home styling

Top Reno Tips Before Listing

I am often asked as an Agent, “What reno’s should I do to my home to maximise the price I achieve on sale?” Usually when a person is asking me this question, the work they are doing to the home is not for them to enjoy but to present the property as best they can to maximise return.

To answer the question, there are 5 key reno’s that will maximise the property price.

Paint: this can be done affordably if you manage yourself and can literally add tens of thousands to the sale price. Internally use a neutral white colour on all walls and ceilings. Do not do feature walls, this can polarise people if they do not have the same taste as you. Bring in colour with soft furnishings and wall art. It is also a good idea to freshen up external timber and gutters with a lick of paint if required.

Update the Kitchen: this is a major selling point of a home. Update door handles, fixtures and fittings. If the budget allows and the cabinetry/benchtops are out-dated, consider replacing the cabinetry with white laminate and upgrade the benchtops.

Update the Bathroom: you do not need to rip out and replace the entire bathroom but look at the quality of the sink, tapware and showerhead. If the tiles are dated, consider replacing or painting. Another low cost exercise is to clean all the mould from the grout. There are great products available on the market to make this job simple and easy.

Spruce up the Garden: the front garden is the first thing a prospective buyer sees. Make sure it is neat, tidy and presents well. Replace any dead plants with new, mow lawns and remove all weeds.

Repair and Patch: Consider fixing any maintenance issues including any holes/cracks in walls, cracked tiles, worn timbers and any appliances not working.

Your home is one of your most important assets and when listing to market you want to maximise your dollar return. Some hard work prior to listing should pay good dividends and will reflect in the final sale price.

Justine Thomson

Preparing Your Home for Sale

Pay attention carefully, this blog could add thousands of dollars to the sale price achieved by your home, with only a relatively small outlay, plus some hard work and elbow grease! How? Well, the formula is simple:

Fresh paint on walls: preferably a neutral or crisp white – it’s amazing what a coat of paint will do
De-clutter: everything packed away in boxes, except the bare essentials
Minimal furniture: key pieces only with modern soft furnishings and accessories
Well kept garden: fresh mulch, neatly cut lawns and healthy plants
Clean windows and walls
Clean pavers and driveway
Repair any noticeable damage to the home: patch holes in walls for example
Remove mould from bathrooms and refresh grout
Basically, present a clean sparkling home that smells fresh!

Clients often ask how the home should look for photography and opens. To help clients visualise what is needed, I can provide pictures of furniture to be showcased in each room, such as those shown below. Take note, while each room in your home will not look exactly like this, I want clients to take away from these pictures the number of furniture pieces in each room and the way it is styled with the soft furnishings and accessories.

The property image above, listed and sold recently by SA Listings, was styled for minimal cost and achieved a sale result of $46,000 in excess of Vendor expectations. Note the following from the photos:

Formal lounge includes 3 key furniture pieces: lounge, coffee table & cabinet
Bedroom includes 3 key pieces: bed and two side tables
Second bedroom includes 3 key pieces: bed, desk and chair
Kitchen: totally clean bench tops with exception of minimal accessories
Lounge includes 4 key pieces: lounge, chair, cabinet and coffee table
Meals includes 2 key pieces: kitchen table and 6 chairs
Outdoor area includes 2 key pieces: outdoor table with chairs
Front yard and rear yard: neat, tidy and clean

In addition to the key furniture pieces, the soft furnishings and accessories in each room really make it pop. Think eye-popping paintings, lamps, neutral toned rugs and fresh flowers, with a common colour scheme. For bathrooms, all you require are matching towels and a beautiful soap dispenser on the vanity.

A big mistake commonly seen in homes on the market, is overcrowding in each room with too many furniture pieces. This can have the impact of making rooms appear small and cramped. Whilst it may be difficult to live without these pieces, for the limited period it is showcased to market it is well worth taking the pain to achieve the gain.

We hope you found this blog informative and if the styling process is too overwhelming, SA Listings can assist you with professional styling. We offer a unique styling service with affordable styling packages. To find out more contact us at http://www.salistings.com.au/contact

Justine Thomson

Staging a Home for Sale

The whole world is a stage – but should your home be?

What is it buyers look at when visiting an open home? Frankly, ask three different people and you may get four different answers! While one may step back and take in the larger picture of the home as a whole, another may look at the same house through the eyes of the furniture, the art, or even the family photos on the wall, and yet another will simply cast a critical eye over the structural integrity of the home. It may even be that it is easier to answer what is it buyers look at by first ensuring there is nothing in the home that will turn them off as soon as they walk in.

Some examples? Tired, ratty old furniture that has seen better days, magazines or books in the loo, and whilst you may simply love your collection of every set of commemorative babushka dolls from the twentieth century – it may be many buyers will not.

Now of course, most people have some idea that in order to correctly present your home for sale you need to “de-clutter” and “de-personalise,” but what about the styling through out the home? This is where the services of a home styling or staging professional can help – with interior designing skills to make your home stand out that extra mile.

A home stylist will cast a critical eye over the home, and will be able to provide appropriately styled furniture and accessories to suit. For example, large furniture pieces may be comfortable, but they may be cramping the space available, making it look smaller than it really is. Changing them over for smaller, less intrusive pieces that match and compliment other pieces in other rooms creates a sense of space and style. Styling gives potential purchasers an idea of what the home could be for them, not what it currently is for the vendor.

A home stylist may also remove items that stand out and draw the attention of buyers, such as loud artwork or rugs. Again, a flowing sense of style throughout the home will help ensure the home appeals to as broad an audience as possible.

Remember, first impressions count. You want buyers to walk into your home and imagine living there with their family, inviting their friends over to a home they are proud of, a home that is up to date and on trend.

Not every home will require the expense of a stylist or staging. But in some cases, the outlay of a moderate expense may mean a greater return come settlement day.

Should you be interested in property staging, during the appraisal of your home the SA Listings’ team is able to discuss options that best fit your property and budget.

Justine Thomson