Making your home look great for viewings is an important part of the sales process. Sam Funnell from Fine & Country Rugby gives some tips on home staging.
“Home staging” is not a new term, but the concept of professional home staging may not be something you think about until it comes time to promote your property. In the past, homeowners, in liaison with estate agents, have been left to fend for themselves as far as preparing for home showings. As estate agents, we usually know exactly what factors can help sell a home, but sometimes it’s worth considering bringing in someone else as a design consultant.
Professional home stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a home for sale. They work with the flow and feel of a home, eliminating clutter, editing and arranging furniture, and assisting in enhancing curb-appeal. They can help immensely in giving your home that extra ‘oomph’ to make a notable first impression on potential homebuyers.
The first impression is the key factor in selling your home. Statistics show that staged homes sell faster and for more money than those that are unstaged. Only a small percentage of prospective buyers can visualise a home looking any different than how they see it, so staging can guide them to that all-important favourable impression.
Staging is basically visual merchandising that draws on the fundamentals of interior design. The object is to present the property in way that highlights its strengths, without being too obvious. A good home stager will concentrate on making your home appeal to a broad range of tastes. They can also make your home look great in photographs, leading potential buyers to your door.
Unlike America, home staging in the UK involves spending the smallest amount of money possible to get the highest return on investment. In order to keep the budget down, home stagers work mostly with what the home owner already has, only bringing in new soft furnishings and accessories if necessary.
Why would you pay for a home stager when you could do it yourself? Firstly, it’s a fresh set of eyes. When you’ve lived in a house for a long time, it can be hard to see the small faults that buyers will notice. Secondly, well-staged homes tend to sell faster. They also sell for a higher price. It’s these factors that can make home staging worthwhile, particularly if you need a quick sale.
For advice on selling or buying property, please contact Fine & Country Rugby on 01788 820062 or visit www.fineandcountry.com