Paignton – 3 Bed House

This property in Paignton had been purchased by my client as an investment.

Apparently, the house was once the local police station.

There were tantalising local tales of ‘cops and robbers’ (the kitchen area had reportedly been the cells, hence the bars on the windows) but it had also been the host to garden parties and the scene of many family and local gatherings.

The property was in reasonably good condition although empty and unloved, and when I got involved, my client had just found out that (although she used the services of a local buying agent) that she had paid rather more than the property now appeared to be ‘worth’!

A good, solid, 3 bed house, with a large garden and nice views the house just didn’t present well. The property lacked ‘flow’, room definition and the bedrooms were decidedly uninspiring.

I took on the challenge of preparing it for sale. The garden required a bit of an overhaul, carpets needed cleaning, some curtains were necessary, furniture and accessories were obtained for all rooms, the garage was cleared out, the front door renovated and a smart new house name was obtained.

A collection of newspaper cuttings and remaining artefacts helped complete a house history and then the styling began.

It took a full weekend to get everything in place and style the rooms accordingly. The house responded well and soon began to resemble a family home where buyers could imagine themselves living comfortably.

Happily, the outcome was more than my client and I could have dared hope for …and at this point I will leave her to explain the finer details!

“I am delighted to write this testimonial for Helen’s work.

I was in dire need of some help with a problem property that looked dangerously undervalued thanks to the credit crunch. I had a mortgage of £300,000 and estate agents told me that I would only get £265,000 – £285,000 on it. With Helen’s help, the property was transformed – it was amazing how the subtle tweaks made a huge difference. Her eye for detail is acute and her design skills really – oh dear I can only say, ‘staged’ the property to looking utterly stylish and yet welcoming.

What was also invaluable was the encouraging and positive outlook Helen has. At every stage she was there, prompting, thoughtful with suggestions and ideas and cheerful warmth to help me turn ‘poison into medicine’. I am deeply grateful to her for this.

Three days after she had completed, I had several viewings, and a serious offer of £330,000. Which I am happy to say I have agreed to! This is concrete evidence of how effective Helen and The Property Styling Company is. Thank you, Helen. I have a great deal of respect for what you can do for my properties. And I shall be calling on you regularly in future.”

Sarah McCloughry, Investor