Consider home-staging when selling your house

No matter which point of the market you are selling at, professional home staging is the single most powerful tool at your disposal to positively affect the selling price of your home.

STAGING is more than a new lick of paint or the addition of a few cushions and throws, it’s a psychological mechanism which has been proven to positively influence buyers, often without them even realising why.

Property stylists are experts in understanding that buying a home is an emotive experience rather than a logical one – it is a lot like falling in love.

Even the smallest faults can place seeds of doubt in a buyer’s mind but conversely, tiny details can also trigger a connection which will find them digging that little bit deeper to secure it.

Vendors need to make their property stand out over the competition and home staging is the best way to achieve that.

The impact

Research has shown 40 per cent more people inspected homes which had been staged, lured by stunning images.

Furthermore, 77 per cent of buyers’ agents attested to the fact that home staging increased the ability for buyers to envision the home as their own.

Other studies suggest that home staging sells a home on average 73 per cent faster.

While it is hard to put a figure on the return of investment for home staging, anecdotal evidence suggests it can lift the sale price depending on the property and the scope of work.

How it works

A home stylist will aim for a balance between inviting warmth and neutral elegance, offering the potential for a buyer to stamp their individual tastes.

They will dress the home sympathetic to the era and design of the home.

Using a range of tools including lighting, colour, fabrics, furnishings and accessories they can maximise positive facets while minimising or camouflaging drawbacks or flaws.

Examples of this may be:
• Using sleek modern window treatments to improve the entrance of natural light
• Sizing and placement of furniture to create feelings of space or to encourage social interaction
• Defining and demarcation of living zones and bedrooms through furniture placement
• Using colour to reflect the use of a room or natural fragrances to create an emotive response in a buyer
• Creating a setting using furniture and accessories where a prospective buyer feels an emotional response. Staging can also make larger rooms feel warmer, cosier and more inviting through the placement of furniture, lighting and area rugs.
• Professional home stagers are able to advise which colours will complement the style of your home as well as those which will suit both the mood and purpose of a room.

A colour palette should build a theme, enhancing flow between rooms and feature walls designed to add impact.