One need only check the online real estate listings or look at the prices of homes in the greater Sydney area to know that buying a house here is a really big deal. Prospective buyers save for years to have enough money in the bank to join the ranks of ‘homeowners’. With this much of their lives invested in buying a house, it’s no wonder that home shoppers are looking for something very, very special as they view and re-view the real estate listings online. Nor is it surprising that home sellers who have invested in professional property styling Western Suburbs will sell their homes before those who have not made such a commitment.
A little known fact about buying a house is that 90 percent of all home buyers start their home search online. These prospective homeowners look at thousands of listings, weeding out all except the ones that capture their attention in a serious way.
Take a look at those listings yourself. Images of homes that have been carefully prepared to play up the advantages and the best qualities are more likely to capture your attention than are those that appear vacant and sterile. Some selected furnishings and carefully chosen artwork can make a big difference in the buyer’s perception of a home or apartment.
Real estate professionals speak often of the WOW factor. This is the instant reaction that makes a buyer sit up and pay attention to a property. The WOW can come from the view or the location, but most often it comes from the way in which the listing photos manage to make the home look like a place where life can happen. Buyers today are looking for more than a place they can afford. They want to believe that their home ownership dreams are about to come true – that this irresistible house is the one where they can raise their children, entertain their friends, and live happily ever after.
Scientists have discovered that once a consumer’s attention is piqued, everything except emotion goes out the window. The part of the brain that makes buying decisions about houses is that part associated with emotion, not logic. Unless your buyer falls in love with your property, there probably won’t be a sale. So how can you make a buyer fall in love with your house?
Enter the home stylist.
There’s a reason why most selling agents recommend that sellers have their homes professionally staged. It’s because neither the buyer nor the seller can fully imagine the potential a house has without a little help. One way to provide this help is to have a professional stager enhance the best qualities of your home before it goes live on the internet listings.
Buyers entering a vacant house are often unsure about what goes where or how their furnishings would fit into this brand-new space. Which brings us to another little-known fact – and a dramatic one: home buying decisions are made within seconds of entering the house for the first time. There really is no time in this process to dawdle over where the sofa should be or whether the family entertainment unit should go “here” or “over there”.
With a bit of help from the professional home stager, buyers can see how the house works. They can imagine a home office here, and a guest room there when stagers simply provide a few clues. From there, the prospective buyer can imagine special occasion dinners and cosy evenings by the fireplace. Soon, the buyer has fallen in love with the imagery and the house. After that, it’s only a matter of time before the offers begin to roll in. And when you’re talking about this much emotion, the buyers will bid and re-bid if necessary to make sure this house becomes their house.
If you’re selling your home in Sydney or its suburbs, remember that you’re up against some stiff competition. You need a stager who is well-qualified in the business of property styling Western Suburbs to St George; CBD to Sutherland Shire. Real estate in our area can mean a huge return on your original investment when it’s handled well. Be sure that your home is staged by the best. Call Urban Chic Property Styling today.
