January 01, 2020

Styling your home for sale

It takes a trained eye to spot the potential in a home that is suffocating under clutter, dark and wayward in its colour schemes, confused in its character and furnished with a mish-mash of styles.

Selling a home is all about presentation, so that prospective buyers aren’t left to use their imagination.

That’s why styling a home has become one of the most important tools in the sale process to achieve the best outcome. It’s a result – once inconceivable as a cluttered shambles – that is gained for a relatively small outlay and easily places one home above another in a competitive market.

A professional stylist or interior decorator can revamp a space to add more than $100,000 above expectations when the gavel thumps.

A stylist – you also can do it yourself with a bit of research – with panache can resurrect a home from the dreary to the desirable. A lick of neutral white paint adds brightness and attracts light; a kitchen makeover brings a touch of modern extravagance; and updating a tired bathroom is all about character and style.

Real estate is more about selling a lifestyle than a house. So it’s important that prospective buyers can envisage themselves living in “your” home. In most cases, a house that is very personalised in its style – sometimes aged by layers of history – needs to be updated to attract lifestyle buyers.

Clever decoration and design can make a huge difference. Shuffling furniture can represent the best use of space; turn a wasted area into a pantry; or knock out a back window to open up an outdoor entertaining space.

Don’t be afraid to replace old furniture with hired exquisite, new and hip couches, chairs, dining tables, cushions and beds. There also are subtle touches anyone can add to enhance open inspections – fresh flowers, soothing background music, scented candles and lighting.

If you would like assistance preparing your property for sale we can introduce you to one of our preferred stylists.