Selling with style

IT’S not often someone comes out of retirement to form one half of a brand new, vibrant business partnership, but that’s exactly what former medical receptionist, Jan Livingston did six months ago.

Teaming up with her daughter, Phoebe Croucher, the pair have launched Smuk Property Styling, utilising furnishings and assisting local vendors to sell their homes for a higher price.

The venture was born around Christmas time following Ms Croucher’s return to Ballarat from Hong Kong, with her now one-year-old daughter, and husband. Having worked in the fitness industry and as a hairdresser, she was keen to set up her own business.

“I’ve got a creative side with the hairdressing, but I’ve always been really interested in interiors, magazines and Instagram,” Ms Croucher said.

“A friend gave us the idea. She was getting some quotes for property styling in Ballarat. She was selling her investment property and wanted it furnished for the photos. She definitely felt there was a market.”

Ms Livingston said all the city’s property stylists were booked up at the time and coincidentally, she had recently been researching various businesses for sale.

“All three competitors couldn’t do it, they were so busy,” she said. “A property styling business for sale in Geelong popped up for sale, and I thought, wow, this is amazing.”

Knowing they could have an impact in the market, the duo did their homework. Loving a Norwegian relative’s suggestion of the Danish name ‘Smuk,’ meaning beautiful, and being fans of the clean, simple nature of Scandi design trends, the ladies hit the January sales.

They bought enough furniture to style one house, which they photographed to help launch their website.

“It’s just taken off,” Ms Croucher said. “It’s been go, go, go, and really fun. Now we’ve got enough furniture for seven houses.”

Having introduced themselves to all the local real estate agents, the pair have been run off their feet already, simply with word of mouth advertising, and the power of Instagram.

“It’s a bit crazy now,” Ms Livingston said. “We weren’t really sure how it would work. Phoebe’s been away from Ballarat for 12 years, but we’re both from here, and I was born and educated here.”

The pair, and their husbands, gel well in work and life.

“My dad helps, and sometimes we’re styling at night so my husband’s at home with my daughter,” Ms Croucher said. “They’ve been moving our furniture a few times late at night, like our removalists,” Ms Livingston laughed.

“We’ve had a few quick turnaround jobs, and we haven’t said no to anything. We’ve got good family support. It is really fun working together.”

One of Smuk’s major wins this year has been a big bluestone home in Miners Rest.

“The transformation was amazing. At one point, it was the third most viewed house in all of Australia on realestate.com.au,” Ms Croucher said.

The property’s agent said this was only the second time a house in Ballarat had achieved this.

“We came in and fixed it, and the styling definitely made a difference. Not many people would have viewed that house online had it not been for the styling,” Ms Croucher said.

For Ms Livingston, successful foot traffic and home sales are simply fantastic feedback, having thought carefully about making a space warm, inviting, modern and open, hoping to tap into a buyer’s emotional side.

“It’s very reassuring. It’s a real buzz,” she said.

“It makes it worth it.”

When a vendor wants to sell their property, but they haven’t got any furniture for the space, Ms Croucher is pleased that agents strongly suggest styling.

“It makes such a difference to pictures online, you get more people going through the doors. If they’ve seen the house online and it looks really nice, they’re more likely to go and have a look at it, and it’s more likely to sell more quickly for more money,” she said.

“Ballarat’s a really great place for real estate at the moment. The market’s booming compared to Melbourne and Sydney.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for property styling. More people are catching on that it definitely makes a difference.”

For more information about Smuk Property Styling head to smukpropertystyling.com.au.