Home Staging - What You Need To Know As A Property Seller

Home staging is still a fairly new concept in South Africa. Home stagers uses styling, minor renovations and rental furniture and accessories to improve the presentation of homes prior to selling. Home staging started in the US in the eighties and is today a global property phenomenon with home stagers on every continent.

Staged properties attract more potential buyers and the property usually sells faster and for more money than it would if it had not been staged. The costs of staging are also deductible from Capital Gains Tax. Staging is not the same as home decorating - which is styling a home according to the personal taste of the people living in it. Staging is dressing a property with the emphasis on a universal style to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. Decorating personalises a home while staging depersonalises a property.

What Services Does Home Stagers Offer?

Using home stagers will undoubtable contribute and help property owners to sell their properties faster and for more and their services offered should be centred around achieving this goal.

Professional home stagers like Illuminate Home Staging (Johannesburg) or Home Staging Studio / Perception Staging / Cape Home Garden / Ideal Space (Cape Town), should provide the following:

Property consultation & comprehensive home staging report. The report provides a closer look at your property with suggested minor repairs and styling to ensure maximum return.

Styling: For sellers of furnished properties they should provide onsite styling to prepare the property for professional photography and show days. When you live in a property you stop noticing what needs an update. With their fresh perspective, they will declutter & re-arrange your furniture and accessories for you.

Minor renovations: Sometimes a home needs a little bit of TLC before it is ready to be introduced to buyers. Home stagers assist by sourcing contractors and project managing minor renovations on our clients behalf. This can be as small as painting over a pink wall or replacing a dated tile in a bathroom.

Furniture hire: Unfurnished homes are hard to fall in love with and they make buyers think that the negotiation is in their favour. For a monthly fee home stagers could stage your home to sell by providing contemporary furniture, art and accessories for the main living areas of your house.

What are the top benefits to home staging?

Sell your property faster: The speed at which your property sells is key to reducing selling costs (rates, levies and bond instalments), avoiding price reductions and maintaining a strong negotiating position with buyers. Research shows that staged homes sell 50% faster than un-staged comparative homes.

Make more money: Research by the National Association of Realtors in the US has shown that staged homes can generate a return of 8 to 10% on the selling price. According to a FNB’s Estate Agent Survey, approximately 87% of sellers in SA end up dropping their selling price by around 8%. By removing any barriers to purchase and launching a strategically positioned and priced home onto the market, sellers will avoid attracting low ball offers, getting asking price or even more if there are multiple buyers interested.

Home Staging Tips – What Sellers Can Do To Increase Overall Appeal Of Their Home To Potential Buyers

Research Competing Homes In Local Property Market: Go to show days of other homes in your area – as that will give you a fresh and comparative perspective on your own property and will help you to start thinking like a buyer which is really the perspective you will need to improve your own home. Take note of how you feel walking into homes that are neglected, cluttered and uninspiring. Next go online and start looking at what is on offer in comparable homes in your area. This will give you an idea of what changes you may need to make to compete.

Start Packing – Read Declutter: You plan on moving anyway so you may as well get started. Up to 40% of all belongings including furniture and things already packed in cupboards can be packed and put in storage. Anything you have not used in the last 6 months, including all personal photos, should be packed. Not only will this make your house feel more spacious, but it will give buyers a chance to imagine themselves living there instead of feeling like they are intruding in your home.

Remedy Wear & Tear Which Will Be Off-putting To Buyers. The prime suspects include; too little light, dirt and odours, stained carpets, cracks, leak damage, bright paint work, damp, pests, wear and tear on grout/window putty/exterior wood.

Get The Basics Right By Standardising Look & Feel Of Your Home. Choosing a theme and carrying it though the house has a huge impact in creating a calming space that feels well loved. Choosing a neutral paint colour for the whole interior that ties in with flooring and any built-in elements is a good place to start. Do not be afraid to paint over wood or brick as this often updates and unifies the look and feel of older homes that have these features. Next consider standardising small details like door and cupboard handles, curtain rails and entry level contractor doors as these really set the tone for the overall feel of the home. Repetition is key to creating a space that looks put together so remove any elements that don’t repeat.

Add Something Loveable. To get buyers to part with large sums of money they need to fall in love. Here it is important to note that you need to implement something that is universally loveable to make sure you get this right. By just including a few on-trend features, your home will instantly increase its appeal. These could be anything from adding a barn door, subway tile backsplash or blackboard in your kitchen to feature pendant lights, geometric scatter cushions or a vegetable garden.

Get A Fresh Perspective. Invite your most honest and stylish friend or contact for tea and give them permission to give you the ugly truth about your house. If you want to keep your friendships intact, get the advice of a home stager. It is money well spent.