When it comes to selling or renting out your property in Brisbane, effective property styling plays a crucial role in attracting potential buyers or tenants for your home on the market. However, many homeowners unknowingly make common property styling mistakes that can negatively impact the overall appeal and marketability of their homes without them even knowing. In this blog, one of Brisbane’s leading home staging companies, Sell in Style Property Styling will explore the most common property styling mistakes and identify how you can avoid these practices to ensure your property is being marketed to its best possible potential.
Neglecting Curb Appeal
First impressions matter, and the exterior of your property sets the stage for potential buyers or tenants. Failing to prioritise curb appeal can be a costly mistake because the buyer journey starts from the moment a potential buyer views the property from the outside. This is why it’s essential to ensure that first view of the property makes a clear statement, and that that feeling only grows as the potential buyer enters the house and absorbs the interior. Ensure your property’s exterior is well-maintained, with a fresh coat of paint, clean windows, a tidy garden, and an inviting entryway. Consider implementing a small gazebo or barbeque area – both great ways to market the home as a space for entertaining and enjoying with family and friends.
Overpersonalising Spaces
There’s a fine line between adding personal touch and over personalising a space and while it’s important to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, excessive personalisation can turn off potential buyers who are trying to visualise the space as their own. Avoid using bold or highly specific design choices that might not align with everyone’s tastes. Instead, opt for a simple colour palette (particularly stick to neutral tones for new build homes), minimalistic decor, and well-coordinated furniture arrangements that will appeal to the majority of your buyer demographic without alienating them from being able to visualise themselves living in the home.
Cluttered and Disorganised Spaces
Clutter can make even the most beautiful property feel chaotic and cramped which can really work against promoting the home to potential buyers. Remove excess items, knick-knacks, and personal belongings to create a sense of spaciousness and clarity, and to make it easier for potential buyers to see themselves living in and personalising the space. If you are styling the home whilst still living in it, we suggest using smart storage solutions to keep the space organised and visually appealing whilst still functional for you to live in. Particularly when it comes to walk in wardrobes and bathrooms, try to ensure unnecessary items are stored away in drawers or cupboards to avoid potential buyers feeling like the home is someone else’s.
Poor Lighting Choices
Inadequate lighting can make a property appear gloomy and uninviting and is arguably one of the biggest deterrents when it comes to presenting a home to potential buyers – and a lot of the time it’s an easy fix! Ensure each room has ample natural light – preferably cool toned to illuminate the space – by opening curtains and blinds. Additionally, strategically placed artificial lighting, such as floor lamps and ceiling fixtures, can create a warm and welcoming ambiance. At Sell in Style Property Styling, it is protocol to ensure we have plenty of light fixtures set up around the home and particularly in the bedrooms, to ensure each room of the home feels bright and appealing to potential buyers who visit the property. Another great tip for maximising light in a space is to ensure window shutters/blinds are always open during showings, so that the natural light can flow through the space and illuminate what it has to offer.
Ignoring Proper Furniture Placement
Furniture placement can significantly impact the flow and functionality of a space because of its ability, in some cases, to make an area look smaller and less functional than it actually is. Avoid the mistake of overcrowding or under-furnishing rooms because these mistakes can work to the make the space feel small and cramped or empty and sterile. Arrange furniture in a way that highlights the room’s most marketable features and creates a sense of balance and flow. Consider incorporating a study to a large bedroom that feels under-utilised or downgrading the bed size in a room that might better benefit from the extra wriggle room. Occasional chairs are also a great way to fill awkward empty spaces.
Ignoring the Power of Staging
Many homeowners underestimate the power of staging when it comes to showcasing a property’s potential under the guise that staging is an ‘added cost’ that they don’t need. Property staging involves the incorporation of furniture, decor, and accessories to highlight a property’s best features and draw attention away from its flaws. Home staging capacities help potential buyers or tenants visualise themselves living in the space and allow them to feel that the space is ‘complete’, ‘homely’ and ‘visually appealing’. Properties that are staged almost always sell faster and for a higher sale price than those that are not, which is a truth supported by real estate agents, sellers and property staging companies all over Brisbane and the world.
Conclusion
Avoiding common property styling mistakes can significantly increase the marketability and appeal of your property for sale on the Brisbane real estate market. By recognising these mistakes and ensuring your home is marketed to best appeal to your potential buyers, you will be on your way to achieving the best possible sale price for your property in the least amount of time. Furthermore, by prioritising curb appeal, opting for simple but effective home styling, decluttering, optimising lighting, arranging furniture thoughtfully, and utilising home staging capacities, you can maximise your property’s potential and attract potential buyers or tenants effectively.