Home staging: here’s how it could help your home sell faster

Your main goal, as a property seller, will always be to sell your home in the quickest amount of time and for the best price possible.

With this in mind, you’ll naturally be eager to pounce on anything that can speed up the sales process and increase the value of your home, so recent research about a possible helping hand will no doubt be of interest if you’re selling now or planning to at some point in the near future.

It was recently revealed that home staging could improve a seller’s chances of selling quickly – substantially so, in fact.

Even in spite of the current Brexit impasse and the impact the ongoing uncertainty is having on the property market, with many buyers and sellers employing a wait-and-see approach, the Home Staging Association UK & Ireland has revealed some uplifting findings from its most recent research study.

As part of its research, a wide-ranging sample of property professionals were asked to complete a survey on the effect home staging has had on the success of their sales between January and April this year.

The results were encouraging and, according to the association, a further boost to substantiating how home staging can transform a property’s appeal, by helping to entice more buyers and maximise the chances of a sale.

Triple the speed

One of the most significant findings of the research saw 85% of those surveyed reporting that a home that has been staged sells up to three times faster than a home which hasn’t. With the average time on market for a home currently being around 19 weeks (from initial listing to final offer), this will be welcome news if you’re looking for a fast sale.

What’s more, despite there being an ongoing national drop in buyer interest and demand (in many cases put off by Brexit uncertainty and high prices), the research found that 94% of estate agents and 100% of developers confirmed that home staging increased the number of viewings for a property.

Additionally, the study found that every person who responded said that home staging makes it simpler for a buyer to imagine the property as their future home. This is especially important when it comes to viewings, with buyers enamoured with a home to the point where they can imagine themselves living in it potentially far more likely to place an offer.

Equally, 75% of those surveyed revealed that buyers will spend more time viewing a home that has been professionally staged.

When comparing similar properties, 38% of respondents said home staging increased the offer value by 1-3%, while a further 16% cited a 7-10% rise in offer value.

Meanwhile, everyone involved in the study reported that properties with professional photos secure more viewings than properties with poorer quality images.

Home staging – what is it and how can it help?

Home staging, stripped down to its bare bones, simply does what it says on the tin: the act of presenting a property to buyers in its best possible state so it’s sold quickly and (hopefully) for a higher price.

Your chances of receiving an offer are much better if you make your home as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. You should also enable buyers to envision themselves living at the property, which is where depersonalisation and decluttering becomes so vital.

Other techniques to ensure your home is as attractive and welcoming as possible include making things as neutral as you can while making your home appear as spacious as possible through the clever placement of furniture can also help.

Home staging goes beyond merely cleaning, tidying and redecorating; it should give your home that extra something, that dusting of magic to help you get a sale over the line. You should aim to make your property as bright, clean, warm, welcoming and viewer-friendly as possible before allowing anyone to see it in the flesh.

Excellent photos, as the above research confirms, are also a must when listing your property. You immediately damage your chances of getting a good number of viewings without them.

Consequently, professional photos in all of your marketing materials is a key part of the home staging process, providing prospective buyers with that first taste of the home they might one day call home. This initial interest that is sparked is then something you can build on when they come to view your home in person.

There is, however, a careful balance to strike when it comes to home staging. While you don’t want your home to feel too much like a show home – more artificial and characterless than warm and charming – you equally don’t want it to feel too lived-in.

It’s important, when selling a home, that you partner with the right estate agent to give yourself the best chance of selling quickly and for the best possible asking price.

At Parkgate Estates we have the local roots, the flexibility, the professionalism, the experience and the expertise to guide you through the sales process in a hassle-free manner.

If you are thinking of selling your home in Richmond, Sheen, Mortlake or Putney, we’d be more than happy to assist. Please get in touch with us on: 0208 940 2991.

Earlier this year we offered up a house price update for Richmond and the surrounding areas, to give you an idea of how much your home could be going for in these locations.

You can also get an estimate of your home’s current value by requesting a free and instant online valuation: https://www.parkgate.info/instant-valuation/.

Picture Credit: Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash