Professional home staging increases the dollar value of a home by an average of one to five percent. That’s a significant chunk when the item you’re selling is going for thousands of pounds. Forty percent of agents say that staging revolutionized buyers’ first impressions, but if you’re a typical homeowner, you’re probably baffled by the rental process. Where is all that magical furniture? How do you access it? Who should do your styling? Use our guide to stage the sleek and practical way.
Find your Local Furniture Rentals
Few property cash buyers are familiar with the staging process, but the industry is easier to navigate than you might think. There might even be several furniture rental stores in your neighborhood. The first step is, of course, investigating your options. Google is your friend, so run geotargeted searches for local offerings. Yelp, HomeAdvisor, and even Pinterest can help you to track rental companies down, too. With most of today’s buyers shopping from home, the simplest way to find rentals is online.
Stage the Right Rooms
Sellers don’t always stage every room in the house. The kitchen and bathroom bring the highest return on investment in the entire home, so if your budget is limited, these are the spaces you want to focus on. Estate agents tend to stage the living room, dining room, and master bedroom just as often. Bedrooms attract clutter as you live in them, so these are the rooms you’re looking to empty to achieve a more minimalist aesthetic. You want prospective buyers to find it easy to picture themselves living in your home. Clutter flies against that pursuit, so stay away from busyness. Many a house has sold on the basis of a lifestyle-rich landscape, so don’t forget to stage an inviting outdoor area.
Your curb is one of the first things your potential buyers ever see, so curb appeal is one of the most important aspects of staging. You can improve yours by decorating your porch, cleaning your exterior, and styling your front garden.
Find Your Focus
Staging is more than just redecorating. Professionals tend to recommend that stagers focus on decluttering and cleaning, too. If your carpets are grubby, no amount of staging can detract from the ugliness. A deep clean, and even a repaint, can make the world of difference.
Make Your House the Star of the Show
Remember that it’s the house you’re selling, not its decor. Staging should thus not draw too much attention to itself. Garish, attention-seeking furniture will stay in your potential buyers’ minds long after they forget the gorgeous garden and face brick exterior. For that reason, it’s generally best to select neutral, timeless furnishings that are in keeping with the aesthetic of your architecture. It’s usually best to use minimalist lines and white, black, or stone as your foundation hue.
Comparing Prices
Staging bills are generally easy to understand. Furniture rental companies usually use fixed pricing to cover a specific set of items, but there are still a few hidden fees to be aware of. Delivery may not be included in the cost, and there may be higher blanket fees for more expensive furnishings. Bear your rental period in mind as well, and check that there are no additional fees for delivering to multi-storey homes.
Hiring a Professional Stager
If you can barely tell your mauves from your cerises, it might be time to hire a professional. Home staging will entail property consulting, styling, and hire. A simple consultation will help you to arrive at a quote. Property styling services often include photographs to use in your marketing, so you receive two services for the price of one. A design rescue service will assess your existing décor and architecture to decide on a professional aesthetic before they move on to furniture rentals. Professional stagers are usually on good terms with the decorating stores in their area, so they can generally secure you a lighter price.
Staging can not only improve your return on investment, but also add unique selling points to your home. With the right aesthetic, you’ll sell your home faster for a higher return on investment.