“Home staging”. Have you heard of it? It sounds complicated but it’s really just a series of techniques to help buyers understand the full potential of your home, and for you to get the very best price. Let’s start with the basics…
What exactly is “home staging”?
“Home staging” or “house dressing” has been around for over a decade. Its not about improving or making changes to a property; it’s just a way of presenting an existing property in the best possible light.
Imagine your home is about to be the subject of a four-page spread in a magazine - what would you do to prepare each room so that it looks its best? Perhaps you would move furniture around to accentuate a feature, or have a grubby wall repainted? Suddenly, you’re thinking like a home stager.
Home staging requires looking at your house with a critical and objective eye.
To be effective, we believe that a home stager needs to allocate a decent budget to dressing their house – say £500 or £1,000. Although this seems like quite a lot of money, home staging items can easily be taken with you when you move.
Typical accessories include new bedding, cushions, rugs, artwork, bathroom accessories and other items that help to complete a certain “look”.
Okay, but where do I start?
If you’re not sure where to begin, there are three main options:
1. Ask a friend or relative to provide a fresh, honest point of view on your home;
2. Visit some show homes in the local area for inspiration; or
3. Commission a professional home stager. An initial assessment will cost c.£300, followed by an hourly rate of £30 to £50 an hour.
Although this may sound pricey, home staging normally results in a more polished presentation which, in turn, results in beautiful photography and a confident agent. And those things, together, significantly increase your chances of selling.
Fancy an opinion on whether home staging would benefit your sale? If so, get in touch – we’re always happy to hear from you!
