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Home Staging Q&AI frequently get asked about the Pros and Cons of Home Staging, and why I think it is so important to stage a home before selling it - here are some of the many questions I get asked, and my answers - I hope they help to show why you should always stage your home ready for a sale. Please contact me if your query isn't answered here.How can Staging help me? Staging will make your home look its absolute best for your marketing pictures, it will maximise its appeal and therefore its asking price, and will minimise costs (staging may cost, but is a lot less than reducing the price of your home after a few months of it being on the market) Can you guarantee the house will sell? Nothing can be guaranteed, as there are things with some properties that staging cannot change (lack of parking, no garden, busy road, noisy neighbours etc...) but it can be said that staging will make the absolute best of what you have, and will therefore ensure that your home sells as quickly as it can and for the most it can. Its a sellers market at present - so why do I need a home stager if my home will sell anyway? Staging your home means it will present better on the internet and in the estate agents brochures to prospecitive purchasers. This means that you are likely to get more interest more quickly in the property and therefore may be able to push the selling price up a little as a result. Yes your home may sell quickly in this market, but will it sell for its absolute best price? Its a buyers market out there so how can I sell my house? You need to make sure that your property stands out from the competition when there are more properties on the market than buyers. That way you will create a buzz around your property and it will also make the agent more excited about showing your property. Isn't staging just about the smell of baked bread, and a few flowers, with some fluffed up cushions? Not at all - a home stager is trained to look at every aspect of your home, and make recommendations and changes based on target market, local expectations and visual appeal. This can include restyling rooms, redefining their purpose, and getting all the trades jobs (however small) completed to ensure that your home is viewing-ready. The aim of home staging is to ensure that your home doesn't feel false, and like it has been staged, and this is where a professional will make all the difference. It is the ultimate staging compliment if people love your home when they view it, and they don't even know that you have staged it, they just love the look and feel of it and want it to be theirs. I really don't want the hassle of staging my house ready for selling - moving is stressful enough isn't it? A home stager should be able to organise everything for you, and in a majority of homes there would be little need for trades people or large decorating work. Staging can be very painless for the homeowner, and a properly trained home stager will ensure that this is the case, it is merely making the best of what you have. Yes, moving is very stressful, but so is having your home on the market for months without it selling. But doesn't it cost loads to do? We redefine rooms, working with what you have - only adding in items where absolutely necessary (and these items will be able to be taken with you which is a bonus!). Trade work is only done when required, and having a professional in to tell you what needs to be done saves money in the long run as it may well save you having to drop your asking price. Home staging is much much cheaper than this!. Also, think of the costs of running your home while it is on the market - this could be saved if you sell straight away and used on your new home instead! OK - I may stage my home - but I will see if it sells as it is first - then I've saved time and money Staging isn't a last resort to a home that isn't selling, ideally you should have your home staged prior to bringing in an agent - this will ensure that your marketing pictures will be at their best right from the start, you will get a lot of viewings when your property hits the market, and the buzz you create from a newly listed property thats looking amazing may make all the difference to your home selling fast. Also, if you don't stage it, it may be valued at less so you will have missed out on potential profit even if it does sell. Real Life Innerspace Staging Example - Property similar on paper to the rest of the street - agent came in to value and expected the price to be around 225K given the average price on the road. After seeing the staged home on the inside it was valued at 279K and sold within a week at full asking price after going to sealed bids between 3 buyers. I don't want to buy extra items for staging my home - do you rent out accessories and furniture? We can organise this for you, but usually it works out much more cost effective to purchase items and sell them on afterwards. We can source items to get great deals for you, and can take them away when finished with - removing all the hassle for you. However, a lot of people like the look we create so much that they decide to keep some of the items anyway! (saves you having to purchase items for your new home) Why can't I do it myself? A professional stager has the local knowledge and expertise on what works and what your target market expects. You are getting a tailor made solution that is specific to your home, and this will save you money, time and effort in the long run. I would strongly advise you to get a home consultation and draw up an action plan of what needs to be done, and then you can do the rest yourself if you prefer, but to get the absolute maximum effect of staging it is always best to get me back in prior to the agents visit so that everything can be checked so that its perfect. As with getting in an interior designer for a house you are staying in, they use their knowledge and skill to create the perfect room for you first time, so that you use your money and time wisely rather than trying to do it first and making mistakes. What if I don't like what you do? A home stager is looking to appeal to your target market so that your house sells fast and for the most amount of money - and therefore may not always do what you would want to see in your home in terms of decor and accessorising - however - this often helps clients to emotionally move out of their home, and to start packing away their treasured posessions actually starts the process of moving out, which can be a great help. Please note here that all my clients have loved the transformations that I do, and more often than not I am invited into their new home to redesign this - where I do of course take in and design around your likes and dislikes. It is very different to style a home for selling than for living. Don't you just cover up all the problems - isn't that dishonest? Potential issues are NEVER hidden from the buyers, the job a home stager does is to maximise a homes appeal, whilst reducing the effect of its negatives. Structural problems etc.. that are known about have to be highlighted to potential buyers, and surveys will uncover the truth, so this is not a good way to stage a home. Staging is about making the most of what you have, and NEVER hiding problems. I have so much in my house - and am scared that you will simply empty it and make it all minimalist Please be assured that I do not come in and empty your house. A bare house has no soul, and therefore your buyer won't feel at home there and won't want to purchase it. It is about getting a balance between creating a home and allowing the space to be seen. Some items may be packed away ready for moving, which can be seen as a bonus for you as it starts the move for you! Surely the buyer will just decorate when they move in anyway to their own tastes - so isn't this a waste of time? Buyers cannot always see a homes potential, and thats what home staging is for. A buyer wants to see the space they will have, the light etc..... - they do not need to see what you own. Also, buyers will decide to buy a particular house on an emotional level first, if they can see themselves in your home then they are much more likely to buy it. Many people simply don't have the budget for redecorating as soon as they move in (or the inclination!) - so making the house easy to live with in this interim time will be very appealing to them. I have also had clients actually be asked to leave certain items (including all the artwork in one home that was made to match the homes colour schemes from simple canvasses) as they had fallen for the decor that much. Never underestimate what the look of a home will do for its selling power. |
