
Cork property expert Adrianna Hegarty shares her tips for staging your home for sale
By Megan Burns
20th Sep 2023
20th Sep 2023
It can be tricky to know how to prepare your home for sale, but with experience in real estate in Europe and the US, Adrianna Hegarty is an expert on the topic.
A native of Co Monaghan, Adrianna Hegarty is based in Midleton, Co Cork and established Hegarty Properties in 2005. She is also the current President of the Midleton and Area Chamber of Commerce.
Starting her career in Ireland, in 1990 she moved to Cyprus where she marketing villas and apartments with the Lordos Property Group. In 1992 Adrianna moved to the USA where she continued her property experience, gaining her Californian Real Estate License and working on premium properties in the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles.
Adrianna moved back to Cork in 2000 and decided to put her 20 years of experience to work in property consultancy and in September 2005 she opened her flagship office on Midleton’s Main Street.
With such a breadth of experience, she’s the perfect person to offer some advice on the process of selling your home. Here, she shares her tips on staging your home for sale.
“One thing that we will never rush in the process of listing a property on the market is staging,” Adrianna says. “Staging a house simply means presenting a property in such a way that it is market ready. What we can sometimes forget when we’ve been living in a property for a duration of time is how it has become a home. The parts that make it feel like a home like your children’s art or family photos or a blanket made by your grandmother are special to you but not necessarily to someone else.”
“When someone views a property they want to be able to imagine their couch in the sitting room or their favourite artwork in the hallway. In order for us to facilitate this we need to create an atmosphere for a viewer to do this.”
De-Clutter
It’s time to get rid of that extra chair, broken toys or gifts that you’re never going to use. Not only is a de-clutter one of the most important things to do in preparing your house for viewings but it also is valuable for your move. Remember you are going to be moving to a new space and doing this will make it far less stressful.
When showing homes we also want to be able to open back doorways and have the ability to walk around a space. Unnecessary furniture, decorations and such impact this negatively.
Paint
Now that you’ve de-cluttered you may notice that certain areas may need a touch up. Hallways and doors are areas that get a lot of wear and tear and may require a freshen up to make the space look in its best condition. A neutral palette is quite important when staging a home so consider painting that green wall a neutral shade.
DIY
Consider replacing old fixtures and fittings in your home to give your home a better look and feel. Items that can really make a difference here would be: Kitchen cabinet handles and knobs or light fixtures. Another key area is grouting in your shower or bath area.
Décor
We love quick and easy ways to make your home more neutral like using white towels and bed linen for viewings. Take inspiration from hotels in bedroom areas with pillows and cushions on your bed to create a feeling of luxury. There is no need to splurge on these items.
Allowing as much light into your home as possible is helpful in giving the illusion of spaces being bigger than what they are, are more inviting and create a positive atmosphere. Allow natural light in by opening blinds and curtains and in areas without large windows, simply adding an extra lamp or two can help to achieve the same effect.
Spring clean
Once your interiors have been spruced up it’s time to do a deep clean. Showers are an area where you can notice build up so it is well worth a deep clean. We want your home to be sparkling!
Kerbside appeal
The final thing to consider is how your house appears from the exterior. We encourage viewers to do drive bys especially for countryside homes to ensure they are comfortable with the location and commutes.
In this case the exterior of your home and garden will impact the judgement made by viewers. Look at your exterior walls, windows and doors. Basic gardening such as cutting the lawn, weeding and updating plants will really add to the exterior. Removing or updating any old garden furniture is very important as this is also a reflection on the overall impact.
This article was originally published in July 2023.