How to stage your home for a quick sale in SA

Article summary

• First impressions are key to conducting an effective home staging.
• Make sure the home is neat and free of bad odours.
• Do your best to make the home bright and welcoming.
• Remove reminders that the house was previously occupied (such as family photos).
• Be sure to seek advice from an estate agent, as they can provide insight into the market.

South Africa remains a buyer’s market in 2024, so you’d think it would be easy to sell your house. However, some people are finding that is not the case.

But don’t give up just yet. First impressions count for a lot, so effective home staging is key to securing a successful sale. These tips will help you achieve just that.

Make sure the home is neat

For example:

• Remove clutter.
• Make sure closets are mostly empty.
• Clean the floors.
• Arrange furniture so nothing looks out of place.
• Fix broken doors, drawers and closets (in other words, remove as many signs of ageing as you can).

Remember the garden

Don’t skimp on the garden. You’ll want to mow lawns, trim the hedges and, if you have a swimming pool, remove leaves and make sure it’s sparkling (putting on a pool cover will make it look like it never gets used for some reason, so best avoid that).

Get rid of smells

This includes smells you may have become used to without realising it, such as the smell of pets or cigarette smoke. You may have to replace the carpets if they carry any bad odours or stains.

Spray some air freshener around and find ways to create overpowering good smells, such as by cooking something delicious.

Lighten it up

Turn all the lights on and open the curtains so the house looks bright and welcoming.

Remove photos and other signs of habitation

You don’t want people to be reminded that the house had previous occupants. Remove photos of family, toys, tools and anything else that reminds guests that the house was previously occupied.

Seek advice from an estate agent

Estate agents are in a good position to advise you on a home sale since they’ll be knowledgeable of the market, and the particular area you’re looking to sell in.

Their experience in home sales and showcasing houses enables them to grant you insight into what appeals to buyers.

Buying a new home

The above tips will help you sell your home, and if you’re looking to put those resources toward buying a new home, it helps to get prequalified so you’ll know what you can afford.

This in turn gives you a rough target number for the price you want to sell your home at.

You can get prequalified by contacting an expert at ooba Home Loans or by using our free, online prequalification tool, the Bond Indicator.