Surrey

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38.jpg" alt="Interior design by Surrey-based designer Helen McClure of At Home By Design" class="wp-image-37228" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/01/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-38-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



When moving house, the last thing on your mind is redecorating the place you’re selling. After all, you’re hoping to save your money to spend on your new place. Right?! But what if the sale of your house comes down to “you have to spend money to save money”? What if you could actually find a buyer more quickly, and at a higher selling price, recouping what you’ve invested in your home staging? Thanks to some nifty design tricks, you can. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-stage-is-set">The stage is set</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49786" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-Long-Ridge-SLW-36-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



There is a growing trend of sellers turning to interior designers, not just to help them with their new pad, but to help them sell their old one. The property market is tough, and particularly at the moment, with house prices slowing and mortgage interest-rates rising faster than a soufflé &#8211; and this financial see-saw sadly does not favour the seller.



We’ve all heard about enticing buyers with the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread, but they’ve become savvy to these design tricks. And anyway who wants to bake bread all the time?!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Colour me happy</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07.jpeg" alt="Interior design by Surrey-based designer Helen McClure of At Home By Design" class="wp-image-49785" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07-400x267.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-07-788x525.jpeg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>







In the past, we’ve been told to keep the colour palette of our interiors neutral, so buyers can stamp their own personality. However, not many buyers can envisage what a house will look like with their own furniture in it. Instead, classy grey just looks vanilla and boring.



&#8220;Success can come down to presenting them with a picture – literally tempting the buyer with an aspirational lifestyle that they want to have, by highlighting the advantages of your home. It’s a win-win situation,&#8221; says Helen.



Of course, you’re not going to be able to paint your home or present it in a way that suits all buyers, but you’re not trying to. &#8220;A lot of buyers will be able to work out whether your house suits them in terms of layout and size, but you’re giving them an insight into a new way of living by painting the scene for them.&#8221; Clever!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11.jpeg" alt="Interior design by Surrey-based designer Helen McClure of At Home By Design" class="wp-image-49784" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/10/At-Home-By-Design-11-700x525.jpeg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Helen&#8217;s do&#8217;s and don&#8217;t for a quick sale</h2>



■ Do get some expert help. An interior designer will be able to tell you what adds value and what doesn’t.



■ Do be prepared to spend some money. That could mean replacing tired and dirty carpets or painting grubby walls. There’s no free win, although a tidy house goes a long way.



■ Do be prepared to hire or buy furniture if the property is empty.



■ Don’t think you have to renovate the whole house. This is about creating an inviting environment that a buyer can envisage living in, not rebuilding the perfect product.



■ Don’t forget that in the age of social media great photos are what draw people in.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01.jpeg" alt="Interior design by Surrey-based designer Helen McClure of At Home By Design" class="wp-image-44576" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01.jpeg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01-400x300.jpeg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/01/At-Home-By-Design-01-700x525.jpeg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Remember if you want to beat any market, it’s about having a product that’s sellable. And your house is no different. How we buy and how we shop has changed from the high-street days of old, and the psychology of selling is ever-changing. So being the best-looking house in the estate-agent’s window, with the most Instagrammable pictures, could help tip the see-saw in your favour!



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Helen McClure is an interior designer, who run the Surrey-based boutique studio At Home by Design. <a href="http://www.athomebydesign.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">athomebydesign.co.uk</a> 



Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/athomebydesign1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@athomebydesign1</a>



Want more interiors inspiration? <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/interiors/how-to-use-colour-in-interior-design/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Perk up your home with a new colour palette</a>

Moving on up? Home staging style advice to speed your sale

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