If you are planning to sell property, employing an interior designer to re-organise, decorate and "tweak" your home could add thousands to your asking price. Latest statistics confirm a slowdown in the property market, with house prices in London and the South East bottoming out and even the most optimistic estate agents predicting a continued slow-down countrywide. There are also Government plans to build more new properties in the South, so the signs are that it is becoming more difficult to sell our homes easil, and perhaps we need to pay more attention to making our homes desirable to prospective buyers.

Although employing a designer may seem to be an unnecessary expense on face value, it is becoming more and more essential in order to maximise the value of your home in today's competitive property market. It could mean the difference between settling for a nice house, or being able to afford that dream home!

Taking on someone to make changes can be a rewarding experience. Your designer can quickly see simple ways of presenting your home to its best effect. It may be necessary to de-clutter and carefully store some of your treasured items until after the move in order to streamline the look of your home. Perhaps there will be a few trips to the dump! It may or may not be suggested to change some colour schemes – a simple way to achieve that clean look which makes every house seem more spacious. The designer will also help you narrow down the target market you hope to reach with your sale and to tailor the reorganisation accordingly. There's no point in having a nursery upstairs if you are selling to young and single twenty-somethings!

Don't be daunted. It's possible to go the whole hog or to just make some simple changes – it's up to you and the service can be tailored to your needs and budget. Another benefit of having a designer on hand is the support you will get through the stressful moving process. Some companies even offer help with the move itself, packing, unpacking and organising, even in your absence. Imagine leaving your old house in the morning to go to work and coming back to your new home to find everything in place, beds made, food in the fridge and even a vase of flowers on the table! What luxury!

Johanna Donne runs her successful interior design business, Tempting Interiors, from Henfield in West Sussex, covering the South East of England. She specialises in both Interior Design and Property Presentation.

Johanna Donne
Tempting Interiors
01273 495858
johanna@temptinginteriors.co.uk
www.temptinginteriors.co.uk