It is not unusual for people to misunderstand the purpose behind property styling services. Some have never heard of the concept of styling or staging a property for sale. Others confuse property styling services with those provided by an interior decorator. Still others think that property styling is a service limited only to real estate moguls and high-end home sellers. We hope to clear those misconceptions up in this blog.
Property styling, or home staging as it is often called, is the process by which a property, be it home or apartment, is “dressed” before it is listed for sale. In this day and time, it’s no longer sufficient for the property owner to simply clean a vacant property. Today, largely due to the popularity of reality-type television programs about real estate buying and selling, home buyers expect far more from a property than just clean and empty spaces.
Today, the average buyer expects to be given a tour not only of what the house IS, but also to see ideas about what the property COULD BE. The 21st century home buyer wants so much more than buyers of even a decade ago did. These buyers expect to see upscale furnishings, art, and décor arranged in such a way as to demonstrate the versatility of the space. They expect to see the highlights of the property enhanced, and the entire place be given a feel of ‘move in readiness’.
You might ask, “How is this different than what my interior designer has already done for the property?” The answer to that question is that interior designers design a property to fit the style and personalities of the current homeowners. A property stylist’s work is to design the property in such a way as to be impersonal enough to allow the buyer to imagine it as his or her own. Another way to state the difference is to note that interior decorators put up pictures of the homeowner’s family. The home stylist, on the other hand, takes those pictures down.
The home stylist’s goal is to create a beautiful space that could be adapted to the lifestyles of more, not fewer families. Because they are attempting to capture the attention of many prospective buyers, home stylists strive for beautifully neutral in the finished product. This neutrality makes it easier to appeal to the broadest audience, maximising the opportunity for that moment when the prospective buyer falls head-over-heels in love with the home or apartment.
It’s in that moment that homes are sold. The moment happens, usually, within 10 seconds of the moment that the prospective buyer enters the space. It’s because of this love-at-first-sight phenomenon that real estate selling agents almost always recommend calling in a home styling service before the property is listed for sale.
A home designer will come to your property, carefully measure the rooms and make an extensive list of little details that must be dealt with. That list can include everything from painting the hallway to pulling the weeds around the front gate. Your designer will have you, the homeowner, deal with getting the list checked off, or will, as part of the contract, hire out the work to be done and act as supervisor for the various projects. In any case, your designer will see to it that your property is in perfect condition for sale before the photographer arrives for internet pictures.
The results are consistently astonishing. For a low outlay, the property stylist will put the home into such good condition that it will sell for much, much more than the original price. Not only will the property sell at a higher price, it will also sell faster.
At Urban Chic Property Styling, our reputation for quality property styling services is well-known in and around the Greater Sydney area. We have many years of experience in making homes all that they can possibly be so that the sale price is consistently higher than was ever anticipated. Give us a call today and see what we can do for you and your home.
