Standing out in a block of hundred of aprtments can be difficult. Great location, fantastic resort like facilities. The only problem is standing out when there are many other apartments in the same block for sale at the same time. Staging the property is the key to making this apartment stand our from the competition and get the sale price the owner wants.

This week we staged an apartment in a large commercial and shopping suburb of Sydney.With train and shopping centres, restaurants and more a short walk away and view over the park, the apartment had a lot to offer. Even the parking was upmarket with a car lift taking us to the parking floor (very unusual feeling). Acces of tricky with small lifts but this was taken into consideration when choosing the furniture.

The location and style of the unit was very much about inner city living. The size and having two bathrooms in a two bedroom unit could see this as a space shared by two single people or for a young executive. This was also kept in mind when planning the style. Cool, contemporary furniture, white accents with glass nad a splash of red for vibrants brought this apartment to life and appealing to the right demographic.

Apart from missing a allan key the installation went smoothly and yet another fantastic lifestyle was created!

As home stagers we see an amazing range of colour choices – some good, most bad. Good colour choices can change the look and feel or a room for very minimal cost.

Recently we were called to consult on a 2 bedroom townhouse in a sort after area. It was a family home and suffered from the same problems that most families do (not enough space) and our consultation helped them to focus their efforts.

What stood out the most was the colour. It was blue. Not just one but two shades with the darker being a feature wall. The homeowners has no plans to paint the room but there was a crack that need to be repaired on the dark feature wall. With the advice of both the Agent and us it was agreed that the repair needed to be done and hence the wall needed to be repainted.

With a little persuasion we agreed that a deep neutral was the best choice. A colour deep enough to cover the blue without requiring undercoat or more than 2 coats. As cost was a factor for the homeowner it was decided that the rest of the walls would remain in the light blue.

WHAT A CHANGE! That one colour totally changed the look and feel of the property. It went from tired (and very blue) to sleek modern. The effects of the feature wall made the rest of the walls feel ‘less blue’.

With some ‘staging magic’ including rearranging the furniture and bringing in some modern art the impact on buyers was extraordinary! With many townhouses looking the same with similar size and configuration the comments were very positive with many saying it was the nicest one they had seen. All for a coat of paint on one wall!

The house had multiple offers and sold in the first couple of weeks at $35,000 over asking. The homeowners decided to keep everything as it was until their rental period was over so they could enjoy their new surroundings. Now we are off to help them with their new home!

A change of colour made a world of difference to the feel

Staging of properties has taken off even in the cool winter months. After a few slow weeks homeowners are starting to wake up form the winter mailaise and decide to put their properties on the market before the Spring rush.

Spring is well know for being a great time to sell but with that come many other homeowners doing the same thing. By choosing to prepare early and be ready for a late winter sale they have the advantage of fewer properties to compete with – not so silly. Buyers are still keen and limited supply is seeing large numbers of buyers at open homes.

To get buyers to come out in the cold there must be some enticement. Those photos on the internet need to grab their attention so they will grab their coat (and brolly) and make the open house. Staging their properties is that enticement. Beautiful photos on the web along with a fabulous viewing of a well presented property can get them making offers quickly.

The property shown above was staged last week and will show beautifully in the winter sun and give buyers a lot to think about.

With only a few weeks of winter left there may even be a rush to miss the rush!

Each to their own, we say – except when it’s time to sell.

For the same reason that we may have another culture living next door, there is the possibility that another culture may be the potential buyer.  

Whilst we accept each other’s religions it can be quite confronting when viewing a property that has strong religious icons everywhere.

It’s a bit like having ‘collections’ of things. They are a distraction and we have no qualms in asking the homeowner to put them away – so, too, does this apply to religious icons as well.

This week we were faced with the challenge of a life size marble religious  statue at the front door of a property about to go on the market. This needed to be addressed before the photos were taken and the opens took place.

After a very tactful conversation and a responsive homeowner the statue was remove in time – with lots of manpower required!

Inside, religious images were replace with art and the house took on a beautiful, and neutral, look. Now they could get on with selling the fabulous view and well maintain property and not be remember for other distractions.

