Why having the right styling is important
As with most things in life, first impressions really do count! This directly applies to your home as well. In fact it is the look of your home that is the most important way to get an emotional connection or reaction from prospective buyers for your home. It is widely argued that you have a maximum of have 30 seconds to engage a potential buyer. Henceforth it’s imperative that you take a great deal of care to ensure that your home is styled correctly to achieve an instantaneous connection with people coming through your home.
People naturally respond to visuals, so hence why the majority of people have great difficulty in visualizing what a home will look like when it is unfurnished. Not only unfurnished but also un-styled! An unfurnished room looks much much smaller than its furnished counterpart. Most properties that are unfurnished when they go on the market, actually end up selling for less.
This is precisely why it is imperative to consider the appearance of your home prior to placing it on the market. Property styling is really about decorating your home so it is presented at its absolute best on inspection days. Your home must be impeccably cleaned inside and out.
It is often best to engage a professional to gauge the best way to style your property (or at least give you tips on how to) as we tend to place too much attachment on possessions in our home. And really a lot of property styling is actually about taking objects out ! Definitely try to take a less is more approach as too much clutter looks messy and is visually confusing.
How to appeal to the greatest market
Generally speaking, you can either use your existing furniture, or part of, or actually hire a furniture “package” for the duration of the period that your home is on the market. As taste is so very personal, it is best to present your home in the most neutral manner possible, as a neutral palette is more likely to appeal to more people. Neutrals also help make your home non-gender specific, allowing it to appeal to both men and women. Keep your furniture not only neutral, but also tasteful. However you definitely do not want to create too boring a home, and this is where it is critical that careful accessorizing and placement of objects comes into play. Artwork, mirrors and accessories should all be carefully selected to create harmony and balance. Artwork subject matter is incredibly important that it has no inflammatory or questionable subject manner that could be even slightly offensive to someone. I often suggest simple framed Abstracts.
How to create space and beauty, hide flaws and maximize benefits
Using slightly smaller furniture will also help make your rooms appear larger. Good simple tricks are to use 2 seater sofas instead of 3 seater sofas and a double bed instead of a Queen or Double. This can also be applied areas such as dining rooms- by decreasing your chair width for example, you are able to place more chairs around your dining table, thus further creating an optical illusion of more space. And a larger a space appears, the more likely it will be viewed upon favourably by prospective buyers.
Simple things such as freshly laundered linens on beds with inviting and luxurious throws and cushions, create a sense of warmth and luxury. Always ensure that fluffy colour co-ordinated towels are placed in all bathrooms, and even small details such as an expensive hand soap dispenser are modest investments that make a huge impact!
Invest in bunches of fresh well-arranged flowers throughout your home to create an attractive focal point, a pop of colour and a personalized touch. Even items such as bowls of well displayed fruit in the kitchen, create subconscious bonds with people coming through your home.
It is essential also to play on the olfactory senses too. Burning a rich French vanilla candle for instance creates a lovely feeling upon entering a space. Some real estate agents even swear by the smell of fresh baked cookies to really create a sense of comfort for people upon entering your home. If you have a fireplace, I also suggest lighting it, (unless it’s the height of summer!) to further create a lovely warm and welcoming ambience.
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