How we live in our home and how we sell a house are different things. In some cases, as a seller, you will be competing with brand new, beautifully staged houses. So it’s important to ‘set the scene’ for the life your buyer dreams of having in their new home.
We often bring in a professional stager for the photography shoot, however some clients prefer to stage their house themselves so they can keep the same look for viewings. The best way forward is something we’re always happy to consult on.
- Give each room a purpose
Staging doesn’t have to mean turning your world upside down. Even if just for the day of photography, it’s well worth showing off the space your house has to offer:
- Is your spare room used for storage? Without a bed, it can appear smaller than it is.
- Do you use your dining room as a playroom? Many viewers can’t picture it as a dining room.
- Do you use a reception room as a bedroom?
Talk to your estate agent about what your target buyers will be looking for, and how the floor plan and photography can demonstrate how your house meets their needs.
- Virtual staging
If it’s not practical to ‘change’ the purpose of a room, there’s always virtual staging! With a bit of wizardry we can re-purpose an entire room:
- Upgrade the soft furnishings
It’s surprisingly cheap to refresh a room. A client of mine updated her bedrooms for £40 from Sainsbury’s! Along with professional photography, it can completely transform a room:
- Bring life to the house for the Open House and/or viewings
Selling a house is as much about lifestyle as the property itself. The location, community, services and transport links all play a part. A buyer will most likely have looked in to all of these before they view, so during their viewing it’s important to bring your house alive so it fits within the lifestyle they dream of. Working on the principles of Life, Action, Entertainment, help your viewers picture their fabulous life in your house with small touches such as flowers, seasonal dressings, fresh food, smells and sounds.
- Put some background music on the radio: Miles Davis perhaps?
- Light scented candles
- Put out fresh fruit, veg, flowers, croissants
- Make a seasonal display: fresh flowers for spring and summer, pumpkins for autumn, festive decorations in December.