How to style your property and get top dollar when selling

It is well known that first impressions count in both our personal and professional endeavours, and your home or investment property is no exception. It is therefore unsurprising that a first impression on potential buyers can be a crucial factor in your success at sale.

Quite simply, your property has to appeal alluringly to its potential owners from the beginning. Think about what attracts potential buyers to your property, and from that establish a target market. Catering to the interests of this target market will make an excellent, lasting first impression.

The pictures used in your online advertisements are important, as potential buyers have access to thousands of listings. Your property needs to make a good enough impression from these photos alone to spark buyer interest. Flaunt your property’s best attributes, use quality pictures and ensure good lighting to set your property apart.

Award winning Interior designer Felicia Olsen from Felicia Lifestyle-Design shares her tips below on kitchen improvements and general make overs.

Here are 12 tips to get you started:

Tidy the garden and paint the front door. If necessary change the door handle to impress
Tidy and put away all excess furniture and clutter (store in the garage or off the property altogether)
If the paint work is looking tired, repaint and take away any strong feature wall colours
Hang large artwork (prints). If you don’t have any, buy some at very reasonable prices or hang up black and white large (or coloured) prints in frames. This is not an expensive exercise. It will cost you much more if you don’t sell. Ikea have reasonably priced prints and frames. Big markes for impact!
Add a large bowl of fruit (only one colour, e.g. only lemons or only red apples) on the kitchen bench.
If space permits, add green leaves in a large vase on the dining table or kitchen bench. This can be cut from your garden and doesn’t cost anything
Put clean fresh sheets on the bed and one large coloured cushion (European size) with a matching throw.
Depending on the market, have some books or magazines (fashion, car or recipe books) arranged neatly on the coffee table
Place one or a group of three decorative items next to, or on the tv cabinet
Cushions must be place neatly on chairs. If they look tired, buy new ones
A new floor rug in the lounge might be just the item to gel the cosy aesthetics together
If you have open cabinets, de-clutter and group your decorations.

For most of us our home is our biggest asset, so spend the time and a little money to lift your home’s aesthetic for that remarkable first impression. If you lack the time and can afford it, seek the assistance of a professional.

“First impressions last forever!”

If you want to discuss any of these issues and how they can be used to benefit you, contact Felicia Olsen from Felicia Lifestyle-Design.

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About Felicia

Felicia for Lifestyle Design is passionate about design. Previously from the fashion industry (Singapore), style and colour are second nature to her. She has designed and built her own dream home and hence understand the difficulties a client face. She is a trained Interior Designer with 10 years of experience and has over 20 years experience in the Fashion and Design industry.