Thinking of selling your home or investment property this year? Strategically renovating your property can help you get a better price for it and have it off the market sooner.

According to many design and sales consultants, to ensure a balanced and aesthetically-pleasing result, it’s best to avoid slavishly following what’s en vogue. Steven Scalise of Scalise Studios goes as far as to recommend burning trend magazines.

“Don’t look at trends; look at the spirit of the house,” he told the Domain Group.  

Scalise works on townhouse projects that come into fruition years after the initial planning. “You’re making hard decisions on design, and you have to pre-empt the result and work towards matching the client’s expectation in the future,” he said.

Andrew De Angelis, sales consultant at Nelson Alexander Carlton North, follows a more balanced approach. He advises would-be sellers to keep the interior spaces of the home neutral, but to add some trendy furniture and artwork to inject character.

The ultimate “winning look” is a decluttered home. “Nine out of 10 clients [preparing their homes for the market] will need to declutter [because] the way properties are presented for sale is not the way people live,” De Angelis said.

The KonMari Method, an innovative cleaning and organising strategy devised by consultant Marie Kondo, is a great way to get the process done. The KonMari Method is pretty cutthroat when it comes to decluttering the home, as it advocates discarding possessions that “don’t spark joy” and keeping the ones that do.

Just as importantly, be consistent. If you update the kitchen with Mediterranean tiles, don’t ignore the mouldy old tiles in the bathrooms. Pay attention to detail, and you’ll end up with a home that will impress every prospective buyer who walks in.

Also read: Which improvements increase home value?