the litter boxes but wondering if it would be ok to leave up the cat tree in the living room if it blends into the room enough.

Appreciate any thoughts :)

It is a lovely looking home, and definitely one where people can imagine themsleves moving in.

If you say that quirky houses sell better, then I would say both bedrooms need something. Large picture on the wall, beautiful throw across bottom of the bed. They are very bland and it isn't selling them. I would hate the wardrobe in front of the window, so I would swap for chest of drawers.

I think the colour in the bathroom and hall looks great. I love the plants in the bathroom, I think it gives a great feel to it. Don't add any more colour to the living room, the sofas provide a great vibe.

Kitchen needs something. I would paint a colour between the bottom and top cabinets. Although not if it is tiled. It needs something to make it feel a little more original.

Personally I wouldn't stage the attic room as a playroom, more as a home office, and take the desk out of the bedroom. Possibly also show that you could put some storgae up there?

Oh! PM if you want to say where 😊

Love the cat and the dining set ❤️

Thank you! This is my kitchen as it normally looks. Perhaps there's a middle ground here where I can use some accessories?

Oh dear, the photo won't upload! I generally have more things out.

Thank you! If only I drank coffee. May get my partner to come over and make some hahaha

Thank you, I'll see how it looks with the monstera there!

Agree kitchen does look bland. Turn the light on and retake photos aswell. What about a calendar or poster or something on the side of the fridge aswell.

Great idea, it does look very plain at the moment doesn't it! Calendar could definitely be a cost effective solution

Finding some art is now on my list :) Could do with some in the bedrooms and lounge I think.

Oh that's a good idea! Might shuffle some furniture around and see what looks good. The first bedroom actually does already have a wardrobe where I was standing, not sure if two in a room may look odd but I'll give it a go!

If you like ink and watercolours and want a Manchester artist ( she’s actually an architect ) check out
Simone Ridyard
she does lots of Manchester street scenes

Flowers! Yes, I need to pick some up. Love the idea of muted pink flowers. I normally have some accessories out like a pumpkin dish and some ochre and sage tea towels so may put them back. Thank you :)

Lose the cat stuff. Add low level cosier lighting each side of the bed and in the living room and have it switched on for viewings. Personally I hate the pink so would lose the wall on the landing that seems very closed in and I would exchange the shower curtain for plain white. Plain bedding well ironed and an accent cushion (s).

Is the loft room a legal bedroom? If not you must ensure the house is not sold as having an extra bedroom. I would style it as a nice office space - desk/ chair/ bookcase and low level lamps, possibly a beanbag chair.

The photos display quite small on MN, so hard to really see any detail, but I would say the staging looks fine, but I would exclude the cat and declutter as much as possible. You want the viewer to see the room and the space, and be distracted a little as possible to your "irrelevant" possessions.

Presumably the photos are a dry run as they need to be professionally shot.
The ones you have shared are not suitable, your EA should be a able to recommend someone.

Thank you! Good to know the bedrooms seem bland and dressing the bed could be better.

I've got a few big wicker hampers I could maybe put up in the loft room if I want to show it as storage space. Which may be better than a playroom as most people buying in my area are FTB with no kids or very young ones

These are gorgeous.. love the second one on her landing page. Bit out of budget though as I'm saving to get clobbered by second time buyer stamp duty!

For the attic room, maybe a floor lamp/up lighter and an armchair, plus a low unit and (not big) TV. It looks like it could be a nice space to sit and read/watch TV/relax. Might also appeal to crafters and (parents of) gamers, for example, or have potential for WFH.

Your house as a whole has a great look and the mid-century feel will appeal to a lot of younger buyers (it sounds like that’s your target market).

Great idea about a TV room in the loft. You could get a large broken TV off FB marketplace just for staging, with beanbags/cushions.

Agree re pulling the shower curtain back.

Some of the plants could be moved in to the kitchen perhaps? A couple of trailing ones from the top cupboards would look good too, although I appreciate not everyone is a fan of plants (I am and think yours are fab!)

I’d try to re-arrange the bed and wardrobe if possible - I’d find it really odd having the window covered. Does it fit anywhere else?

It’s a lovely home though and will appeal to a lot of people. Hope it all goes well!

