<\/p>\n
To think \u201cbut<\/strong> the buyers can well imagine" <\/strong>is one mistake<\/strong>. Even I, having styled hundreds of apartments, can't always imagine how nice it can be. Many times I could enter apartments where I thought; "Well, it won't be possible to make it nice, because it's so..." dark, cramped or whatever it could be. And afterwards I was always just as shocked at how nice it turned out and how big the difference was.<\/p>\n "Is it worth spending money on styling now that the market is like this?"<\/em><\/p>\n Maybe it's the one most common question<\/strong> I got when we worked a lot with styling before sales. Yes, styling pays off regardless of the market.<\/strong>\u00a0And I know what I'm talking about, because I flipped apartments in different markets, and sometimes only styled the apartment and resold it after 2 months (ie in the same market as when I bought) and earned SEK 5-600,000<\/p>\n Let me explain:<\/p>\n When the market is hot, i.e. when prices are high and it seems that the sales price breaks records again and again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In a hot market, your condo will sell however, yes, that's right<\/strong>. But what is it that makes a 2nd with the same size, same floor in the same building sell one day for SEK 130,000\/sqm and the next day for SEK 157,000\/sqm, otherwise completely equivalent? Did more speculators sign up and participate in the bidding? Yes, but why? Well, the one apartment had THAT<\/strong>. When the speculators entered the apartment after looking at about 50 apartments, everything just matched. The feeling was just right. HERE. Will. We. Stay.<\/strong> That's what makes buyers willing to put in those extra bids, which might actually be a little more than they intended - just because they want it SO bad. That one.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n When the market, on the other hand, is cool, i.e. when there is more apartments on the market than there are speculators<\/strong> and apartment ads remain after viewings and are advertised with "Accepted price".<\/strong><\/p>\n In a cool market it is extra important to style!<\/strong> Apartments are still being sold in cool markets. It is usually called "well, the market is a bit slow right now, but they the nice apartments can still be sold<\/strong>". Here it is about that stand out and play on the buyer's emotions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Several surveys, i.a one from Uppsala University<\/a>, confirms what I realized myself over the years when I styled a lot of apartments and houses for sale; i.e. that psychological factors largely control the decision, sometimes completely. The buyers must be able to identify with living there<\/strong>. So the trick is to get into the mind of the person who is going to buy. Let me take some examples.<\/p>\n The three<\/strong> the factors that make the buyer come to the showing, <\/strong>is location, budget <\/strong>and needs<\/strong> (of course the pictures too, more on that below).<\/strong> The location, size and buyer's budget are all out of your control, so now it's about making sure as many people as possible think your home is better than the others they're looking at.<\/p>\n But what is "better" varies between different people's needs? Absolutely!<\/p>\n In the section below I refer to example on the Stockholm market<\/strong>. This is because it is the Stockholm I know. However, psychology is equally important regardless of where in the country or in the world you are going to sell.<\/p>\n To understand who the buyers are so both location and size matter.<\/strong> A 1st at \u00d6stermalm and a 1st in the midsummer wreath probably have quite different buyers. If it is a young couple who are moving in together for the first time in a 2-a, adult life beckons, and they probably want to have a cozy home feeling "play-adult-feeling" then, for example, flowers and a good dining area become more important than if it is a 1st on Mariatorget.<\/p>\n If it's 1st or a smaller 2nd, it's probably younger people without children, if it's a villa, it's probably a family. If it is a larger villa with 5 or 6 bedrooms, the buyers are probably a "new family" with children from two places. For 2s and 3s in a typical residential area, perhaps the type profile is a parent with children after a divorce where the children remain in school in the area. Try to put yourself in their situation and what they might be looking for in your particular home.<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you've found you target audience, try to get into what they identify with<\/strong>. In a fancy villa in a nice area, perhaps exclusive, tasteful details from e.g Swedish Tin<\/a> are important? Likewise a \u201cThe medical journal<\/a>\u201d on the bedside table. You want the buyers to feel "that's who I am" or "ohh, I want to be like that too".<\/strong><\/p>\n The size and location of your home affects who will be interested. The vast majority have an area like those really<\/em> dreaming of, but which is too expensive<\/strong>, and an area that is theirs second best<\/em>, but where they will probably be able to find an apartment within their budget. If they have children, for example, the need and thus the size is important. Maybe they live too cramped now and need another bedroom. Then it is not relevant to buy a smaller apartment just because it is in the dream area. But IF an apartment were to appear in the dream area<\/strong> which is certainly smaller than they might have imagined but the number of rooms is right, even if perhaps the extra children's room is very small, it can still be interesting; because it is in the dream area!!