Eight seconds. That’s how long it takes prospective buyers to decide whether or not they have an emotional connection with a home, and as any property expert will tell you, this connection is the key to getting the best price.
Creating this connection, where the buyer can see themselves living in your home, will increase their desire to own it. When you couple this with competition and demand for your property, especially in an auction environment, you will have multiple offers or bids on your property, giving you the opportunity to secure the best possible price.
So how do you ensure that you are making an instant impression on people looking through your property at an open home?
Belinda Litster, owner of Chez B, styles homes across the Sunshine Coast. She shares her top 10 tips with My Property Preview. These small adjustments to your property could lead to big returns once you place your property on the market.
1. NEVER LEAVE A ROOM EMPTY – Say goodbye to the oversized sofa, the clutter and too much furniture in the room. But leaving a room empty can be just as detracting to a buyer. An empty room gives no place of reference for size. Styling rooms with furniture that is in proportion helps a buyer visualise how they can arrange their own furniture in the property.
2. THINK ABOUT FURNITURE PLACEMENT – When you enter a room, you scan it from left to right, just like reading a book. If you place the tallest piece of furniture in the far-left corner, the room will appear larger. By contrast, the closer the taller and larger pieces of furniture are to the entryway, the smaller the room will appear.
3. THE RULE OF THREE – Stylists swear by the golden rule of accessories in threes, fives or nines. Arranging items of varying heights in odd numbers forces the eye to move around a space and makes the overall experience more natural. Wherever in your home that you want to create a focal point and show off your property’s best features.
4. HIGHLIGHT FOCAL POINTS – If one of your best features is the view from your living room window, you don’t want to place a piece of furniture in front of it. Instead, angle a chair facing out to show your buyer how they could sit in it to enjoy the view while relaxing. Have a fireplace? Make sure your furniture is styled around it to create that dream for your buyer of sitting there on long winter nights.
5. DON’T OVERDUE IT WITH RUGS – Yes, one can have too many rugs in a room. Unbroken floor space makes any room look larger, so, except for anchoring a conversation area, ditch the rugs.
6. THE POWER OF CONSISTENT COLOUR – Having the same pops of colour weave throughout your property creates flow and allows your buyer to move easily from one room to the next.
7. MIRRORS CREATE THE ILLUSION OF SPACE – Mirrors can make rooms appear larger than they are. They also have the added bonus of allowing a buyer to catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror and they will literally see themselves in your property.
8. WELL PLACED CURTAINS – Sometimes a stylist will advise their client to remove curtains altogether, especially if the windows themselves are divine. But if you are keeping them, consider hanging your curtains from just below the ceiling instead of just above the window frame. This visually adds height to an otherwise average-sized room.
9. FIND A STYLE THAT WORKS AND STICK TO IT – Consistency of furniture style gives a sense of continuity and calm that prospective buyers will remember. If the living space is contemporary, then make the rest of the rooms contemporary too. Stick with one style throughout.
10. LET THE LIGHT IN – Light is king when selling – the more the better. Light creates happy endorphins, gives the illusion of space and creates a beautiful ambience in any property.
