Staging
What is staging, and how can it help you sell your home?
Put simply, staging is the act of preparing the home for potential viewers – or “setting the scene” if you will. It involves using different aesthetic strategies to present your home in the best possible light with the aim of attracting more potential buyers. What does this mean? Well, according to HomeAdvisor, homes that have been staged spend on average between 33% - 50% less time on the market compared to homes that have not been staged.
How to Successfully Stage Your Property
- Make the outside and the inside of the home look spacious, inviting and attractive
- Clear any clutter lying around. It’s got to go. Book in a few trips to the dump if you must.
- Remove or repair any broken furniture.
- Fix squeaky doors and floor boards.
- Review whether a lick of paint would benefit any room, door, window sill or skirting board.
- Try to eradicate any sign of pets within the home (where possible!)
- Make your home neutral, free of personal memorabilia.
- Hide family photos and replace with complimentary wall art.
- Consider placing scented candles/plug-ins etc to give a pleasant odour.
- Prospective purchasers will often drive past a property prior to booking a viewing with the aim of examining the property at different times of day. With this in mind, make sure all visible areas of garden are well presented and tidy.
Upgrading Spaces
Perhaps your property would benefit from a new kitchen – is it worth spending the money to do so? In short, no. Make the existing space look as appealing as possible but bear in mind that the new owners may well have their own ideas for a new kitchen. However, if there are small, inexpensive fixes that would increase the appeal of the property, for example a new coat of paint, these are worth looking in to.
Declutter
An otherwise perfect property can be ruined by clutter. Is it time for a few trips to the recycling centre? Anything you're keeping yet want to hide for staging purposes? We recommend storage in the garage, a spare room or in commercial storage. Potential purchasers want to be able to visualise what the home will look like with their items in it.
Staging isn’t just for photos, don’t forget the viewings
Whilst it can be difficult to maintain a “picture perfect” home at all times, putting in a bit of effort to keep the home as neat and tidy as possible for viewings can pay dividends. If your property is vacant and awaiting possession, it can be a good idea to visit sporadically to dust/hoover to keep it looking its best.
Things to hide and consider moving
We do suggest hiding certain items both for the photos and for viewings. Of course, these are only our suggestions and it is entirely your own decision.
Bathroom
- Toiletries including toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet bleach and brush
- Sponges, loofah and flannels
- Bins
Kitchen
- Dish drying rack, brush, sponge and washing up liquid
- Dish cloths, oven mitts and towels
- Bins (hide them)
- Clear worktops of large appliances
Bedrooms
- Clear items, boxes etc from under the bed that are visible
- Hide dressing gowns (usually behind bedroom doors)
- Chargers, books and magazines
Utility
- Clear clothes
- Hide washing powders
Exterior
- Bins out of view
- Garden area clean. Any clothes on the washing line, taken down and stored.
Do you have pets?
Hide their food, bowls, toys, chews and cushions
Still need help with staging?
Our photographers are trained staging experts and are more than willing to assist you in any way they can.
