Nothing appeals more to a buyer than a clean and defined space without all the clutter and personal effects of the current owner. This helps the potential buyer create an emotional connection with the property and an emotional attachment to your property which leads to a faster sale and often for more.

Our 2015 results show property styling contributed to an average selling price $34k over expectation and we assisted the selling of the property 50% faster than market average for the area (based on RP Data figures).

Property styling a is service offered to home sellers to capitalise on their biggest asset – their home. While some look at it as an unnecessary cost when selling, many look at it as an investment in the sale of their home, both in time on the market and dollar return.

You can prepare your own home for sale but you cannot objectively style your home as you have too much tied up in the property emotionally.

The possessions in your property distracts buyers from seeing the house and what it has to offer them, after all, it is going to be their property and they need to see themselves living there.

Home sellers attempting to style a home simply don’t see the flaws because they have lived with them for some time and can’t see past them. A property stylist will see these things and correct them so the potential buyer only sees the positive features and walks away in love with the home.

The industry statistics suggests that up to 90% of property buyers can visualise the space in a home they are inspecting so reducing the clutter to a minimum so that buyers can see space, see storage and see themselves living in the property is vitally important.

Price reduction on your asking price should be a last resort. Imagine you are asking $390,000 for your property and your agent advises you should drop the price $10,000 to get the market interested. This means you will be selling at $380,000 but you know the buyers will try and get you down further. They will look for faults that they can use in their favour and put in an offer well below your expectation in order to cover the costs of repairs. All of a sudden the best price you are being offered is $365,000. You are now down $25,000 from your expected selling price.

Now, imagine this scenario with some changes to the story. The property has been sitting at $390,000 and instead of a price reduction, you call in a property stylist. The property is reviewed, basic changes have been put in place and you may have spent maybe a few hundred to a few thousand depending on the issues. Even if you have spent $2,000 you are still better off by $8,000 than if you had taken the price drop. Now consider that the property looks much better and the agent feels they can actually increase the asking price to reflect the changes which the market are looking for in their new homes. An asking price of $415,000 is applied and the property sells in a few days. Now, minus your investment you are $23,000 up on expectation and almost $50,000 better off than if you had gone with a price reduction.

While this example may seem idealistic, we have seen examples of where people make a commitment and invest in their property at sale time and see wonderful results in relation to the asking price and how long they are on the market for.

Either way, once you drop the asking price you cannot go back up.

Firstly, you are not spending you are investing in your property. Your return is less time on the market and your end selling price. It is like trying to sell a car when you have not detailed it or cleaned out the interior. No one wants something that looks like it has been neglected. Even the smallest investment will have some impact at sale time.

Yes, but at what cost to you? A home sitting on the market for sale is costing you money. You may have purchased your new home and maybe paying two mortgages. You will have to continue to pay rates, electricity and water for a property you want to sell. That is before the agent suggests a price drop is a good idea as your home has been sitting there that long. Selling a home faster saves you money. Selling a home for more makes you more money. Property stylists are trained to ensure that every feature in your property is highlighted to achieve these outcomes.

Every property is different and therefore has different needs and requirements in the preparation for sale. Some will require more costly work while others simply need a change in furniture layout, basic decluttering and a few final touches. An independent inspection by a property stylist will identify these issue, many of which you will have lived with for years and given it no second thought.

Our objective at Shift Property Styling is to make the most difference possible on the least funds.

Ideally, property styling should be completed prior to the property being listed with your agent. This will provide the agent with a strong first impression of your property and therefore they will be more likely to market it at a better price.

If your property has been on the market and there is little interest, property styling can provide an alternative to a price reduction. Reviewing the property once it is on the market is common and issues can still be identified and worked on so that the property can attract potential buyers. Remember, you only have one chance to make that initial impression. Don’t waste it.

Small inexpensive changes can have quite a dramatic effect and therefore should be explored. A property stylist will be able to advise on what can be done, what needs to be done and keep an eye on the budget at all times.

There are always issues with a property that can be identified and for a small investment, corrected. Perhaps putting $500 into your property now may nett you a further $5,000 at sale time and perhaps sell it one or two months earlier, not a bad short term investment.

Although these professions seem to have similarities, they in reality are worlds apart. An interior designer’s role is to make your home in your style, tastes and preferences. A property stylist actually aims to turn your property into something that a majority of people will prefer in order for it to appeal to the maximum number of buyers at sale time.

Shift Property Styling are the property presentation experts in Tasmania. We review each property on its own merits and address the issues that will create the smallest negative impression for buyers. We aim to highlight the positive features of each property utilising the items already in the property and avoid promoting attention to the less desirable aspects of the home.

Presenting property is what we do and we can help you get the most for your property at sale time.

If you receive a quote from a competitor for the same level of styling (and can forward us the quote to compare) we will price match that quote to ensure your choice of stylist is based on what services can be provided to you, not on cost.