Property Styling 101
We recognise that not everyone has sold real estate recently. It’s possible that you don’t yet know what’s involved in the concept of property styling, or home staging as it is sometimes called. It’s even quite possible that you don’t know how important to the ultimate sale of your property hiring the right property stylists can be. Unless you’re deeply involved in real estate, these things may not have mattered until now. But, if you’re selling your home, it’s time to take a crash course in beefing up your profit.
Here we’ve answered a few of the questions home stylists receive on a regular basis.
Q: Are there solid financial reasons to hire a property styling company to stage my home?
A: Yes. Recently a top real estate sales brand surveyed their best sales agents, including those in the Sydney area. The selling agents who had the most success in high volume sales all said that property styling was the single most important and lucrative decision their sellers made.
Q: How much does property styling cost?
A: As a rule, the investment one makes in staging a property for sale is quite modest. Since staged properties sell faster and often for more money, one can argue whether property styling actually ‘costs’ anything.
Q: How does it all happen?
A: When you call out a property styling professional, he or she will come to your home, make a list of the focal points in each room, note the colour scheme, measure each room and every window. He or she will also list your most valuable assets in terms of style and architecture and, on the flip side, list the problems that may make a buyer anxious or hesitant.
After the designers have created a plan for your property they will discuss the options for improvements, for example, whether the colours existing are l ikely to help or hurt the sale. They will have made a determination and make suggestions about whether your kitchen appliances or bathroom fixtures are outdated and should be replaced or not. They will also have sketched out a floor plan that includes traffic flow and have a particular style in mind for your rooms.
Q: Do I have to move all of my furniture and belongings out?
A: The home stylist’s job can be more difficult if the home is occupied while it is listed. When everything is gone, the stylist has a clean canvas to work with. Some property styling companies insist that sellers move elsewhere while the house is being actively shown because of those challenges. The biggest challenge of living in a ‘for sale’ house is the fact that keeping it immaculate and ready to show at all times is difficult to accomplish when actual life is going on inside. Sellers are often happier in the end when they have made the sacrifice of moving out first.
All of that said, we can and often do work with the furnishings that exist within the house to stage the property. There is often far too much in terms of furniture, clutter, and belongings in an occupied home. We will always recommend minimising your personal belongings in order to show off the roominess of the house. If you are unable to move out of the house, we will work with you to show your house off in the best way possible while still allowing you to live fairly normal lives.
Q: Can’t I do this all myself and save money?
A: Many people do attempt their own staging efforts so, yes. It can be done. If you are a real estate agent or have interior design experience you may decide to try it on your own. Understand before you take on this project that an insufficiently prepared home has a much more negative effect than a completely unstyled house. We would recommend that you still consult with professional home stagers with a wealth of experience for these reasons:
• Professional property stylists have access to up-to-the-minute data and information that profiles buyers in all real estate markets. This data can help you know which colours, what styles, and other important details to help with your sale.
• Since they work in the field and keep their fingers on the pulse of the market, professional stagers understand evergreen trends. They also know what is trending and, more importantly, what is no longer in vogue.
• Any good property styling firm will have an extensive inventory of furniture for hire that will include everything from art and rugs to beds, bedding, and bath towels. Having access to these pieces may be the cherry on the top of your home-styling sundae.
We encourage you to call us at Urban Chic Property Styling if your particular question wasn’t answered here. We stand ready to help you make this monumental move an easier one. You will find our many years of experience as property stylists in the real estate world beyond helpful. Give us a call today.
