Home staging: Is it worth the investment?
Once seen as something of a fad, home staging – or property styling – has become another essential tool for selling properties for the best price. So, what exactly is it and how does it help sell your home?
Property styling – let’s stick with that term – is essentially about improving the look of your property to maximise its appeal and saleability for buyers. Professional property stylists, who are often interior designers, can see homes through potential buyers’ eyes and advise on the best way to showcase every room, both for photography, online and in-person inspections. They can assess which features of a home should be emphasised and which can be improved and, depending on the condition of your property, what repairs, re-painting and renovations are worth undertaking.
We work with select stylists who have expertise in different types of properties – whether large, small, old, new or vacant – and we have a team of tradespeople on hand, so you don’t have to stress about getting jobs done on a tight deadline leading up to the marketing campaign. Our experience tells us that property styling is well worth the initial investment when it comes to achieving the best possible sales price; fees vary according to the level of styling services you select.
What is the thinking behind property styling? In a word, psychology. When prospective buyers look at your home, you want them to visualise themselves living there. If their first impressions are of your furniture, artworks and colour schemes, that gets in the way of this process of visualisation.
However, empty spaces are tricky, too. One reason is that prospective buyers are subconsciously trying to work out how to make that blank space into their home rather than seeing themselves living there. Empty rooms tend to look smaller than styled rooms, while well-placed furniture allows prospective buyers to assess the room’s scale and proportions, and visualise how their own possessions will fit into the space.
Property Styling Services
Property stylists offer a range of services, from full or partial home staging. Firstly, they conduct a site visit with the agent to inspect the property and photograph every room to determine the scope of the project. It’s important to trust the stylist’s judgement and not take suggestions such as installing alternative furniture as a personal comment on your taste – their expertise is in designing the overall look of your home to attract the right buyers.
Depending on what the stylist determines is right for your property, their services include the following:
· Outline what repairs should be undertaken and liaise with tradespeople (as mentioned earlier, at Ray White Lower North Shore Group we manage that process)
· Painting of walls (sophisticated neutrals are ‘safer’ and more generally appealing than strong colours)
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· Organise the layout of furniture according to their overall design
· Replace or supplement your existing furniture with rental furniture and storing what’s not needed
· Replace or supplement existing accessories, such as artworks, mirrors, soft furnishings and rugs
· Suggest what surface ‘clutter’ should be removed and stored off-site
· Organise specialist cleaning: windows, carpets, flooring and bathrooms
· Set up the home-staging. The stylist’s team will deliver everything that’s required, unpack and place it according to their design
· De-stage the property once it has been sold, packing everything up and returning it to the warehouse.
When your property has been professionally styled, a photography session will be scheduled for the sales campaign. Before in-house inspections take place, personal touches such as fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit in the kitchen add a little extra appeal – but don’t be tempted to go overboard!
If you’d like to discuss how to update your home to achieve its best price, please get in touch.