What is home staging?
Home staging is a property marketing tool. Home staging ensures that the presentation of a home attracts multiple potential buyers as quickly as possible by targeting the presentation to the likely buyer demographic. It significantly differs from interior design as it creates a wide appeal for the buyer market, it doesn’t design the interiors to an individual taste.
What are the benefits of using home staging?
Selling the home more quickly for more money! Home staging showcases the lifestyle of a property to a potential buyer. In an occupied property it will involve using the home seller’s furniture and the addition of accessories and artwork will complete the look. Some properties require decorating, repair work and gardening, all of which are addressed to make sure everything in the house is as beautiful as it possibly can be to attract a buyer.
In an empty property, it is very difficult for a viewer to imagine themselves living in the space if there is no furniture. In particular, bedrooms look smaller without a bed. Adding furniture, artwork and accessories make a huge difference in the ability of a viewer to imagine themselves living in the house and attracting more offers.
How much does it cost?
The cost varies depending on what needs doing ahead of the property launching to market. Decorating is quoted on a bespoke basis as it is not always required. When decluttering is necessary at an occupied property, we advise allowing a budget of up to 0.5% of the list price. To fully furnish a property ahead of sale, a budget of around 1% of the list price would be reasonable.
What return can home sellers expect from the investment in staging?
In many cases we see properties that we have staged achieving 10-15% over their list price. We operate in the premium end of the property market so that can translate into £100k or 200K over list price meaning that often our clients are getting a 500 – 10,000% return on their investment in staging.
How does the process work?
Either a home seller will contact us directly, or an estate agent will call us on behalf of their clients. We call the home seller and understand what their goals are for the sale and their timeline. If the property is empty, we can quote from floorplans. If not, then we conduct an initial consultation free of charge. From there, we make recommendations about the presentation of the property ahead of photos and viewings. From the acceptance of quote, it usually takes about 2 weeks before the property is ready to be launched to market.
How do I find the right home staging for my property?
Home stagers, like estate agents, work in different parts of the property market. Make sure that, if you are looking for a stager, ask your estate agent who they would recommend. They will be able to suggest someone who works in the right part of the market.
The other check to make is looking to see if the home stager is accredited by the Home Staging Association. If they are accredited, then they have been through relevant training and submitted work which has been assessed to a high standard.
Please get in touch to arrange an initial staging consultation with a member of our team. 01332 987740 / [email protected]
