Home Staging: Everything you need to know

If you are looking to sell or rent out your property in a competitive market, you want your home stand out. You can achieve this by transforming it into an attractive and welcoming home with Property Staging.

Making your home presentable should always been an important aspect when you’re planning on selling. When your property goes on the market, your primary goal is to get the best chance of finding a buyer quickly and achieving the maximum price.

Staging your property is a great way to help your sale – here are some top tips and ideas on how to stage your place well…

What is home staging?

Put simply, staging means preparing the home for a potential buyer — or "setting the stage," if you will. It involves redecorating, rearranging furniture, cleaning and other aesthetic strategies to present the home in the best possible light. The goal is to make the home as appealing as possible to the most potential buyers.

Home staging has been an increasingly popular option for home sellers. Staging means preparing your property for sale by giving your property a makeover in order to make it attractive and more desirable for potential buyers. It usually helps a property to sell fast and at the best possible price

Staging a home by yourself is also possible however, it is still best to seek out professional help from home staging companies or ‘Home Stagers’ to guarantee that yours is one of the houses that the buyers are snapping up.

How much will home staging cost?

The cost of staging a home will normally depend on a few factors such as – the location, the size of the home, how long it needs to be staged, the extent of the staging and the fee in hiring a ‘staging professional’ or a ‘home staging’ company.

According to Zoopla, you can expect to pay between £500 to upwards of £5,000 for home staging. It sounds like a lot, but it could be worth the investment if you want to secure the maximum price for your property.

But if your budget is at the lower end, DIY is an option for you. Just buy some few furniture pieces or it may be necessary to repaint, knock out a wall, and change out the lighting fixtures. Listed below are the other DIY staging tips:

The DIY home staging checklist

Replace cupboard handles, and give the walls a lick of paint
Update the bathroom taps, re-grout the tiles, or clean up the grouting
Paint walls a pale, neutral tone
Cut back and tidy the front garden, sweep the front drive and put the wheelie bin out of sight
Declutter and show as much floor and shelf space as possible (including inside wardrobes). Store items such as dog beds and children’s toys in the garage, shed – or, temporarily, even in your car
Hire professional cleaners, paying particular attention to the kitchen and bathroom.
Deep clean carpets too
Keep kitchen surfaces clear, and remove fridge magnets and other personal effects
Clean windows and open them to let in fresh air
Switch on lights and keep the home at a comfortable temperature
Buy new matching towels which can be folded and displayed
Set the dining table with as many places as it seats with matching mats and crockery
Buy fresh flowers
Make sure your home smells good
Check out Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration and ideas

Data source: Zoopla, Feb 2022

Top Tips for Home Staging

1. Think about what buyers want

Imagine and think about who your prospective buyers are and stage your house to appeal directly to those buyers. Consider to whom you are selling to:

· young professionals - stage your house to look sleek and modern

· working families - make it look spacious and practical

· older buyers - stage it as homely and comfortable

2. Get a home staging consultation first

To get some ideas on how to stage your home, book a consultation with a professional stager. A consultation will usually involve a 1-2 hour assessment of both the interior and exterior of your home to look at every aspect of the property, from the décor to the soft furnishings, through the eyes of a prospective buyer.

The stager will walk-through the home, do an assessment, detail how each room is better staged and will offer advice on what can be done to improve curb appeal and maximize your market potential.

3. Clear the clutter and clean

Less is definitely more when it comes to selling your home. Decluttering isn’t just removing and just getting rid of things that are not necessary anymore. It will definitely help potential buyers be able to picture themselves in your home.

Before you move in the staging items, have your home deep cleaned so that its move-in ready and make sure that every part of the house is clutter-free and tidy.

4. Neutralize your walls

Prospective buyers won’t be able to visualize themselves living in your home if the walls are too bright, patterned or in some cases, dull and ugly. Give the walls a lick of light, neutral colors. A fresh coat of paint will help to bring any room to life.

5. Don’t forget curb appeal

Making your home look a little nicer from the outside can also help entice buyers.

Curb appeal is significant when you want to sell your house. If prospective buyers don’t like the look of it, they might decide not to view it. All the effort you put into interior home staging could be put to waste.

Staging to give curb appeal is to make your house look like a place buyers would feel happy to come home to. Try repainting the front door and trimming hedges, plant a few flowers, pressure wash the driveway and garage door. Hiding the bins will add to the curb appeal too.

6. Stage according to budget and lifestyle

If your budget is limited, the cheapest home staging ideas include new paint and wallpaper, better lighting, lots of mirrors, house plants and fresh flowers all of which can give a dramatic improvement at a relatively low cost. If you’re buying home staging accessories like new rugs, throws, cushions, artwork, planters and lighting - choose stuffs that you can take with you when you move.

Aside from that, also think about the general budget of prospective buyers, what their lifestyle is and their ideal living space would look like.

7. Keep it minimal

You don’t need to fully furnish rooms if someone were actually going to be living there. Instead, you want to provide the property with a certain aesthetic and general feel of hominess. Keep the number of items in each room to a minimum, and place them away from walls. Decorate the walls and shelves sparingly. If you do paint the walls, use light, simple colors to help open up the space.

FINALLY... Have you considered virtual Staging?

Virtual staging is a process in which a skilled CGI designer creates an intricately detailed digital simulation of an interior or exterior space of a property. Virtual staging is an increasingly popular method of presenting a property during the marketing phase, as it gives the viewer a clearer, idealised vision of the interior spaces.

The primary purpose of virtual staging is to create realistic, homely settings by adding furniture, appliances, home comforts and other flourishes to the bare framework of a room or outdoor space, while also optimising the existing decoration to the client’s expectations. It will always be cheaper and involves less logistically, so it is certainly something to consider.

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