A family friend recently inherited some properties in various Sydney suburbs and needed help to figure out what to do with them. I asked my agent Con to help them.
As always, he worked his magic including helping them sort out a problem.
It was a tenant who had been paying peppercorn rent for 30 years.
If you’re curious as to why this is an issue, you can read more here..
Anyhow, one family member wants a property sold asap and flatly refuses to style the property.
Enter second problem!
In a way, I have handed Con a poison chalice.
Now, he has a vendor who has lofty price expectations but is not taking his advice to achieve the best price. The apartment has had no love for decades and is unfurnished.
For a buyer, a property presented in this way is a gift…
Which brings me to the point I want to make : the value of property styling for sale
We know that in its simplest form, styling will add 10% to the sale price.
Styling has a whole lot more benefits that you have probably never stopped to think about.
I’m going to share three of the more subtle but very powerful aspects of property styling for sale.
1.Create A Point Of Difference…
It’s important to plan your project with the end in mind. Think about what features of the property will wow the buyers. Also consider how it will look against the competition on the internet.
This is important because a prospective buyer will scroll through endless listings to make up a short list, the styled properties can often look very beige and same, same.
You really want your property to jump off the page, grab them and drag them in.
Obviously, this has a lot to do with the cover image. It’s your shop window!
What I have found works is to make your cover image one that has an eye catching piece of wall art that grabs the scrollers’ attention.
Wall art is a powerful styling tool but it needs to be appropriate to your target.
See below. This was one of our students properties.
Their market was first home buyers. Their cover image made it impossible to scroll past without taking a second look. The featured artwork was fresh and eye catching.
If you are on a limited budget, here is a tip from one of our students…
2. Tell a story that resonates with your buyer
This is a trick I learned from my friend and property stylist Belinda Woolrych (Papillion Styling ). She talks about weaving a theme into your styling that will appeal to your buyers.
An example she sometimes gives is that dowsizers generally like to travel and if they are not already doing it, they aspire to and it is often one of the motivations to downsize. In a property with a downsizer market, she will include decorator items such as artifacts, books, artworks and textiles that suggest that the occupant is a global traveler.
This ties in with the thinking that when a buyer is looking at a property, it’s not just a home they are looking for, it is a better life and you need to use your styling to tell the story that their perfect life awaits them in your property. You want them to see themselves living there and appeal to their aspirations.
A word of warning, make sure that you keep it subtle and don’t over-do it.
3. Fix Problems
We have a rule: “Don’t spend money on a problem you can fix with styling.”
One of our students was at the end of a very challenging project. It was in a high profile heritage building (a wharf) and popped up every challenge known to man. It was not a project you would choose to flip but their plans changed after purchasing it as their family home so they decided to renovate to at least recoup their costs.
The owners corporation was full of retired lawyers who had nothing better to do than sue one another and the strata levies were increased to 1000/week mid project. To cap it off, they were required to use a builder from the approved panel, he turned out to be dodgy. Whenever a problem arose, you could almost see the dollar signs clicking over in the back of his eyes!
Any how it got down to the last two weeks and our student was compiling a list of tasks to be completed. There was a particularly long blank wall in the master bedroom which she had intended to break up with the installation of an ethylene fire place. While it was a good idea in principle I suggested she not spend the money and hand the problem over to the stylists to deal with.
Many a problem is solved with styling.
Problem corner? Add an interesting occasional chair or group of plants.
Room is too dark? Strategically place large mirrors opposite the light source and reflect the light into the room or corner.
Room too small? Once again strategically place large mirrors to visually double the space .
Large soul-less room? Break it up with floor rugs and groups of furniture to create “rooms” or zones.
Wrapping up
Trying to sell a property without styling is like going for a job interview in ratty old flannelette pyjamas.
But more than that, styling has a multitude of functions in the renovation process.
Be resourceful with your styling by utilising eye catching artwork in your cover photo so that your listing stands out from the crowd. Thoughtful property styling will tell a story that will appeal to your target buyers needs and aspirations. Most importantly never spend money on a problems that you can fix with property styling for sale.
