If a property’s taking time to sell, it might be worth calling in the professionals
Why is it that some houses sell immediately while others languish on the market for months? There are lots of obvious factors at play – the state of the market, a general demand for outdoor space, popular postcodes, for instance. But while some properties are also simply more attractive than others, some people are also better than others at reading the room when it comes to what makes a home attractive. And there are a few basic truths that all sellers should know when it comes to listing a property.
There’s a complex psychology to buying a home. Alexa Vere of ARP Interiors likens it to speed dating, saying that people make their minds up almost immediately on entering a property, influenced by several seemingly minor things. Alexa has made a career out of dressing homes to show them off to best advantage, and is the person estate agents call when they find a home that’s struggling to sell. Her work ranges from designing show flats for new developments to sprucing up unloved houses to show off their potential. She says: “ In a bad market people have to make more effort, and in a good market people want to maximise their profits – so there’s always a need to make a place look its best. Agents like Winkworth will always want to achieve a good sale for their client.”
So what does she do? A seller’s main enemy is clutter, she says, and often it takes a fresh pair of eyes to spot it. “We recently took on a house in Fulham that had been on the market for three months with no offers,” she says. “It was unloved – the owner had a sofa with a huge pouffe in the living room that almost touched the bookcase opposite and obstructed access to the window, so when we took that away there was immediately much more space. The dining table was very dark wood – anything dark puts people off – so we simply put a tablecloth over it. Upstairs, the beds weren’t made up. So we tidied it up and it sold the next day.” Everybody wants a light, airy, cheerful space that smells nice, she says. “Selling a property is a bit like selling a car. If you’ve spent some money on maintaining it it might not add that much value to it, but it will make it sell faster.”
Some of her tactics are very simple. Putting mirrors on the walls reflects light around the rooms and creates a sense of space, she says, while adding carefully selected accessories delivers a finished look. She has a warehouse full of furniture that’s ready to be installed wherever her services are required, as new build flats are much more likely to appeal to buyers when they’re furnished. “I’ve learnt over the years what to buy and I like to think that my homes don’t look like other show homes.” She has a bank of basic pieces, such as neutral sofas, which she then enhances with more quirky pieces and artworks, plus photographs, orchids and lots of mirrors. And inevitably, it works.
So what advice would she offer sellers? “Get rid of clutter,” she says. “Hire a storage unit and put everything in it.” If you’re serious about selling, Alex’s advice is worth taking.