We all know it’s important to have your house looking as snappy as possible when it comes time to sell – especially for the online marketing images and of course when prospective buyers conduct an inspection. But in 2020 you’ve got to do more than peel the kids decals off the wall and put away your family photos.
What is property styling?
Some people call it staging or dressing for sale. It differs from interior design, in that it’s not for you to enjoy or live in. The aim is to have the property looking as schmick as possible, not devoid of all personality but certainly going above the basics of taking down personal photos and making sure the carpets are cleaned. Ideally, it’s to demonstrate the use of each room’s full potential. So you might use that corner in the kitchen for your kid’s playmat, it might be best staged as a the perfect spot for a little breakfast table.
What does it cost?
I really depends on the property and what you need. Most prices start around the $3,000 mark for basics and can go on up to $30k depending on the size of your house and requirements. As a real average price though, most houses are around the $5,000 mark.
Is it worth the investment?
The end goal is to get the property to reach the maximum possible price, some estate agents believe you can achieve as much as an additional 2.5% on the initial valuation.
So if you’ve got a $700,000 house, spend $5k on styling and end up with an extra $17.5k on the sale price, giving you an additional $12.5k then we’d say it’s well worth the investment.
Should I do it myself?
It really depends on what you’ve got in the house in the first place. If you have Nanna’s dining table, your kids cardboard box creations and your student desk then we’d probably suggest hiring in a professional.
There are some simple tips most blogs will suggest like painting the walls a neutral colour and getting some house plants which are pretty easy wins.
It takes an expert, like the team at TwoStyle to go into a space and view it to from a different perspective and really showcase the space to it’s best.
It’s much cheaper to hire the furniture for the short term rather than buy brand new. Especially seeing as you’ll be moving to a new place soon and will likely want pieces that will match your new property.
Where to start?
The best place to start is with a Vendor’s Advocate (like us). People look to enlist a vendor advocate generally because they want to make sure they get the best price for their property. A lot of would be vendors are unsure as to how to present the property or whether there’s a particular agent that’s better suited than another… agents all dress the same, but their abilities can be vastly different. Then it comes to negotiating the price, and there’s various methods that can be used to squeeze every last dollar. The best part is that with us it’s essentially free as we take a portion of the agent’s commission and the out of pocket to the vendor is the same, but they get so much more for their money.
We have a few stylists who we rely on when it comes to property staging who are second to none for a fantastic price.