How we live in our homes and how we sell homes are two different things. With so many new properties around – staged to perfection – lived-in homes must find their own way to stand out.
Crucially, this doesn’t mean you have to create and live in a show home, or even spend money. We sprinkle this magic onto your property for you, and the results speak for themselves – our properties get 58% more interest online than those advertised by other agents*.
More interest = more viewings = more offers and therefore the best price. It really is a sprinkle of magic!
Fiona at Fushia Design is one of the stagers we use for ‘media day’; when we photograph and film a property. With a background in interior design, Fiona has a great eye for staging homes specifically for the sale and rental market.
Over to Fiona at Fushia Design…
When a house is put on the market, the first challenge is getting people through the door, which all starts with the online presence, and with so much competition out there, it’s important to get it right. Your property needs to say “Stop! Look at me, I’m exactly what you’re looking for.” But how do we do that?
With bespoke staging and styling, specifically aimed to appeal to your potential buyers. That’s how.
In North America, Australia & New Zealand, property staging has been successfully used for many years and is now a growing industry here in the UK. But is it all smoke and mirrors?
Absolutely not, we simply make sure each room has a defined purpose, highlighting features and showing the property at its absolute best. We think about who our potential buyers are and dress each room accordingly, giving them an idea of how they could make your property their home.
We offer a range of services from lifestyle staging, where we add ‘frou frou’ and enhance your existing furniture, to totally furnishing and accessorising an empty property for the duration of the market period. All styling is done to perfection, in preparation for professional photographers and videographers.
We put ourselves in the buyer’s shoes and think about their first impression of each room and how we can make it stand out. For example, a bedroom, beautifully decorated in natural shades, though lovely and relaxing doesn’t call out to you in a photograph. Now imagine the same room with a pop of colour, a little rearranging of furniture and some additional accessories. A touch of styling and pizzazz can stop potential buyers from scrolling past and get those feet through the door.
Kitchens and bathrooms often sell properties, so it’s always important they look their very best. Consider a bathroom all in white. It looks very crisp and clean, but perhaps a little chilly? We like to soften this look with a combination of coloured towels (if this is the en-suite, we’ll carry the colour through from the bedroom). Then add plants, flowers and luxurious toiletries. It’s now not just a functional room but more like your own personal spa.
These are just a few examples of our lifestyle staging, but we also work on empty properties and supply everything from sofas & beds to recipe books and magazines. If a property is empty, it can be very difficult to imagine how your sofa will look and more importantly, whether it will fit into the lounge. These properties can be tricky to market, with bare walls, sometimes threadbare carpets and with the only interesting feature being a window, they’re not very inspiring. Empty properties predominantly take longer to sell and often result in price reductions which is why staging is a valuable investment.
Let’s not forget the garden, an area that’s often overlooked and during lockdown, we realised the value of our outdoor space. When staging, these are wonderful areas to work on, they are places to have fun and laugh; for sipping sundowners; for children to run about and let off steam. And, if you are very quiet, you might be lucky enough to spot a teddy bears’ picnic.
About Us
The team at Fushia Design are qualified, highly experienced interior designers and stagers. We work throughout Oxfordshire, Berkshire and the Cotswolds, making sure your property looks stunning and is market ready. Several of our clients have loved our staging so much, they commission us to work with them on the interior design of their onward home or rental portfolio.
We regularly work with Kai Carter Estates to stage their properties for photography and video, if you sell your property through them, they will cover the cost of staging for you. Alternatively, we can work with you on a bespoke basis in line with your needs.
We also regularly work with clients who are downsizing, it can be quite a daunting prospect, particularly when it’s been the family home and you’ve lived there for a number of years. We ensure your property has maximum buyer appeal for the right target markets, with minimum spend. Call for a chat to see how we can help.
Contact us
Fiona McBride
01491 352 491
* Rightmove data report 2022