Thinking of selling your home or downsizing? You may love your comfy abode, but for others, your interior could mean the difference of thousands of dollars on your sale price.
Leading interior designer, founder and principal interior designer at Kurved by Design Kellie Richardson, who is also creator of the term ‘Botox for your home’, has some strong advice for property sellers.
“Get yourself out of the ’80s if you want to sell your home in 2024,” Ms Richardson says.
Ms Richardson is considered one of the leading experts in the real estate industry on all matters of interior design and property staging.
“The only way to get top dollar for your home is to ensure that it offers a neutral style palette so as to broaden the range of people who might find it appealing,” Ms Richardson says.
“You need to present your home in a way that provides people with the ability to imagine themselves living in it and the only way to do this is to make it as neutral as possible.
De-’80s your home
“The 1980s were big years full of massive personalities and over-the-top fashion. Big shoulder pads, frilly sleeves, skinny ties, heavy furniture, dark wood, plunger coffee and baked products such as muffins were all really popular in the 1980s.
“Understandably, many people furnished their homes using this ’80s style approach and haven’t updated them since.
“The reality is most buyers in the market for a family home are millennials. They can’t relate to the ’80s and nor do they appreciate the style and fashion of the era.
“Even if you have updated your home, if you are ’80s folk, then there is a strong possibility that your home is still giving off strong ’80s-style vibes. Get some help to get rid of the ’80s feel.”
Do not put coffee on the stovetop
People were told years ago that if you wanted to lure potential buyers into your home and get them feeling comfortable you should put a pot of coffee on the stovetop so the aroma of the coffee wafts through the house.
The smell of the fresh percolating coffee was supposed to make your home feel more homely and cosy.
“While this may have suited at the time, it is an ’80s trick that does not work in 2023.” Ms Richardson says.
“You would not believe how many millennials do not drink coffee.
“We don’t want people thinking your home is homely, we want people thinking it is fresh, clean, open and flowing.”
Forget the biscuits
Sellers were also told to pop some homemade biscuits or brownies in the oven just before each open house to ensure the home filled with warm cooking smells.
“The hope was that the cookie smell would captivate potential buyers leaving them with warm and yummy thoughts about the property,” Ms Richardson says.
“Today, many millennials are allergic to carbs. Carbs are a swear word. Keto is the new ‘in’ word. Do not be tempted to follow this ’80s advice. It won’t work on millennials.
“They respond to scents such as orange and lemon. These two citrus scents are used in scent marketing and they are known for their incredible mood-boosting benefits. They also contain refreshing properties that can energise the mind and increase buying behaviour.”
Remove heavy wooden furniture
The ’80s was all about excess. Big hair, big shoulder pads and big, flashy furniture. Do you still have one of those huge, squishy leather lounges?
Today’s buyers are looking for open-flowing spaces. The minimalist look is preferred as is furniture that doesn’t take up too much space.
Declutter and remove furniture that is large and overbearing. Avoid dark wood, lounges with big heavy arms and sideboards that are imposing and take up too much wall space.
Hide garden art
Cull your garden decorations. Decorative garden gnomes, painted ceramic frogs, bronze wall plaques and high-back outdoor settings with puffy cushions were fashionable in the 1980s. They are not fashionable now.
“Modern buyers prefer simple linear styling,” Ms Richardson says.
“They like designer furniture that is low yet makes a statement. They like dark pots, black, grey and other industrial colours and styles.
“You don’t want them to feel like they have stepped into a time warp; you want them to feel they could live in the space.”
Good staging matters
“If you are not sure about how to style your property when selling, seek out advice. Good property styling can increase your sale price by up to 15 per cent,” Ms Richardson says.
“Poor staging can reduce the value, but good staging can increase the value significantly.”
Is your home stuck in another era? Would you follow any of this advice? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
Gee…..were the 80s that bad?
According to this interior designer there is/was nothing good in the 80s. Sad…..
What about those homes stuck in the 60s? 70s? Any comment?
That’s where the Home Stager comes into play. For a relatively small outlay they will get rid of what is not appropriate and put in furniture, rugs, linen and cushions etc for what current buyers are looking for.
It worked for us big time when we sold back in 2014 which was the beginning of the surge in home prices.
Over the previous 5 years to the sale we had already painted out a timber lined rumpus room, put in a new kitchen (replacing an 80’s style), put in a new bathroom and updated the ensuite.