<\/em> And for this apartment, they are therefore prepared to make some extra bids that are actually out of their budget<\/strong> because it wants to please<\/em> live in the dream area. So maximizing potential is important, regardless of where it lies.<\/p>\n Have you furnished a room as an office or walk-in closet? If the room has a window, turn it into a bedroom<\/strong> before the screening. Is the room too small for a 200cm bed? Make it a children's room, with a smaller bed.<\/p>\n A bit general, you can think, just based on the size:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1st \u2013 1-2 younger people, 1-2 older people as overnight stay<\/p>\n 2nd \u2013 2 people moving in together, 1 elderly person who recently separated with 1 or 0 children<\/p>\n 3rd \u2013 young couple who have had, are expecting or planning their first child<\/p>\n 4th \u2013 young\/middle aged couple with 2 children<\/p>\n 5th \u2013 extended family<\/p>\n 6th floor - family with good finances<\/p>\n Villa\/townhouse - family<\/p>\n Pick away! A stylish home can feel empty. But not for those who come.<\/strong> You want to give an airy impression, not a plot-rich one. All speculators want to look out the window, so make sure it is clear in front of all windows.<\/strong> Also clean off all surfaces (bedside tables, chests of drawers, sinks etc). Also clear out wardrobes, cupboards, storage and pantries (all normal people peek into wardrobes and cupboards at a viewing) so make sure it's tidy everywhere and remove so it looks airy in the cupboards. And neatly folded clothes! (because you want to give the impression that the home has good storage facilities)<\/strong><\/p>\n Another important thing: The vast majority have too much on their windowsills<\/strong>, think: 1 slightly larger flower and 1 lamp per window. That's enough. In the vast majority of cases, I recommend that buy new flowers<\/strong>, older flowers rarely look super nice. (Regular green potted plants from ICA maxi work fine. Doesn't have to cost a fortune)<\/p>\n Empty apartments are a BIG NO NO!<\/strong> in terms of sales. An empty apartment looks always<\/em> less out than this one!<\/strong> The speculators simply cannot imagine the furniture or what will fit in each room. ATTENTION! this also applies to a trained eye. And vmost importantly, you don't get a feeling in an empty apartment!<\/em>\u00a0The home remains anonymous and no one remembers as well as a well-styled home.<\/strong> It is precisely that feeling that is important as it can be decisive for bidders to remain in the bidding. If it is impossible to furnish the apartment, get help from a stylist or buy some furniture on the block and put it there. Type bed, sofa, dining table\/chairs... So the eye at least has something as a reference to understand the size.<\/p>\n Even if you love the yellow background wall in the bedroom, I recommend repainting it white for the display.<\/strong> It's not about the wall being ugly, but how many of your friends also have a yellow stock wall? Probably none. So anything that is a bit special or stands out, remove it; to capture as many as possible to be able to identify themselves. It's about that scale off a large part of your own personality<\/strong>\u00a0from the home but still retain a feeling that someone actually lives there.<\/p>\n The lighting is one of the most important points. Cozy lighting, I usually say, comes from waist height down. Ceiling lights are only for seeing when you have to vacuum<\/strong>. Ceiling lighting provides Never<\/em> cozy light. If they get too little light, then rather buy a pair of floor lamps. IKEA<\/a>s opal white Fado<\/a> is my favorite, with a slightly stronger bulb it can light up a large room. Make sure there is enough lighting in the home so that it\u00a0feels light especially during the winter months.<\/strong> A rule of thumb is to have a table lamp in every window. It is better to insert too many lamps than the other way around.\u00a0Avoid cold blue light found in fluorescent tubes. <\/strong>Choose warm white light in the light bulbs.<\/p>\n Uh\u2026 Super important! It is the images that make the speculator choose to come<\/strong> or not. In general, think homogeneous images, i.e no splashes of color that take up the entire impression of the photo.<\/strong> Avoid details that are yellow, orange (unless it's Hermes) or red. Look at The home<\/a> on what distinguishes nice pictures, and imitate.<\/strong> You can take away a little extra for the shoot and put it back for the show, no problem.<\/p>\n Is it worth renovating or rebuilding before a sale? Generally speaking, the answer is no.<\/strong> It is not worth spending SEK 150,000 on changing to a new kitchen, or spending SEK 200,000 on remodeling the bathroom. But there are exceptions! Easier quick-fix<\/strong> can pay off. However, change the handles\/knobs in the kitchen, repaint the walls, maybe even re-tiling over the sink<\/strong>, it might be worth the money (check my before and after pictures, there is a kitchen that had red tiles, which I replaced with Carrara marble floor tiles (30\u00d760). The kitchen went from feeling old to feeling Fresh, totally ok. The cost 17 SEK 000. Definitely worth it before the sale. But it should be measures that don't cost much but make a big difference separate post on quick-fix measures<\/strong> where I can delve a little more into what pays off.<\/p>\nHot market - seller's market<\/h3>\n
Cool market \u2013 buyers' market<\/h3>\n
Psychology \u2013 The gut feeling guides the purchase<\/h3>\n
The number of bedrooms is decisive for the price<\/h3>\n
Plain or personal?<\/h3>\n
Lighting \u2013 especially during the dark part of the year<\/h3>\n
Photography - how important are good photos?<\/h3>\n
Renovating to sell?<\/h3>\n