It may seem like we are picking on religion. This is not the intention at all. Some people feel equally as strongly about their football team, cars or their hobby. When the imagery takes over and distracts and detracts for the sale process it needs to be neuralised. All in the name of a great sale price!

As professional home stagers we know that preparing a property for sale and
having it beautifully presented makes a difference – but it is always great
to see the results!

In the past month or so we have seen a slowing of the Sydney market (as
mentioned in previous blogs) with auction rates down and price expectations
falling. Many buyers are sitting on the sideline waiting to see what
happens.

For those home sellers that have taken the plunge and are selling during
this time they are faced with wary buyers with high expectations.

Only 2 weeks ago we staged an small one bedroom apartment in a lovely block
and it was done in a ‘young executive’ style. It looked stunning and the
buyers agreed! It sold on the first open at above the asking price! The
owner was thrilled and now wants us to do the same for her and her friends.

A 2 bedroom apartment is a very different location has also been a major
success seeing the owner get $30,000 over their ‘dream price’. What a great
results for a minimal investment.

It shows that when a potential buyer can see how they can live in a place
they respond in a positive manner and really want to buy it, snapping it up
and paying a little more to ensure they don’t miss out.

We know that when we come back and destage the property that with every
piece we remove the character fades and the rooms return to a featureless
stage.

Staging had worked it’s magic.

http://ping.fm/p/7Lrby – Our latest staging project posed a new set of challenges. How to stage the
property to create that executive style in a small space?

This was a small (very small at approx 400 square feet) one bedroom
apartment in a block that contained both owned and serviced apartments (i.e.
short stay rentals around a week for holiday or business).

The block was well maintained and had a kind of hotel feel in the common
areas.

The property had been tenanted for quite a while and having only seen it
tenanted with stuff to the ceiling it was difficult to envisage this space
as anything but small.

We decided to pull out all stops and create a designer look that is easy to
maintain but had a bit of flair.

The key here was the furniture. Stylish, modern and enough to make the place
look liveable but without filling it up. We took a chance on bringing in 2
lounges, to give the feeling that there was plenty of room to sit and
entertain, a small dining table and of course a fabulous looking bedroom in
black and white.

We had a few challenges during the day including rain and slow delivery but
it all came together in the end to an amazing result.

This small space no longer felt tiny but quite spacious with plenty of room
to sit but without the feeling of being overstuffed. The furniture actually
made the place feel bigger – the art of staging came into its own!

Let’s hope the results reflect the style!

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the House Prices v Number of
Loans data recently to show that prices are still very high whilst the
number of loans has dropped to its lowest in 9 years!

In the latest Domain.com.au
newsletter they discuss the effects this may have
on the real estate market.

Now, more than ever, staging a property will become a key marketing tool.

Talking to our agents we are hearing that there are some changes in the
wind, in Sydney anyway, where housing prices have continued to boom.

Firstly they say they are seeing a shift in buyer sentiment and there is a
gap appearing between the vendor’s expectations and the buyers’ offers.
Auction clearance rates have dropped to 68% in May. So what changed?

Perhaps this is a reflection of the latest interest rate rise? The latest
Domain.com.au
Newsletter released today reflects that sentiment with
saying that housing finance is now at its lowest since February 2009 – when
the GFC gripped the world!

So, where to from here? Well, houses still need to be bought and sold – that
is a given. Vendors still want to gain the most equity in their property,
naturally. But it may take a little more to get the result they want. No
longer will they be able to rest on their laurels and get the price they
want because there are multiple buyers to push the price up.

So how do they get what they want?

It is a known fact that home staging started in a recession when buyers did
not want to pay for the vendor’s old house, or they wanted to a
significantly less for it. By taking the time to prepare a property for the
market saw those who did the work reaped the benefits.

A professional home stager can help the homeowner to see what needs to be
done and keep them focussed on where best to spend their time and their
money. A well prepared and beautifully presented home creates the desire to
buy and helps beat out the competition.

Find out more
about our professional staging services…