Wanting to maximise the sale price of your property is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone working in the real estate industry.
But one concept lockdown has helped bring to the fore is ‘home staging’.
When the pandemic was at its height estate agents had to adapt and adapt they did – virtual viewings became commonplace and sellers started to realise the importance of attractive and eye-catching photos if they wanted to retain eyes on their property.
If buyers didn’t like what they saw they’d click and move on to the next house – end of story.
‘Home staging’ – sometimes referred to as ‘property styling’ – takes attractive photos to another level. It leaves nothing to chance.
The concept has been commonplace in the States for decades. The idea actually originated from there and the stats in terms of average increase in property value; increase in viewings; increase in eventual sale price and decrease in the time it takes to sell are quite jaw-dropping.
American Barb Schwarz is the recognized inventor of ‘home staging’. She has been educating estate agents in the USA since the early 1970s. Her background in theatre and Broadway made her realise the importance of ‘setting the scene’ when it comes to selling a property.
‘Home staging’ is a multi-million dollar industry in the States and it’s now growing here – but lockdown has started to help introduce the idea to a whole new generation.
I’ve been an advocate of it for years. I swear by it.
Put simply it’s the art of preparing a home for sale and maximizing its appeal to target buyers and, as a result, selling it quicker and for the maximum price.
‘Home staging’ is all about selling the dream and creating an immediate emotional attachement with the potential buyer. You want to turn your home into a ‘show home’ and remove any potential barriers to the sale.
For a relatively low cost – think around 1% of the value of your home – you can increase its sale value by up to 10%. Sound like a good plan? Well this is what they do.
Not everyone has an eye for interior design but a home stager is an expert and that’s what you’re paying them for. They have the vision to transform your home into a showhome – something infinately more saleable than you giving the place the once over with the duster which, for many, has been the way it has always been done.
There’ll work with what you already have; there’ll remove anything that doesn’t work and bring in additional ‘props’ as required. These can be little extras like lamps, cushions, throws and artwork – or they can deck out an entire house if required.
So here are my top staging tips to maximise the sale price of your home:
De-clutter, de-clutter and de-clutter. And then de-clutter again. Everything – and I mean everything – has to be out of sight. You have to be totally and utterly ruthless. Your home – for the period of the viewings – can no longer be thought of as your home. It needs to be a show home. Potential buyers need to instantly fall in love with it, they need to imagine themselves living there. There can be nothing to distract them. Everything that’s not on display should be neatly organised and packed well away.
Depersonalise, depersonalize and depersonalize some more. From the family photos to the fridge magnet collection – everything has to go. You need your viewers to imagine your present house being their future house – family photos and the like are big barriers as you strive to create the vision.
You’ve got to create kerb appeal – don’t stop at the inside. Spruce up the garden and trim the bushes. What about some hanging baskets outside? Make sure the front door is gleaming! Ensure your house stands out – you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
Scale back on the amount of furniture you have. Less is more. If a room is packed with furniture it will look smaller. That’s the last thing you want!
Clean, clean and clean again. You need to deep clean your house within an inch of its life. Find every cobweb, scrub floors, wash light fittings, polish the oven, fridge, microwave, sink and any other appliances. A gleaming and clean property lets the buyer know it has been well maintained and instills confidence.
Unwelcome smells are definitely not welcome. Be it pets or the dirty washing baskets – the source of the issue has to go and air fresheners or scented candles can help banish any lingering nasty niffs.
Maximise sunlight and show off your windows. They need cleaning inside and out. The sills need cleaning and blinds need raising. Ensure curtains are pulled back to let biggest possible amount of light in.
If you are looking to home stage your house for sale or you’ve just recently moved in and need some help contact Letzmove Team for further details.
· Vicky Keyworth runs www.letzmove.com She is currently working on her first book. You can contact her via: info@letzmove.com
