Should you invest in home staging? The bigger question here is why wouldn’t you? Amy Smith, CEO and founder of Huntley + Co, says: “In today’s marketplace, I believe property styling is no longer optional, it is simply essential.”
If you’re in the market to sell your home, it is extremely likely that you have considered styling your property, be that yourself or by engaging a professional. If you haven’t thought about it, no doubt your real estate agent has.
Property inspections, whether online or in person, are like first dates. You only have one chance to make that all important first impression — so why not make the absolute most of that opportunity? Property styling is without doubt the best way to do this and there are loads of other benefits.
Stand out
From impressive campaign photos to immaculate home viewings, professional styling lets your property stand out in the market. It is very much standard practice these days to engage a property stylist. In fact, buyers are becoming so used to seeing homes styled that if yours isn’t staged, it can really stand out – and for all the wrong reasons.
Connect
A beautifully curated space can be incredibly powerful. Interiors can be completely transformed through purposeful styling. Property stylists are skilled in not only selecting the right furniture and accessories for a space, but for tying it all together to tell a story and craft an aspirational lifestyle beyond our dreams.
“The way we live versus the way we style a home for sale can be quite different” says Amy. “When living in a home, decisions are often based on personal tastes, functionality and comfort. But when styling a home for sale, the focus should be on tailoring the furnishings to appeal to the likely demographic of the buyer and ensuring that the spaces flow seamlessly for open homes.”
Buyers often struggle to envisage how certain furniture will work in a space. “We need to remove any questions they have, such as if a bed will fit in a room, or how to best place the sofa, so that when they leave the property, buyers feel confident and inspired that the home will work for them,” says Amy.
A styled property has a greater potential to elicit an emotional response from a buyer and as any real estate agent will tell you, an emotional buyer is always your best type of buyer as they are going to be more willing to pay a premium. Which leads me to the next benefit of property styling.
Add Value
Statistics show that property styling can add a further five-to-10 percent to your sale price within the Sydney market. Styled properties simply appear more polished and can therefore attract higher prices. They also tend to have shorter days on market and stronger auction clearance rates versus their un styled counterparts. With these kinds of returns, investing in property styling should be a no brainer!
“So, if you happen to be sitting on the fence, wondering whether to style your property or not, my advice would be absolutely yes, without any hesitation,” says Amy. When it comes time to sell, having your home styled can be daunting. But if you are able to stand back and see the property through a new set of eyes – the buyer’s eyes – what wonders it could lead to!
–Amy Smith is the CEO of Huntley + Co, a bespoke hire company offering an extensive range of beautiful, on-trend, designer furniture and accessories, with both short and long term rental options. Servicing the needs of the property styling industry throughout Sydney and with no minimum orders, hire as much or as little as you like, and their team will deliver and collect. Property styling made easy!
