Winter styling tips

24 Aug What is property styling and how can it help me?

Put simply, property styling is the art of getting your home ‘buyer ready’.

The process requires a home seller to separate their personal taste and preferences and instead concentrate on ensuring the property meets ALL the expectations of today’s fussy buyer.

The aim is to create an aspirational and emotional connection in a home that changes it from being on the ‘maybe list’ to the ‘MUST HAVE’ list. It helps your property look its very best and stand out from competitive homes.

It is about using what you have in the home where possible and then completing minor cosmetic or maintenance updates where necessary.

My top 10 quick fix solutions for preparing a home for sale, particularly in winter include:

  1. Crying windows and mouldy ceilings – these issues must be sorted before open homes and inspections as nothing screams freezing cold house more than these. Leave the heaters on lower temps overnight rather than turning off to reduce crying windows and repair and paint mould damaged ceilings before listing the property
  2. Wall colours – neutral is always best when selling and while you may still love the colour you selected for the walls, buyers may not. Keep it fresh and bright to reflect as much natural light in the room as possible. I am loving warm grey based neutrals such as Wattyl Flokati or Dulux China White and fresh white skirtings and trims.
  3. Lighting – during winter it’s so important to have additional lighting as natural light may not filter into your home. I always recommend changing energy efficient globes over for halogen globes as they are quicker to fully light a room and give a warmer colour range than fluorescent globes. Leaving all task lights on during inspections including bedsides, floor lamps and wall lights will make the rooms feel warmer too.
  4. Window dressings – make sure that your window dressings are as far back as possible to allow as much natural light into the rooms. If your curtains or blinds are old, damaged, heavily patterned or smoke stained, consider replacing them to give the home a fresh feel.
  5. Add colour and life – the home should not be sterile, so you’ll need colour and life in artwork, cushions, accessories and flowers.
  6. Bed linen – this is a very important element in getting the mood right in a home. Fresh new bed linen looks fantastic, particularly in the master bedroom, and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. An added bonus, you get to take it with you to your new home.
  7. Pillows – Replace flat old pillows with new ones to give bedrooms some volume. Plump and full pillows also give the bedrooms a feeling of cosiness and opulence.
  8. Cushions and throws – during winter there is nothing nicer than seeing comfy cushions and throw rugs to curl up with and relax on the sofa. Play with texture and solids with some pattern and colour thrown into the mix.
  9. Fresh towels – when selling, invest in a set of display towels for your bathroom as towels often don’t dry during the day. Wet towels also leave a damp unpleasant smell in small spaces like bathrooms and ensuites.
  10. Personal possessions – personal photos, kids drawings, football team memorabilia etc should be removed to allow the buyers to experience the house as their own rather than be distracted by your items.

I should emphasise that property styling is not about deceiving the buyer in any way but instead to present the fantastic positives in the home that the buyer could enjoy.