I sold my house in Manchester not that long ago and had all 4 of my cats present for viewings, as my cats are gorgeous – they helped sell it (sold in 5 days). The estate agent actually rang me as 2 viewers asked what breed they were. That's the 3rd time my cats have helped sell a house.

No carpets so no worries about fleas (my cats don't have fleas so not an issue anyway).

Your house is lovely and I'm merely saying that not all viewers would be put off by cats and their paraphernalia!

My main thought was that the house was dark but a decent EA should be able to address that. Just remember to have lights on for viewings as well. I don't think you need to do much especially as you have a cohesive colour palette. What I would do:

Sitting room - leave the armchairs it shows you have space for guests. Get a large poster or large mirror to go above the fireplace - it will emphasise the ceiling height (which is good). IKEA would be a good inexpensive source. Lose the cat tower

Dining room - is really nice as is. Make sure that there is something like the vase of flowers or a bowl of fruit on the table for viewings - it seems to help buyers envisage sitting there to eat.

Bedroom 1 - put the round mirror in the sitting room on the chimney breast - will help bounce light around. Also can you restage the desk so it is more of a dressing table - multi purpose rooms can be a distraction.

Bedroom 2 - if you can move the wardrobe then do. Is the one in the other bedroom smaller - might swapping them over work? I would get a large plain bedspread in a colour picked out from the rug that covers the valance at the end of the bed as the duvet cover is currently the dominant feature of the room. A poster or something over the bed would draw the eye into the room a bit more. A length of fabric or a curtain from a tension rod that hung from the ceiling to behind the bed could be really dramatic and cost very little.

Bathroom - it is so dark it looks dingy in the photos. Move nearly all the plants (and all of the ones next to the loo) - you can put them in the attic space which will tie it in to the rest of the house a bit more. I'd swap the shower curtain for a new one in a light colour as people often want just light bright stuff in a bathroom and it makes it look cleaner. Lose the bathmat for viewings and photos. A good trick is to buy yourself some fluffy new towels (ideally white) that you don't use but just put out for viewings - again a bright white fluffy towel looks inviting. A quick wipe round the sink and behind a radiator with Zoflora in the Linen scent is quite a good trick with bathrooms too. Its light and smells clean.

Kitchen - a small plant from the bathroom on the end work surface, a bright bowl of oranges and some herbs in matching small terracotta pots will do a lot to lift the mood. You can buy magnetic chalk boards - I'd get one for the side of the fridge and write a shopping list on it so it becomes a useful surface rather than a blank one.

Attic room - I agree that a teenage lounging space would be a good way to stage this so a couple of extra beanbags in orangy/pinky colours and a tv maybe you could use your wicker baskets as sidetables? Put the bigger plants from the bathroom in here. It will tie this in with the colour scheme from the rest of the house. A young couple could envision this as a potential gaming room/wfh space for now and a children's space later.

I have cats and a dog I just don’t have them front and centre in the photos

First thoughts / gut were:

• move one or both of the armchairs in the living room to the loft room
• dress the kitchen a bit, coloured towel, bowl of lemons / fruit / bottle wine with glasses, anything to make it look life-style-y
• some fresh flowers
• lamps / lights

What's the outside like? Make sure it's really tidy.

It's a very attractive house.

I think, instead of painting the chimney green, you could paint the alcoves green and the opposite wall (behind the sofa) green. This is what I did in my living room and I think it makes the chimney less imposing but still incorporates colour.

I think you have a lovely home @Delara It's very warm and welcoming. I personally don't think you have too many plants, but I love having plants all around my home.
I agree about the loft space, and would set it up as your sewing room.
The cats don't bother me, and surely if you have a pet allergy you'd want to know if a house you are viewing has them so you can factor in a deep clean. Maybe move the cat tree for photos and if you have a standard lamp, put that in the corner on your living room instead.
I have painted the alcoves either side of our fireplace a deep blue which I think looks nice. I feel if you painted the chimney breast it might make it dominate the room a bit too much.
For the fridge panel side, what about using it as a menu board? I've painted a chalk board on one of our kitchen walls and write up what we are having for dinner every evening. I think a bowl of fruit on the worktop furtherest away from the sink would be a nice touch.
Yes to pulling back the shower curtain. Love all the plants in there and they look like they love it too.
Good luck with the sale once you've got it on the market.

Is the cat for sale?