Echo Property Magazine #5 – December 2023

The Northern Rivers’ best real estate guide 24,700 copies distributed to homes and businesses across the region Issue #5, December 2023 • www.echo.net.au/property

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4 Echo Property Magazine December 2023

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Echo Property Magazine

Property styling for sale Simon Haslam A well-designed, stylish interior has an irresistible emotional appeal. Factors such as making the best possible use of space, considering the way light and sound will affect the rooms, and simple functionality can transform a ‘house’ into a ‘home’.

Yet, despite the central importance of a beautiful space to our everyday enjoyment of living in our own home, the thought and care essential to its creation and maintenance often become subsumed to other priorities in the chaos of moving homes, and simple day-to-day living.

We all have different tastes, and therefore a different idea of how we would like to feel in our own house, and how we want to live. But interestingly, professional designers and stylists have the ability to see your space, and transform it into something with very broad appeal.

This is never more important than when you come to sell your home. If you strike a chord with a broad

6 Echo Property Magazine December 2023

range of buyers, time and money spent presenting your property in the best possible light can result in a profit of many times your initial outlay, and even add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the final sale price.

‘Has property styling for sale helped in selling properties and making them more appealing?’ I asked Tara Torkkola from Byron Bay First National, who has been a top agent in the Byron Shire property market for over 16 years. ‘Absolutely!’, she said. ‘Property styling for sale has been heavily used in the city for many years, but in our area it really took off about 8-9 years ago – now it’s very common, and effective.’

‘A great professional stylist can “see” the property in a very creative way. It’s very common, after styling, for owners to tell me that they’ve never known how to use their space, and now it’s been transformed they don’t want to sell it, it looks so good!

‘With luxury homes, a phrase I often use is “lifts the value”, when I discuss styling with a vendor,

and I’ve found the same principles apply to a less expensive home as to one at the top of the market.

An unstyled property can feel just like a ‘house’, rather than a ‘home’, but styling can help us to establish the connection – it’s part of the warmth and emotional connection that buyers feel when they view their potential new home, and that helps us to get offers.

‘Also, people always comment on how well the house presents at open homes, when it has been styled. Interested parties hear other buyers talking and this helps create interest, urgency, and a fear of missing out, all of which can play an important role in the sales process,’ says Tara.

Styling can also be a strategic choice, compared to a more expensive and time-consuming renovation, when presenting a home to market.

‘If an owner doesn’t have the money to do a complete renovation, for example of a kitchen or bathroom, an unappealing effort may sometimes be counterproductive. Coming in with a full www.echo.net.au/property

Echo Property Magazine Time and money spent presenting your property in the best possible light can result in a profit of many times your initial outlay, and even add to hundreds of thousands of dollars to the final sale.

Tara Torkkola has been a top agent in the Byron Shire property market for over 16 years and is one of the region’s, and country’s, most awarded and respected agents. ‘From my experience, if every owner was willing to style their property, I would recommend that.’

Photos courtesy of Dominique Mills Isadora & Frankie and Cactus Hill.

furniture package, on the other hand, can make it feel like a home. We have exceeded expectations many times using this option,’ says Tara.

‘From my experience, if every vendor was willing to style their property for sale, I would almost always recommend that. I also recommend that vendors consider their potential buyers – if we appeal to a wide market, we have a far better chance of getting a high price.

‘For example, I am often dealing with international and interstate buyers, and a good stylist can make sure the house will appeal to them.

‘Secondly, 70% of people searching the major online real estate sites are women, and women are engaged in the decision-making process in almost all purchases. They often look at functional elements like kitchens and bathrooms as part of that process, so I think vendors looking for the best prices should ensure that their property does appeal to women.’ www.echo.net.au/property

December 2023 Echo Property Magazine 7

Echo Property Magazine

Ask the stylists Simon Haslam

We asked some of the shire’s most experienced house stylists, Jo and Leanne from Cactus Hill (CH), and Hailey Gardiner from Isdadora & Frankie (I&F), how they approach the task, and this is what they said.

What are the most common changes you make to a lived-in home when preparing for viewings?

I&F: We always start with decluttering and depersonalising. This can be clearing everything from the kitchen except a one or two items, storing family photographs and generally halving the amount of décor that people have on display – especially if clients have lived in the home for a long time. Furniture placement is so important for good flow – so making sure you see the whole bed when you walk in, moving couches and chairs so you don’t walk into them when you enter a room.

