As we see older couples and empty nesters migrating toward the Inner West, a new group of younger families is trekking toward St George. Here, an increasingly family-friendly trend is taking over. With great schools, terrific views and access to natural areas, the St George area is also developing a solid reputation for shopping, dining, and something of a small-town community spirit. These are all attributes that bring families flocking, so if you are among the home-owners looking for a shift in lifestyle and thinking of a move away from St George, now may be the perfect time to call in the sales agent and get started with the property styling. St George is ripe for selling.

As the move to downsize continues to gather steam, many in this very attractive area of Sydney are thinking of enjoying the things they may have missed while they were busy working and raising their family. Instead of four bedrooms, they now need two and are much more open to living in an area with theatres and museums in closer proximity. If you are among these emigrants it’s time to set your sales strategy.

Selling a house is not nearly as straightforward as it was 15 years ago. Today, the families looking for properties are more likely to be in search of more than just great schools and parks. Transportation to the city is critical as is the interesting other must-have for these family units. Great internet connectivity is essential.

When people work for a living today, they are very likely to spend some of their work-days at home. With the increase of home-based businesses and remote workspaces, your property’s access to fast and reliable internet service has become critical. Keep this in mind as you think of preparing your home for sale.

Home office space is another of those items that appear on the “must have” lists of today’s buyers. This too is a function of the ever-growing number of employers who recognise that allowing work-from-home situations saves them money in overheads and the upkeep of expensive brick and mortar store-fronts. In 2013, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced that one in 12 employed Australians worked from home. Three short years later, in 2016, The Sydney Morning Herald’s assessment was vastly different. Today, according to that newspaper, roughly 3.5 million employed Australians, or one in three workers, perform their work from home on a regular basis. This is a sea-change for Australian families and certainly one worth considering as you prepare your property for sale. How does your house work as a profit-centre?

If you happen to have a space within your home – a reclaimed attic or spare bedroom – with a door and sufficient space to set up a desk, a printer, and a chair, you have the beginnings of a home office. (Many employers require a way to close off the space from noisy children and other distractions.) However, unless you can provide reliable high-speed internet access, your property won’t serve the home-worker’s purpose.

While the free market is striving to make working at home possible for any Australian by improving and beefing up internet services, access to a state-of-the-art broadband network isn’t enough. Your home must also have an up-to-date electrical system that is not subject to even irregular interruptions. Regional outages and localised interruptions in service spell misery for the at-home worker.

If yours is an older dwelling, it will pay to have an evaluation to see if the electrical system is up to speed. You probably ought to do that anyway, but such measures become even more important when somebody’s livelihood may depend on it.

Making your property as attractive as possible to the likely buyer is the best investment you can make in securing your home’s value at sale. Your best ally in this process is your home stylist. Professional home stylists are intimately aware of what today’s buyer needs from their home now that it is also their office. You will be wise in engaging the help of the best home stager you can find. Experience and reliability is our stock in trade, and property styling St George is something we’ve been doing for decades. Call us today to get the most from your suburban property.

Image courtesy of Artes Moble.