Improve the Appearance of Your Property

The Stamp Duty holiday has created a boom in the London property market, with homebuyers saving up to £15,000 in tax if they complete their purchase before the end of June. How do you make the most of this as a seller, landlord or buyer? Find out below.

With the property market buoyant, it’s no surprise Rightmove reported that in January their website received a whopping 211 million visits from homebuyers. The property market experienced its busiest January on record and 7% more buyers contacting estate agents via the Rightmove website Vs January 2020.

So, what does this mean if you’re selling/renting Vs. if you’re buying? We’ve Tailored our advice below, based on your unique circumstances.

If You’re Selling or Renting

The stamp duty period comes with challenges, presenting a problem for homeowners, investors and landlords looking to sell or rent their property in a busy market.

Stiff competition means your property needs to stand out to attract renters and buyers’ attention. Read below to find out how to differentiate your property.

If You’re a Buyer

If you’ve just bought a property or you’re just about to complete, it’s the perfect time to reinvest the money you saved straight into your property through interior design and refurbishment. Read below to learn more.

Home Staging Holds the Key to Success

One efficient and effective way to differentiate your property is through home staging. Home staging not only helps a property sell quickly and for the optimum price, but it also helps landlords achieve a quick let and a good rental yield.

Immaculate presentation is a MUST for sellers and landlords in what is now one of the most competitive property markets on record.

Home staging helps prospective buyers and tenants better imagine how they can use the livable space. Staging creates an emotional experience and response from renters buyers and is the difference between a sale or no sale (or rent, or no rent – you get the drift).

In the US, dressing a property to sell is essential as estate agents are reluctant to market a property until it has been staged by a professional company. Yet in the UK, home staging is still deemed as a necessity, not a luxury. InStyle Direct is with the US! – It’s a MUST.

But how do you stage your property to generate interest from buyers and achieve a quick sale? We explore a few ideas to help you prepare your property for sale.

Generate Interest in Your Property

How do you make your property as desirable as possible? You create a stylish, comfortable home where buyers can imagine themselves living. This applies whether you are selling or renting a property (and hoping to achieve an appreciated rent).

As well as creating an enviable lifestyle, there are practical considerations too. Good home staging should allow potential buyers to see how much space there is in the property, envisage how their furnishings will fit into the space, what colours work well and how much light there is, as well as the right window dressings.

We understand that staging your home correctly takes time, which is why we offer a home staging service as part of our varied offering. Our team of professional interior designers have been carrying out home staging projects, large and small, across London, for nearly two decades.

InStyle’s Home Staging Top Tips

There are a few simple measures you can take to enhance the presentation of your property.

1. If you are the homeowner,  the first thing you should do is declutter. Consider removing some belongings to make the property feel more spacious. Especially avoid personal items such as photos on display. Buyers should find it easy to imagine themselves in the property.

2. Freshen-up interiors with a lick of paint and have carpets professionally cleaned for a home that looks (and smells) every inch, showhome standard!

3. If the property is empty, choose simple, contemporary furnishings in neutral colours that make the property appear larger and brighter.

4. Add splashes of colour with soft furnishings and bold artwork, with a nod to the latest interior design trends for a contemporary feel.

5. Kerb appeal – first impressions count, so tidy up the front of the house, paint the front door and put a couple.

If you love don’t have the time yourself, check out our array of home staging services.

Design-led Furnishing Packages Combine Convenience with Value

If you’re pushed for time or lack the design confidence to do the work yourself, high-quality furnishing packages are a simple and affordable alternative to doing the work yourself.

InStyle Direct’s stylish, co-ordinated packs suit different budgets and property sizes and contain all the furnishings and furniture you need to turn your home into a livable property and are delivered and installed within 48 hours.
Research has even shown that furnishing your home yourself can cost up to 30% more than using an interior design service, in addition to the loss of personal time. Our interior designers take care of the project from start to finish including dressing the property, which is particularly helpful for those not based in the UK. Many of our clients are based on the other side of the world meaning communication is via email and Skype – Left entirely in our very capable hands.

Refurbishment and Interior Design Services That Add Value

If you’ve just moved into your new home and would like to use your stamp-duty savings to make it your own, or you’re an investor looking to add a lot of value to your property, you could use our bespoke interior design service. Our interior designers will create the home of your (or your buyer’s) dreams for less than you’d think.

Alternatively, if the property needs more extensive work such as Cosmetic & structural renovations, extensions & modernisations or alterations & conversions, we offer a refurbishment service starting from as little as £3,500 + VAT. We also have a team of experts who perform smaller refurbishment jobs such as updates to fixtures and fittings, refreshing & refacing, carpet & floor fitting, grouting and regrouting and restoration and retrofitting. Cleaning and re-equipping

Our team is particularly skilled in carrying out structural work to create modern, open-plan layouts that increase the value of a property.

Contact us for more ideas on how to make the most of this stamp-duty free period.