CH: Yes, the first and foremost change to a lived-in home is to Zen it out! Take out the personal stuff, and declutter, again and again. Clean walls if you can and refresh the paint, even if it is just the main living room.

8 Echo Property Magazine December 2023

I&F: Layering rugs if the current one is too small for the space is another great technique to style what you own, as is taking down any heavy or unattractive curtains to let the light in.

Bringing in some plants and fresh flowers always brightens a room.

What is the main impact on buyers, comparing lived-in (not styled) and styled?

I&F: The main impact is a beautiful feeling created by the vibe of the interior. A cohesive interior compared to a mishmash of styles just feels special and considered. The aim for each project is always for buyers to fall in love with the place.

CH: We want buyers to see a clean, beautifully styled and spacious home, we want them to feel they could be ‘living the dream’ – we work with vendors to show how the home can look its best, so that buyers would want to live there.

Sometimes vendors may have great eye, and if so we would keep some pieces of furniture, but I think the difference is that we do this every day, have beautiful furniture to choose from, and only put in what is needed by that particular house to achieve its potential.

I&F: Styled interiors give a feeling of relaxation at home but in an aspirational way. ‘I want to feel like this when I come home is what we want clients to walk away remembering about a vendor’s property, as buyers may see 3 or 4 properties that morning.

Property stylists are not hired to trick people or present something fake – the owners at the back of their mind know they are buying the home but definitely at the front of their brain they are like: ‘Yes! This is how I want to live’.

Is there a priority styling spend on indoor or outdoor?

I&F: We encourage clients to style the entire interior as well as the outdoor spaces – without leaving empty rooms or forgetting about that back deck. It feels more real and there is no disappointment when they come into an empty space. Outdoors is generally about the lifestyle: relaxing by the pool; watching sunsets from the verandah; sitting around the firepit with family and friends. It does depend on the property and the feature you want to highlight, but I would say most of the time, the interiors are your ‘fall in love’ area.

The front exterior is your first impression at open homes though, so it’s super important to have that looking as amazing and clean and tidy as possible. www.echo.net.au/property

Echo Property Magazine

Your new house CH: With a limited budget, the priority for spending should always be on the indoors before outdoor areas. Make sure the inside is looking its absolute best, spacious and clean. Then, with the outside areas, clean and tidy up the garden areas, cut back gardens and of course mow lawns, Then, if you can, an outdoor sitting area or table and chairs always looks inviting. We also offer credit card facilities, and ‘style now, pay later’ finance so that vendors have more flexibility in preparing for sale.

What is your feedback from agents on their success rate after you style a property?

I&F: Agents love a styled property and, as it becomes more popular, agents and vendors increasingly appreciate the value in spending that extra money and the benefits it brings. A styled interior is crucial for amazing photographs which are your first contact with potential buyers, and help to get as many clients as possible to your open house inspections.

Styling without a doubt adds that ‘wow factor’ which can, in turn, increase the value. We have had a few agents increase the price guide after seeing the property styled by us. Sales can be quicker and styling increases the chances of competition amongst buyers. Agents also comment on the improvement in a property’s look and feel, but also on how styled rooms give the impression www.echo.net.au/property

of being larger compared to an empty space or an overcrowded room. Agents say styling helps enormously to increase the number of people at inspections, and increase final sale price.

CH: Oh, we take pride in making the property look better every single time, so the feedback from all our agents is always, that a styled & staged home always attracts more buyers and increases the sale price by 8%-12%. We work with a lot of agents, and they say that they would get us in every time as it does make their job easier. When a home is styled, it is easier to sell, people can see and feel the dream, they can imagine themselves living in the home, they can see and feel a sense of space and harmony. The goal of staging the home for a sales campaign is to make the buyer want to live there, which in turn is to get the best price for the vendor.

SIMON: Preparing our house for inspections with two young children was a challenge. After inspections we covered all the furniture with tarps and lived mostly in one area of the loungeroom on cardboard boxes. Before inspections we filled two cars with children, toys and unwashed pots, and drove them around the corner, then returned with flowers, backing out of the house on our hands and knees, wiping as we went.

Both Isabella & Frankie, and Cactus Hill, find vendors and purchasers want to work with them again to style their new homes, and Dominique Mills is another designer who focuses on individual clients, outside the sales process, ‘taking a space and making it represent the type of living a client is imagining’.

‘A new home is rarely the perfect space,’ says Dominique, ‘so there are usually simple or sometimes more complex improvements we can implement to make it better. Imagination, design advice, problem-solving and sourcing are what designers are good at’.

