Should you put the effort into staging your home?
Did you know that on average a homebuyer will decide in just seconds whether to view your home or not?
With that in mind, you need your home to stand out above the rest or they will keep scrolling until one does grab their attention. How your home looks in photos online is extremely important. A recent survey reported that over a third of buyers would be swayed if the home was "social media ready", meaning if it looked great in the photos then it would look great on Instagram or TikTok.
It's not much different once the potential buyer views your home, again decisions can be made in just seconds, whether to buy it or not. It seems that buyers tend to use their gut instinct to make a huge decision like buying a house but will spend a lot more time when it comes to choosing clothes to buy!
As someone selling a home, it is up to you to showcase it in its best light.
Leading home staging expert Jacqueline Keay, founder of nest norfolk has given abbotFox customers some inside information on staging to sell.
Can staging your home help it sell faster?
Yes!! According to the Home Stagers Association Report 2021, 100% of Staged homes sell up to 3 times faster than unstaged ones. Not only that, when comparing similar properties, staging increases the offer value by between 1-10%.
What rooms do buyers usually spend the most time looking around?
I would say the heart of the home. What I mean by that is whatever room feels like where the family would meet. An open-plan kitchen to me feels right to me but if you have a rather bijou kitchen, then the next place is the living room. Buyers imagine how it would look when people come around. We are social animals, it's simply how we are.
Where is the best place to start staging your home?
I would say how rather than where. Start by clearing every bottle of shampoo and shower gel out of bathrooms and hide your washing-up liquid that sits next to the sink. Have a good declutter and leave surfaces and floors clear. Once you have cleared everything away, do it all over again until your house has never looked so clean and tidy. You then have a blank canvas. Start with the heart of the home, which you will have decided is either your kitchen or your living room.
How long does it take to stage a home?
How long is a piece of string? It would take us 2 days to fully stage an empty property from scratch. It very much depends on what is your baseline. If you've lots of "stuff" to clear away then do it over a few days. Be methodical, do one room at a time and try not to get distracted. Take a tea break and take pride when you look back on a room and see the end result.
If you have never staged a home before where do you find inspiration?
Try Pinterest. You'll find a million ideas on how to dress a room. Don't be afraid to try new things but don't be too adventurous. Especially if you are thinking about giving the place a lick of paint to freshen up. If you've never experimented with colour before, don't start now. Stay neutral with whites, light stone, and pale greys.
What is your top tip for making a house look larger?
Don't leave a room empty. Believe it or not, rooms look bigger when furnished. Make sure the furniture in the room is size-appropriate. Removing unnecessary furniture and allowing viewers to move around the room easily is key. Make sure the floor is clear, don't make viewers climb over things to look out of your window.
If you have a busy home with children and pets what advice can you give?
Short of moving your children and pets into the garage, you will just have to be organised. Keep on top of things and don't get caught out. You could get a short-notice viewing and you don't want to turn anyone away. If your children are old enough, explain that for a few weeks, everyone needs to muck in and take responsibility for their own bedrooms. Have an empty washing basket at the ready. All that "stuff' you use daily but have nowhere to store, gather it up and put the basket in the boot of your car or in the shed or garage at the very last minute. Sounds ridiculous right? It's a game changer, thank me later. Don't leave dog beds and cat litter trays lying around the kitchen. I'm an animal lover but not everyone is. If your pets are friendly and won't embarrass you then keep them at home if that's your only option. Best to have someone take them out for a walk when viewers are in your home. That way your viewers can concentrate on what they came to see, your lovely tidy home. Oh and make it smell nice!
If someone wants to find out more about staging their home before showing it to buyers where can they go to get help?
There are lots of websites that give good tips on how to get "market-ready". Google "how to get your home ready for selling", or similar. There are of course professionals out there like myself but you can go a long way to helping viewers see the potential in your home by spending some time decluttering and dressing to impress. We offer a soft stage option but you can make improvements by buying some soft furnishings and some nice lighting. A bit like buying a party dress, shop for what accentuates the good bits and detracts from the not-so-good. Have fun doing it, you'll have a new house soon enough and you can use anything you've bought to refresh your furniture in your new property. It's a good investment and doesn't need to cost a lot.
Find out more about staging your home
Contact Jacqueline Keay
07766117312
OR Contact us
Call us 01603 660000
