Artwork is one of the more expensive items in our decorative inventory at Shift due to the costs required to acquire, the safe storage space it often takes up and the need for safe transport to a home staging job (particularly those paintings that have a large sheet of glass on the face of the piece). It is also often difficult to find that 'right piece' that suits the property perfectly, and having art that suits every property to present it ideally is quite expensive.

So I am always on the look out for ways to buy art that suits the jobs I get, that are cost effective to return a decent rent (without being over the top) and are quality originals where possible.

I was talking to the local School of Art recently with is attached to the University here. They advised that students are always keen to sell their work and see it being used in a real application outside their internal exhibitions. The work is incredible and provides an opportunity to decorate projects with very original designs in both digital print, sculpture, painting and ceramics. The best thing is that you are putting back into your local community and providing the artists the opportunity to have their work on display to prospective buyers viewing the property in the when it is for sale.

The School of Art is also happy for me to have flyers on notice boards asking students who wish to sell pieces to contact me. There is no pressure here as you can review their portfolio, see their style and evaluate whether it meets the needs of your inventory.

When you have some down time in the near future, contact your local art school and get on to the invitation list to view upcoming exhibitions and see if you can give something back to your local community artists