Perhaps surprisingly, Dominique says ‘working out what a client is wanting to achieve, and how they want their home to look and feel, can be the most difficult part of making the improvements they have dreamt of. Money isn’t always the biggest issue, as much can be achieved with clear ideas and a clear plan. Designers have tools to work through these issues, unscramble all those ideas and help clients prioritise their spending for the best result without making costly mistakes.’ ’Trade shopping has long been the best kept secret in the design world. Try before you buy can be a challenge when buying online, and I use the trade shopping experience to not only allow clients to touch, sit, feel and view before buying but also to open up a whole new world of new beautiful products, many which will be new to them. There is a whole range of budgets to choose from and it’s a fabulous adventure,’ says Dominque.

December 2023 Echo Property Magazine 9

Echo Property Magazine

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December 2023 Echo Property Magazine 11

Echo Property Magazine

Changes in the local holiday accom scene Aslan Shand More luxury holiday accommodation is being built in Byron and advance booking times have shortened. These are just some of the recent changes in the holiday letting industry across the Northern Rivers.

The response to Covid shutting Australia’s borders saw peaks and troughs in visitor numbers across the region. David Jones from Destination Byron says that the statistics are now saying that ‘domestic demand in Australia has returned to pre-Covid levels’.

‘The forward holdings over weekends are quite strong. There are some winners and losers in the new demand profile. This destination had a poor winter for two main reasons. There is the substitute destinations issue of people going abroad, visiting family and friends, etc. and secondly, there is the tightening of purses because of interest rates.

National statistics indicate that discretionary spending is tightening in the luxury and retail spaces. This is anticipated to continue until the back half of next year,’ he said.

‘We’ve seen the booking lead time shrink – we are getting more business closer to the day of arrival – people are waiting for weather forecast so we will become a more weather-dependent destination.’

Bernadette Browning from LJ Hooker, Brunswick Heads told Echo Property that while they are booked out for Christmas the industry has seen significant

changes since the introduction of short-term holiday letting platforms like Airbnb and the impact of Covid.

Many businesses are having to take a flexible and responsive approach

‘Over the past two years, we’ve not seen it bounce back to the same as pre-Covid. While older people book a year in advance the younger generation are more instant,’ she explained.

‘The way these platforms operate have changed the industry. I’m not getting the inquiries the way I used to. Instead, I have to have the accommodation ready to at all times because younger people expect quick turnarounds rather than the longer-term planning that took place previously.’

Jane Laverty from Northern Rivers Business NSW recognised that there were a number of challenges the region had faced following the 2022 floods, the opening up of borders post Covid, and the impact of interest rate rises. However, she said there are also a number of positives in the market with activities such as the success of the Tweed Rail Trail and international visitors making a comeback.

‘The rail trail has demonstrated that people will come and enjoy that experience and then do other things,’ said Ms Laverty.

‘We need to turn a day visitor into a few nights with the rail trail, shows and other activities that ensure people take more time to enjoy the region.’

Mr Jones also said that some industries have not bounced back to pre-Covid levels while others have

continued to build. He and his business partner are looking to open Basq House around March 2024 and there have been ‘three new luxury hotels built in Byron recently including Hotel Marvell and Swell’.

‘Some properties are doing well and others not. A perceived sense of “value add” is almost mandatory in this environment.

‘Generally in Byron, we straddle the top and bottom of the socioeconomic levels. From van packers to the AB demographic – those from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and North Shore. That AB demographic has become proportionally larger over the last five to ten years.

‘Some other areas such as conferences, weddings and special occasion groups are not yet back up to pre-Covid levels.’

The summer ahead looks positive but the shorter forward booking profile leaves many businesses having to take a flexible and responsive approach to how they manage their holiday lettings. The need to ‘value add’, as prospective visitors seek value for money and belts tighten, ensures creative businesses also need to be creative and engaging with their customer bases.

‘If you are not picking up and you are say at 50 per cent occupancy and you want to pick up another 10-20 percent you need to revise your competitiveness in the market,’ said Ms Laverty.

‘Operators need to give value to tourists who are looking for a good deal at the moment.’

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Echo Property Magazine is proudly produced by Edition #5, December 2023 • The Byron Shire Echo, issue 38.26

This publication is printed on responsibly sourced paper stock.

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Cover photo: Photograph by Property Shot Photography.

Styled by Cactus Hill Project.

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December 2023 Echo Property Magazine 15

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