The Colour of Property Staging : Mastering The Use of Colour
Brighten, refine and define...
Property staging is all about making your property ideal for potential buyers, making them want to live in your property and allowing them to picture themselves in that space. When it comes to this, the most obvious avenue to go down is furniture or house plants, which we have discussed before in a previous article. Depersonalising your furniture but making it look appealing can be a big swing for a customer and can be the thing that puts your home over the competition. If home buying is about the character of your home, the furniture helps present that clearer and it’s the obvious starting point.
However, what cannot be overlooked is the impact of the subtle changes you can make to your home. We have discussed briefly in the past about the impact of colour and its potential benefits to your home’s overall appearance and appeal. However, what we haven’t really done is expanded upon those themes and explained how to use colour and the potential benefits of this use. This guide hopes to provide you with some tips and some background to help you stage your property for sale better as the little touches can make a big difference to the overall look of your home.
First Appearances
Always be aware of the fact that most potential buyers will make their mind up on a property quite quickly. Most of us can be pretty stubborn, especially when it comes to such a big decision, so any bad first impression will be hard to overcome. Be cautious of this and make sure your property is welcoming. The best way to do this is with a colourful front door, which can be quite effective with buyers. Colours to look for are glossy reds, light greens and blues. Old school doors with colourful glass panels are also quite impactful and do work well with clients of a certain age but this can also make your property look a bit antique. This isn’t necessarily bad if you are aiming for that demographic but it is something to bear in mind. It also helps to make sure your door is looking fresh and the colour is consistent. There’s no point in having a nicely coloured door if it’s patchy or the paint is not smoothly done. A little extra touch can make a world of difference and set the right tone from the start.
Use Neutrals
When it comes to homes, bolder doesn’t always mean better. Your home should be welcoming and you want to promote a feeling of calm and that the rooms are continuous. That way, your home feels easier to live in and it just feels more pleasant. Any bold colours or personal wallpapers may leave a bad taste in the mouths of buyers and leave them focused on a negative. Remember, if a customer can find something wrong, they most likely will and that will hurt your results. Buying a home is a big deal so don’t provide them with reasons to feel nervy or unsure about your property. To this end, neutral colours are usually the way to go and you want this shade to be continuous throughout your property. Typically, we recommend beige colours and shades. These feel a bit softer than whites while still offering a neutral base. This is subjective though and whites are quite a popular choice if you did want to go down that path.
Be Bold But Not Too Bold
I know that sounds a bit wishy-washy but I’ll explain. The use of colour in a property is important as it grabs your attention. While neutral colours are often preferred in property staging, you shouldn’t be scared of using the odd flourish. Common ways to add a bit of colour are through house plants or through the use of cushions or throws. These help make your surfaces and the overall room feel a bit more alive without being overly distracting. Art is also a common and useful addition to walls. It’s a way to add a bit of spark without being too stand-offish or powerful. You want your home to be the main attraction here, not your colours or furnishings. That’s why it pays to be reserved in your usage. Be sensible and keep bold colours to a minimum. Places where colour really helps are outdoor spaces and bedrooms where that lived in element really helps and those warmer colours can help make a cosier experience.
Colour is a really important thing to consider when staging your property or your home for a sale as it allows you to create the right atmosphere and really welcome buyers into your home on the right foot so that you have the best chance of landing their business. As always, these tips are not hard rules to live by but simply things we have found useful and beneficial over the years that have made a difference with buyers. Use them as you wish and don’t take any of our suggestions as gospel. Just keep the end buyer in mind at all times and you’ll be selling your home in no time.
