Staging is the easiest way of upgrading an old house.

How to upgrade an old house

If you’re wondering how to upgrade an old house, don’t start with a budget. Your old house doesn’t always need physical renovation – especially if you want to sell.

A good example to follow is Woolworths. One can learn so much from just observing the way the company runs its business.

Like certain magazines and decor retailers, Woolworths doesn’t just show you what it sells, it shows you how its products can be used. Looking at a billboard at Woollies makes you just want to go home and cook, because with the idea you just saw. Herein lies the secret of how to upgrade an old house.

Aim for first prize

It’s all about staging. And if it works for Woollies, it can work for a home renovator and a home seller.

You can try an experiment yourself – navigate to any online property site and identify an equal number of furnished and unfurnished properties. You’ll soon realise that while furnishings make a property more appealing, well-decorated or staged places win first prize.

You’ll quickly see that a few well-placed items, in the right colours make all the difference. And you’ll need great photographs too.

Staging a home entails creating a picture of what a property could be. It is not a reflection on the seller, but rather highlights possibilities that a buyer would be excited to see. Yes, a home seller could attempt home staging themselves, but we are often blind to our own emotional connection to spaces. That’s why using an independent, qualified outsider is the way to go.

A specialist understands that providing a clear and attractive picture involves a subtext of trustworthiness, conveying a message of quality beyond possibility.

Now, if Woolworths can make the sale, then so can you. Staging is the easiest way when you’re wondering how to upgrade an old house!