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Like it or not, the front external of your property tells the world what the rest of your property is like. It’s your ‘shop front’ or your ‘homepage’ for you property. Vendors who forego external property styling for interior styling are short-changing themselves a small fortune. Read on to find out more. When it comes to property styling, many people often focus exclusively on the different aspects of interior styling. They may re-do colouring, painting, or wallpaper options, replace furniture pieces and themes, or re-evaluate flooring options. Often, they will renovate the kitchen or a bathroom. While all these options are certainly popular, and should definitely be considered, this article looks at how you can raise the value of your home prior to sale through exterior property styling, as follows: Creating structure in your front garden:- The human eye loves structure. We love clean lines that imply where to walk, where to sit and how to get to the front door. Strange as it sounds giving clear visual clues to buyers, helps them understand how to interpret your property. Creating a focal point in the front garden such as a sculpture or large ornamental plant also helps create a presence for buyers. It gives them that intangible sense that the property is ‘right’. This principle applies for both interior styling and external property styling. One client had initially spent most of their property styling budget on making sure the interior was comfortable. This was in a particularly elegant neighborhood; consequently their façade let the property down. We advised them to undertake some external property styling by installing a beautiful fountain and complementing existing landscaping with additional rock bed areas. For an investment of about $3,000, the client increased their selling price by almost $30,000. Tidy it to within an inch of its life! :- The front of your property sends loud and clear messages to prospective buyers about the rest of the property. A front yard littered with kids toys, long grass and overgrown trees suggest to passers-by that the rest of your property is in similar condition. Instead a front yard that well maintained, watered and loved tells buyers that the current owners are house-proud. That you look after the property inside and out. That you’ve cared for the property and repaired anything that’s not right. That they’d buy a property in good condition. Whether you’re looking at interior styling or externals, buyers want a loved property. Many sellers dramatically underestimate the importance of a well-loved and maintained front yard (or external property styling) and give away tens of thousands of dollars in the process. Don’t be one of them! Swimming Pools:- Swimming pools can be a tough call when it comes to adding value. The best measure is to ask yourself, ‘do buyers expect a swimming pool in this neighborhood?’ If the answer is no then they won’t have budgeted for it and therefore can’t afford the cost of the enhancement. However, if every third house in your street has one then buyers are tuned into them and will attach value to a property that has a swimming pool already in place. Mature garden landscaping:- It makes sense that older properties would have more mature gardens. However if you’re in the situation whereby you need to landscape an entire garden, make sure you consider using larger (or older) plants in your design. It makes the exercise more costly but gives buyers a sense of a more established garden. Exterior property styling projects like these can help you to beautify your property and increase its value at the same time. While ideally you should consider both exterior and interior styling efforts, remember to carefully pay attention to the expected return on your financial investment. About The Author:- Richard Armstrong is a Director of Melbourne firm The Makeover Group. He possesses over a decade of Melbourne property styling and interior styling experience plus post graduate property qualifications. He has undertaken hundreds of makeovers and renovations, covering both design and build. Educated in interior design, he is also a registered building practitioner who contributes to Australia’s leading property publications and websites.
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Property Styling Melbourne, interior styling,
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