It’s not personal!
When you're preparing to sell your home, engaging a property stylist can be one of the smartest investments you make. Their expertise ensures that your home is presented in its best light, maximising its appeal to potential buyers and increasing your chances of a successful sale.
But here's the thing: their advice isn't always going to align with your personal style, and that can sometimes feel like a critique of your taste or decor choices. It's important to remember, that their recommendations are based on a clear goal - selling your home quickly and at the best possible price.
Here’s why their advice is invaluable, and why you shouldn’t take it personally.
Photo: No Bad Days Photography
Understanding the Role of a Property Stylist
Property stylists are experts in visual presentation. Their job is to highlight the best features of each room and create an environment that helps buyers envision themselves living in the space. They focus on creating broad appeal, and their recommendations are tailored to what the current market trends show buyers are looking for.
While your personal style may be beautiful, it might not resonate with the widest range of potential buyers. A property stylist knows how to make strategic changes that can make your home attractive to the largest audience.
It’s About the Market, Not You
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that styling a home for sale is vastly different from styling a home for living. When you decorate your home for your own enjoyment, it's an expression of your personal style, preferences, and lifestyle. However, when preparing a home for sale, the focus shifts entirely to the market and the preferences of potential buyers. The stylist’s goal is to create a neutral, inviting canvas that allows buyers to easily imagine how they would use the space.
This means toning down bold decor choices, depersonalising the space, and sometimes making adjustments that might seem to take away from your home's unique personality. These suggestions aren’t a reflection of your taste; they’re a strategy to appeal to as many buyers as possible. After all, a buyer who can’t envision themselves living in your home may be less likely to make an offer.
Highlighting the Features, Not the Decor
A property stylist’s recommendations are designed to showcase the architectural and design features of your home, rather than the furnishings or decor. They may suggest rearranging or replacing furniture to improve the flow of a room or bring attention to key elements like natural light, a beautiful fireplace, or a spacious layout. In some cases, they might even recommend painting over a statement wall or removing certain decorative pieces to prevent them from distracting buyers from the home’s best features.
For example, you might have a stunning antique armchair that you love, but if it clashes with the stylist’s vision for a clean, modern aesthetic, they may suggest moving it out for sale. It’s not about the chair being unattractive, but about creating a cohesive look that appeals to the target market.
Photo: No Bad Days Photography
Letting Go of Personal Attachments
It can be hard not to take it personally when someone suggests changes to your home, especially if you’ve invested a lot of time, energy, and care into creating a space that reflects your personality. However, during the selling process, it’s crucial to think of your home as a product that needs to be marketed effectively. The more you can emotionally detach from the way your home is styled, the easier it will be to embrace the changes a stylist suggests.
Remember, you’re not trying to sell your personal style; you’re trying to sell the house itself. A property stylist is there to ensure that the potential buyer falls in love with the space and can envision making it their own. This might mean temporarily putting your cherished decor aside, but the goal is to appeal to the buyer’s vision, not yours.
Trust the Expertise
Property stylists work in real estate day in and day out. They understand what sells, and they’re skilled at transforming spaces to meet buyer expectations. Trusting their expertise, even if it means letting go of certain elements that you love, is a smart move when you’re preparing to sell.
Instead of feeling hurt or defensive about their suggestions, try to see their advice for what it is - an opportunity to make your home as appealing as possible to potential buyers. You hired them for their expert opinion, and by following their guidance, you increase your chances of a quicker sale and possibly a higher selling price.
The more detached you can be from the changes they recommend, the smoother the selling process will be. And who knows - you might even learn some valuable styling tips along the way that you can take with you to your next home!