THE number of people styling their properties before putting them on the market has more than doubled, with the practice adding tens of thousands of dollars to a sale price, according to a Brisbane real estate agency.
Urban Property Agents principal Daniel Argent said only 30 per cent of his clients styled their homes for sale six years ago, but now that the number has jumped to 70 per cent.
Argent said his agency had fetched an average of $50,000 more than the reserve price for the last three properties it took to auction — and they’d all been styled.
“We’re seeing more demand for properties that have been styled than those that haven’t,” he said.
“A lot more people come through open homes and that leads to more competition.”
The average cost of having your home styled professionally is around $5000, but Argent says it’s worth every cent.
“If you style it yourself, you end up buying a whole heap of furniture you probably don’t need,” he said. “And while most people have pretty nice furniture, it’s not necessarily the perfect fit for that property.”
It’s the little touches that can make all the difference — a glass dining table instead of a timber one, knowing how to dress a bed or having the right colour furniture.
“What we’re trying to sell is the dream,” Argent said. “Not many people live like this but everyone probably wants to.”
If you don’t want to spend the money on a professional stylist, here are some simple tips to potentially add value:
o Remove clutter from inside and outside of the home
o Use a high pressure hose to give driveways and other paved areas a fresh, clean look
o Add fresh mulch or wood chip to gardens
o A fresh coat of paint will always have an impact
o Replace dark furniture with light furniture
o A double bed makes the room appear bigger than a Queen or King sized bed
o Swap a timber dining table for a glass one
o Dress a bed with cushions, pillows and textured throws
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