'It's such an elevated look' – Selling Sunset's Bre Tiesi says this is the best way to decorate if you want your home to sell quicker

Star of the latest Selling Sunset season Bre Tiesi is no stranger to luxurious, multi-million dollar homes. In LA’s ultra-competitive real estate market, homes really need to look the part and stand out for that elite clientele. 

I was curious to know what modern interior design style is the most popular and has proven the most successful in helping to get these homes off the market. 

LA realtor Bre Tiesi, best known for starring in the latest season of Selling Sunset, might just be the perfect person to let us in on what makes the world's best homes sell.  And speaking exclusively to Livingetc, Bre offered me a few tips on how to get the look even if you haven’t got a home staging specialist on speed dial. 

Decorating in a minimalist style can help your home sell quicker 

(Image credit: Marco Ricca. Design: Ali Budd Interiors)

Everyone’s taste in interiors can differ wildly, and so when getting a home ready to sell it’s tricky to assess what potential buyers might like to see. There is also the need to create a space where they can project themselves, and not just witness the lives of its current inhabitants. 

LA realtor to some of the most discerning, hard-to-convince clients (aka the rich and famous) Bre Tiesi tells me that there is one style that attracts the most sales. 

‘Aesthetically I think the clean and minimalistic look is probably the number one thing that I see, especially in staging it’s pretty consistent. It gives us such an elevated look. It's just clean and you can really see the space that that you're looking at. And I think that makes a huge difference,’ she tells me. 

The appeal of minimalism in interior design is that it looks light, airy, and modern, and makes a space look more expensive. If, on closer inspection, there is attention to detail too, then the space has a lot more chances to appeal to the higher-paying clientele. 

It’s all in the details, and here’s what to look out for 

(Image credit: Gieves Anderson. Design: Justin Charette)

Bre tells me that details are so important and that it’s obvious when a homeowner is reluctant to invest and is just looking for a quick flip. The idea is that the more quality materials that go into the home design, the more likely it is for buyers to understand the price and consider the investment worth it. 

She explains that in all homes she looks at the appliances, and questions whether the floors are wood or laminate, whether the surfaces are real marble or not. Because this is what her clients will ultimately question too. 

‘I’ll do that throughout the house. Some clients be asking ‘is this important?’ Let's say there was an incident, and you needed to replace something - clients ask themselves can I get this again?’. Quality materials that are durable but can also be easily replaced if needed is a very important factor when a client assesses if a property is worth the price or not. 

What is the appeal of a minimalist style to a potential buyer?  

(Image credit: Marco Ricca. Design: Ali Budd Interiors)

Bre thinks the reason why a minimalist style is so appealing is because it makes it easy for the buyer to see the home, rather than get distracted by unnecessary details. ‘In staging, minimalism makes it really easy to see the home. You can see it being ‘lived in’, having proper furniture and art hung up, but nothing that's going to take your eye away from the actual space. And I think that that's what's really important when you're looking to buy something.’

Bre also advises when a home is going on the market for the owners to completely remove their belongings in order to stage it, as it will significantly increase its chances of being sold quicker. ‘We've seen huge differences from what could mean a year on the market by leaving the home as it is, versus three to six months maximum for it to sell with it being staged.’

The bottom line if you can't go for a full home staging

Whether you might be able to do a complete clear-out of your home ready to stage or not, the idea is removing unnecessary detail that would distract the viewer from seeing the home, and enable them to project themselves in it instead. A minimalist style requires fewer items visible and neutral color schemes which create a more inviting space where a potential buyer can start, in their mind, designing their own home.