* US practice of ‘staging’ hits the UK property market
* Professional property enhancement can boost speed of sale and likelihood of achieving asking price
* Professional enhancement service can easily pay for itself
Greater Manchester, UK. The practice of professionally preparing a property for sale, in terms of presentation, has been around for a while in the US and is just now taking off here in the UK. Known as “staging” in the US and “home enhancement” (or “home styling”) here, it’s a process that involves much more than just mowing the lawn and tidying the bathroom, which is why home sellers are increasingly turning to such professionals as Suzanne Batista of House Warming UK (https://www.housewarminguk.co.uk ).
The aim of home enhancement is to create a welcoming, attractive property that anyone might want to buy, aiming to reduce the time it often takes to sell and boosting the likelihood of achieving the asking price – the holy grails of selling.
Suzanne Batista, who is based in the Greater Manchester area, explains: “Traditionally, sellers have had a quick dash round their home before a viewing, chucking the laundry in the basket and opening a couple of windows. Maybe they’ve also run to flowers and the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen … but frankly that isn’t enough. Over the last few years, particularly since the crash, the stakes have risen a lot.
“Home enhancement often starts with a major de-cluttering, putting the excess into storage, and then looks at some new accessories, new furniture layouts, maybe a refreshing of decor … in short, proper home styling with the buyer in mind.”
Home owners can manage their own enhancement, of course, but that isn’t always ideal.
“Professional staging has been around for a long time in the US, with the recommendation of estate agents, and that’s because it works,” says Suzanne. “An experienced, trained stylist will take a good hard look at the property and assess it with a detachment, an eye for styling and, frankly, a ruthlessness that the owners may lack. A stylist can also manage the work quickly and efficiently, to get a newly advertised property onto the market promptly or to rejuvenate a property that’s been on sale a while.
“Having a property on sale for a long time, particularly if the price has to be reduced along the way, can be a very expensive process for the seller, so anything that tackles those two issues has to be a good investment.
“Even a quick, one day staging makeover can make the world of difference. It can cost less than reducing the price and speed up the sale. You only get one chance to make a good impression!”