What The TV Lifestyle Shows Don’t Tell You About De-cluttering And Styling
It’s exciting to think how much the buying public will be prepared to pay for your property isn’t it? After all, you’ve seen other properties in your neighbourhood sell for record prices. You’ve read the media reports about how prices have risen in your suburb.
Before getting too excited though, have you considered how you’ll feel.
if people actually offer less than your expectations? Well, fortunately for you there is a proven method to achieving top dollar, and it’s one that many agents either won’t tell you about or simply don’t understand. It’s “de- cluttering” and “styling”.
“De-cluttering”, in simple terms, means opening up spaces so your property appears larger and more accommodating.
“Styling” however, is about presenting your home to appeal to likely buyers.
Note that I’ve said, “appeal to likely buyers”. It’s not necessarily about making your property resemble a glossy home magazine pictorial. Rather, it’s about understanding the marketplace and the kinds of buyers demanding property such as yours, then appealing directly to them.
When buyers take psychological ownership, that’s when price becomes less of an issue to them. So the key is to make your property feel comfortable to the prospective buyer – let them take psychological ownership as early as possible.
With the right combination of de- cluttering and styling, you’ll be able to overwhelm buyers with a “gotta have it” emotional pull.
The key is a balancing act between achieving ‘wow factor’ presentation and yet remaining neutral enough so potential buyers can see themselves owning it.
Many sellers find this balancing act quite difficult to achieve on their own. However like many things, the process can be helped with the guidance of an objective, experienced eye.
When choosing an agent, ask if they offer a de-cluttering and styling service that has achieved outstanding results for their clients, time after time.
The reason for choosing a ‘real estate agency based’ service as opposed to an outside interior designer or interior decorator is that the agency team are dealing with the important task of selling clients’ homes day in, day out. They have first-hand, up to the minute knowledge of what buyers are looking for – it comes from listening to comments from real estate buyers every single day.
Ideally, the agency you choose will offer you a de-cluttering and styling service for listing exclusively with them.
Here’s how one leading property stylist explains it…
“Initially I’ll meet with you at your property and discuss all of the features and benefits that will appeal to likely buyers. I’ll get a strong feel for the kind of person that’s likely to buy it.
In some cases I’ll recommend we keep all the existing furniture, but simply move it into new positions. We’ve been able to create a whole new energy closely matching the profile of buyers with this simple step.
In other cases we’ve agreed to putting the existing furniture in storage, and hiring a suite of furnishings that will instantly allow potential buyers to feel at home and ‘take ownership’ of the property.
We’ve even recommended an entirely new interior decor for some properties and have achieved record prices as a result.
The thing to always keep in mind is that you aren’t presenting your home to appear in a glossy magazine or win any beauty contest – you’re presenting your home for a very specific purpose - and that’s to make it irresistible to the buyer who will fall in love with and buy your home for a premium price.
It’s always a collaborative process and the results are always worth the effort.”
The Key:
The agent you choose should offer a professional de-cluttering and styling service by a qualified interior designer with real-world real estate experience. It should be free of charge in return for an exclusive listing. It shows a commitment to achieving top dollar and a real understanding of the psychology of buyers.