In the apartment of Julie Sverdrup-Thygeson (48) and her roommate in Majorstuen in Oslo, everything is ready to be seen. They just bought a semi-detached house and are dependent on a good sale.
– It is clear that it is a stressful situation to live in two apartments when the market is falling, Sverdrup-Thygeson tells TV 2.
SIMPLE STEPS: With simple steps you can make the house on display shine. The plant in the photo was purchased for the occasion Photo: Marie Grensbraten Lorvik / TV 2
House prices fell 2.2% in September and prices are expected to fall further in the future.
So what’s important when you sell your home in a declining market? And how much money do you have to shell out in connection with the sale?
Especially important
Experts agree. House rents have increased, people have less purchasing power and less visit. Therefore, the presentation of the apartment becomes even more important.
– A real estate ad receives ten percent fewer hits than a year ago. There are more homes on the market than before, and therefore home buyers have more to choose from, says Jørgen Hellestveit, head of Finn eiendom.
It is clear that it is very important to create good advertising and that a home stylist can be a good investment.
DNB’s real estate agent Kaja Olsen says the goal is to attract people to the vision and get as many bidders as possible.
– An additional bidder is worth around NOK 100,000. If you want to make good money on a home, you often have to spend money too, Olsen says.
I took matters into my own hands
Julie Sverdrup-Thygeson and her roommate, on the other hand, didn’t want to spend tens of thousands on house styling.
– I think professional styling can be a little presumptuous. You can achieve a lot if you have some common sense and see what others do in Finn, she says.
See the stylist’s top tips below just in case.
The couple went to great lengths to prepare the apartment for sale.
– We thoroughly washed, plastered and painted some walls and moldings. So we removed the redundant stuff.
– Once this is done, you can start looking at what you want to do with the interior of the apartment.
COLOR SORTING: Julie Sverdrup-Thygeson cleaned the shelves and sorted the books by color to make the apartment more beautiful. Photo: Marie Grensbråten Lorvik / TV 2
He removed unnecessary cushions from the sofa, large bookcases and kitchen appliances.
– I always laughed a little at people ordering color books, but after playing around for a while I thought it was neater.
He also chose to remove the stereo system and the TV when the photos were to be taken.
– Just make sure it looks neat and tidy there. I don’t think you need a Chanel book on the living room table for sales to go well.
Sverdrup-Thygeson estimates that the sale of the house will cost them around NOK 180,000. This includes brokerage fees, photography, an additional marketing package, sales insurance, and viewing fees.
– Selling a house is expensive, so we chose to save where we could. However, the extra marketing would cost us, as you don’t sell houses very often after all.
He says they paid 18,000 for extra marketing.
warns
Brokerage firms offer a number of optional services when selling a home. These include the style of the house, the marketing packages or the insurance that guarantees sales.
Carsten Henrik Pihl, Consumer and Communications Manager at the Landowners Association, cautions against overspending on these additional services.
WARNING: You should be careful about spending large sums on extra services, says Carsten Henrik Phil of the National Association of House Owners. Photo: The home owners
– It can be a big risk to take, because you can end up spending money that you are not sure you will come back, says Phil.
If you live in a big city or in eastern Norway, you’ll likely get more for professional styling than if you live more in the countryside, he explains.
Phil says the same to shell out large sums for additional marketing packages.
– Check what is included in the basic package you are already paying for. Only then can you assess the need for additional marketing.
However, it’s clear which services you shouldn’t save money on.
– Home seller’s insurance should never be abandoned. Protects the seller from claims for errors and omissions on the part of the buyer.
– You should also spend money on photography. It is important to present what you intend to sell correctly.
The broker’s savings trick
– By planning both sales and timing, you can save a lot of money on, among other things, expensive interim financing and extra viewing costs, says real estate agent Kaja Olsen.
Explain, among other things, that you can get a surprise bill if you have used full house styling and the house sale takes longer than expected.
GOOD PLANNING: DNB real estate agent Kaja Olsen says you can save large sums of money by planning the sale of the house. Photo: DNB Eiendom
– Styling companies often have a time limit and if you have to hire styling for a longer period than expected, costs will be incurred. There is a risk that you will not be able to sell until the company has the furniture back.
A number of styling companies that TV 2 has verified offer the full style of a three-bedroom apartment for a price between NOK 15,000 and NOK 20,000. For single-family homes, the price is 25,000 and more.
If you have to rent the styling for more than four weeks, several companies charge 20% of the total price for each additional week.
Prices vary depending on whether you buy partial or full styling.
Exhausted and hopeful
In the Majorstuen apartment, Sverdrup-Thygeson says the styling process has taken off.
But in return he saved around NOK 20,000 on this move.
Julie Sverdrup-Thygeson talks about styling for a house sale. Photo: Marie Grensbråten Lorvik / TV 2
– I probably spent a week preparing the house for the vision and was completely exhausted afterwards, she says.
– The hope is that it will repay, that we will reward ourselves, he adds.
Here’s how the expert decorates the house:
Get rid of all the clutter that is over the closets, as well as redundant furniture and furnishings, but don’t erase everything, “less is more” is overrated. People don’t want to see a light-style house, but a familiar, furnished house. It’s about keeping things right.
The most practical floor plan for you may not be the best for selling the home. Use the space and think about what looks best in the photos. Think outside the box, maybe the sofa or dining table should be moved?
A home improvement doesn’t have to cost the shirt. Consider the simple steps, such as changing the knobs on the kitchen cabinets, painting the fronts, refining the floor or replacing the countertop.
Keep it warm and cozy and make sure it smells natural and inviting. Don’t let the smell of green soap affect whoever comes, it may seem a little suspicious, but keep some herb plants in the kitchen or find a neutral scent to display.
Fresh flowers and freshly made beds are also a must.
- Don’t have it in the ad images
TV never looks good with pictures. You have to take it away. It can work well with the TV on, but remember it never looks good in photos.
Four years ago it was very trendy with a white, beige and light neutral style. This has changed. Now it is wise to use colors to make the house “pop” in the ad.
Source: Henriette Amlie, interior designer and home stylist at Evoke Agency.
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