Two powerful women got together recently on Margaret Hirsch’s monthly Property Talk to discuss the present situation of the property market in the Gauteng area – and the importance of “staging” a home for sale.
Margaret Hirsch, a property investor in her own right, was joined by Yael Geffen, the CEO and shareholder of Sotheby’s International Realty, South Africa, who grew up in a real estate dynasty established by her grandmother, Aida. Yael was the 2020 winner of Standard Bank's prestigious Top Woman in Property Award. She is also a sought after international Keynote Speaker.
Yael explained that the lower to middle income section of the housing market was moving well right now in Gauteng, with the Province seeing 144% growth. Trending areas are Mid rand and Pretoria. “With Covid, there has been a trend towards “stay-cations” - people realising that they need to stay home – and finding the very best place to do this to keep them happy. Space is a priority feature. Gardens, bigger rooms, homes with potential office space. That’s what people are looking for.” Said Yael.
On the home staging front (for home sales) Yael and Margaret gave some sound tips on what to do and what not to do.
Top pointers: Your buyer needs to be enticed by engaging all their senses. Homes with high quality photos sell 32% higher; Shift the angle in a room, change the pictures around to make it pop. De-clutter! Remove everything that is adding to the clutter and keep the spaces neat, clean and pristine. Think of adding a fresh coat of paint to your walls, pressure wash the tiles, make sure the pool is serviced, ensure that your water pressure is good, the garage is clean, the linen crisp and fresh.Staging helps increase sales by between one and five percent.
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