Selling a property is a huge deal. Since there are hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, perhaps millions, it goes without saying that it is in your best interest to showcase your property in the best light possible. The latest trend in preparing properties for sale is to empty them of all furniture and hire a professional property stylist. While this isn’t the cheapest way to improve the looks of a property, it surely is an extremely effective way to increase the appeal of your home. A while ago, this practice was employed only for only high-end properties. Nevertheless, today this is rather mainstream for all types of properties on the market.
Here are the 5 most important reasons to hire a property stylist to make your property more appealing to potential buyers:
1. To Get Potential Buyers Contact You
In competitive markets, properties that stand out from the crowd get the biggest number of inquiries. Since you can only make a first impression once, it comes without saying that you should pay close attention to the way you showcase your property online or in print.
At the same time, your listing competes with many others, so you need to do everything you can to grab the attention of the viewers right away. The more people notice your listing, the more chances that they contact you to ask for a physical inspection of your property. The time frame between the listing of your property and the auction day is very short. This is why you need to take immediate action to curb the appeal of your property.
2. To Create A Representation Of The Perfect Lifestyle
One of the benefits of hiring a property stylist is that you can create an image of the best possible life one could lead. Potential buyers will try to imagine themselves living in your home. Some of them will fall in love with this image, so they will be willing to go the extra mile to secure this property.
According to Rick Buick, an Adelaide-based architect, it’s all about creating an aspirational image for potential buyers. “People don’t like to start from scratch, especially when it comes to interior design. They always look for a little bit of inspiration whenever they can, and if you can provide that, you’re guaranteed to make some buyers a little giddy.”
If you can awaken such feelings in two or more potential buyers, you have everything it takes to score a successful auction.
3. Making Spaces Less Personal
Personal artifacts have nothing to do with making potential buyers fall in love with a property. They want to depict themselves living in your space rather than to see photos from your last trip and fridge magnets from all over the world.
Styling a home for sale requires a de-personalisation process. A styling company can remove all personal items and replace them with high-quality, appealing decor elements that allow buyers to visualise their own souvenirs and personal items within your space.
Interior designer Gary Hamer notes that the right decor can elevate any space, “I often find with clients they can’t believe it’s the same house once I have staged it for sale”. Gary notes that opting for neutral or mono tones is the best way to appeal to a variety of buyers or renters at once.
4. Concealing The Flaws
Selling old properties that are in dire need for renovation can be a challenge. For best results, you should highlight positive features and conceal major flaws that could prevent buyers from contacting you.
According to lifestyle coach Sandra Ryan, people inherently focus on the negatives. “We often look for something wrong rather than a positive, so by limiting the number of potential negatives in a property, people will leave with a better perspective about the property and ultimately a better result for you.
This doesn’t mean you should lie to your potential buyers. Nevertheless, why not showcase the best artwork and decor elements in the best light to make drawbacks less obvious?
5. Help Buyers To Get A Sense Of Scale And Space
Buyers have a hard time at imagining the space of a currently vacant property. Many people are unable to imagine how their furniture would fit into an empty space. How would they know whether their double bed would fit in the bedroom or their dishwasher would fit in the kitchen? Hiring a stylist to pick furniture that perfectly fits your space can help buyers see how this space can work for their own items.
Wall mirror and clock designer Sam Kalangi suggests installing a large mirror in your space to make it look bigger. This is a great way to “fill up” bare walls and keep the space neutral at the same time.
Skincare and beauty entrepreneur Jayesh Dayal believes that while buyers may already have an idea on how to plan their space, nothing compares than seeing it first hand. “It’s almost like an easter egg hunt, you’re always providing little hints here and there to spark the minds of the buyers. It’s all about stoking the fire.”
On the other hand, styling a property is a matter of personal preferences. If you don’t know whether your own preferences are in line with the current market trends, you should discuss this with a real estate agent.