Best face forward: How to make your home shine at an inspection (and why it matters)

In a world of increasingly sophisticated technology, there is still absolutely no substitute for attending an open house.

Buyers need to physically experience the space, layout and feel of a home, and wise vendors work hard to turn that brief encounter into a lasting love affair.

“The best video listing can still never take the place of seeing the reality, which can then start to build into an emotional connection,” Co-founder of the The Agency, Ben Collier says. “It’s that moment you step through the door at an open home that you can truly begin to imagine what it might be like to live there.”

It’s critical for sellers to work out the important elements for their open house. The main aim is to make a house look as spacious as possible, Distinct Sydney interior designer Batya Basson says.

“How you show off that space with the placing of your furniture is the single most important thing.

“Use your existing furniture – or take some out, or rent new furniture – to make the rooms look as big and as open as possible. Then create a homey, cosy feel with accessories, like plants, flowers, artwork and cushions.”

On Edith Street in Leichhardt, a five-bedroom house was finished only five weeks ago and was completely empty. “But you can’t sell a house like that, and we knew we’d have to put furniture in and style it properly so people could understand how all the space could be used,” Cobden & Hayson Annandale agent Ben Southwell says.

This home on Leichhardt’s Edith Street has been styled to sell. Photo: Supplied

Robynne de Courtenay, of interior designers Coloured Pencil, was hired to dress the home, using high-end furniture, rugs, artwork and linen to appeal to the target demographic. 

“Buyers purchase on emotion, so it’s my job to enhance the style and flow of a property so someone will walk in and fall in love,” she says.

• Related: How to declutter before selling
• Related: What makes a buyer fall in love
• Related: How to sell a unique home

When selling a home, cleanliness is key. Photo: Supplied

Another vital element in making a home alluring is to ensure it is sparkling clean with a pleasant scent. Laing Real Estate managing director Vicki Laing has lost count of the number of openings where she’s had to take out insects, wipe surfaces and unlock windows to let in fresh air.

“It’s amazing how many vendors have a film of grime over windows blocking out light, tidelines in the bath and a layer of fat on kitchen surfaces showing the exhaust system isn’t good,” she says.

Decluttering will make it easier for buyers to image their own possessions in your home. Photo: iStock

Decluttering is vital so visitors see how much room there is and can imagine their own possessions in the home, Luki Scully, chief decluttering officer of Get Sorted, says.

Vendors can hide their gear, store it somewhere else or hire a professional helper, like Scully, to do it for them.

A well-organised property also carries aspirational values for potential buyers. Photo: Supplied

“Lots of family pictures, books and personal possessions inhibit people from seeing themselves in the space,” she says. “Countertops and cupboards all look much bigger without lots of stuff on, and in, them.

“If you see a well-organised home, a potential buyer feels they can, if they buy that home, be like that too. It’s all about aspirations.”

Three homes you might like

75a Edith Street, Leichhardt

Photo: Supplied

An ultra-modern home, yet one that has been styled for open houses before its auction to look enormously liveable, this inner-west house has plenty of space and light.

Vendor Pam Alidenes says when she first saw the architect’s plans, she knew it would be special. “It has everything you could need from spacious bedrooms to integrated indoor-outdoor living spaces and ample storage throughout the house.”

It’s listed with a $2.8 million price guide and goes to auction on August 18, through Cobden & Hayson Annandale and Raine & Horne Leichhardt.

27 Roseville Avenue, Roseville

Photo: Supplied

The owners of this well-maintained 1911 residence on the north shore may as well have taken a master class in styling to sell.   

While the decor is uncluttered, there are enough cosy touches – a well-placed throw here, an accent chair there – to captivate the eye. 

Stone Real Estate Lindfield have the listing. 

68 Arden Street, Clovelly

Photo: Supplied

Sure, this contemporary family home designed by Studio Internationale has plenty of special features, from underfloor heating, to a gas fireplace, a 12 metre solar pool and landscaped gardens. 

But the styling is the icing on the cake, and the vendors have wisely kept it simple and light. 

Phillips Pantzer Donnelley are marketing the property.