'Home staging' is all the rage - but there are better ways to sell up

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by Linton Chiswick on Jul 25, 2010 at 00:01

'Home staging' is all the rage - but there are better ways to sell up

In the US, it’s boom time for ‘home staging’ – making a property as attractive as possible in order to sell it. During the deepest of the recent economic doldrums, a CNN report named the home staging racket as one of just seven emerging growth industries, as desperate vendors shuffled the potpourri from neutral surface to neutral surface, the coffee percolated, the bread toasted.

Nobody’s going to argue with a bit of tidying up, some vacuuming, perhaps even shifting a few items into storage if it’s clear that a surplus of ‘stuff’ is making the house look smaller than it really is; but it’s a sure sign of powerlessness in the face of an overwhelming and malevolent market when peddlers of common sense adopt the threads of the guru.

(Did you know that in the US, a ‘staging education’ organization hands out ASP – Accredited Staging Professional – and ASPM – Accredited Staging Professional Master – qualifications? Apparently, ‘The Masters Course is named “Masters” because you will learn from the Master of Home Staging, Barb Schwarz.’ Newly graduated masters receive a pair of special ASP gloves.)

Double dip threat

Perhaps in America the décor is a more important factor in a home sale, even in a buyers’ market, than it is here. In the UK, as we teeter on the precipice of a second property price bust, I can’t help suspecting that it’s hard cash that will ultimately speak loudest.

Three months of falling house prices, according to the influential Halifax index, and a recent Rightmove asking price survey suggesting that potential vendors are getting the jitters just as soon as they – in droves – list their properties, are a decent indicator of impending problems. The supply-demand imbalance that has supported the market for the past year appears to be reversing, with vendors eager to shift their homes before the new government’s austerity measures kick in. And with Home Information Packs now a thing of the past, there’s nothing to stop someone casually ‘fishing for a bite’, and driving down average asking prices in the process.

Selling up

So how can the committed vendor beat out the competition to an offer while the summer selling season continues, and before the dark and possibly penurious days of autumn?

While a tidy-up never did anybody any harm (a quick ring-around some local agents really only confirmed the obvious… de-clutter, clean, open windows, mow the lawn, shampoo foul-smelling pets), getting a deal done while the media’s warning of the double dip has surely got to be all about the money.

Buyers' market

Firstly, it’s about making sure a potential buyer has some. Don’t let a fantasist squander your selling season while they try to get a loan. Here, the services of a good estate agent are paramount. Be clear from the start, you don’t have the luxury of being casual. It’s a buyers’ market, but you can still be in charge of the terms of your deal. You’ll need absolute proof of a current, up-to-date mortgage offer, or cash in the bank, or an exchange on their own home before you’ll consider taking the property off the market. You’ll also need an agreed time frame, and a diligent agent should demand evidence of progress on the part of the buyer. Time is of the essence in a falling market. A slow process will naturally encourage gazundering.

Seller in control

Again, even in a buyers’ market, the vendor is in control when settling on an initial guide price. If you or your agent believes the market’s falling, take a deep breath and pitch at next month’s price and sell now at a small discount. It beats the competition (and also beats watching your asking price tumble month-on-month while the property grows stale on the market).

8 comments so far. Why not have your say?

.....HMMM..well the USA does it usually first, recession and the clown banking system loans why not now the certificate in making your property anodine. The deal 's about money- if there are six like yours in the street for sale well its price and convenience, a dump means time to sort out- better the seller does it..you usually wash your car before trying to sell it- even vacumn and put in an anti human smell thingy..why not your house..take out the dings.

perhaps we should have a BSc in this..? I prefer a good garden and garage-

Then of course there are those who put new face plates on old wiring and hide damp etc..radiators which do not connect etc..all B and Q - and FU poor buyer

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Sold my house recently. It had an extra bedroom and superbly designed garden compared to siimilar houses on the market nearby. We pitched our price exactly the same as the 'inferior' houses, and then accepted an offer another £10k lower......... and sold to a buyer not in a chain. You just have to forget about the price your house might have fetched at the peak. You've got to undercut the competition. I'm more than happy. Our 'competitors' houses remain unsold because they are overpriced, and yes, they are adjusting their prices downwards but they are always lagging the market.

The advice here is correct: bite the bullet and price your house at next month's lower price and you will sell.

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I'm with Astrologer.....his final sentence is the watchword (unless you're in no hurry!) We wished to downsize and sold at 15% below the asking price.....but BOUGHT well in SW Scotland.

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Unless you have to sell quick for a job move or something then ignore the doom merchants and hold firm to your prices. Our so called agent 'advised' on what our price should be discounted to last year and we sold our house at what now turns out to be a stupidly low figure. (Similar houses have since sold for much more on the same road)

Estate Agents will tell you anything to get their commission. If you appear just slightly concerned they'll mark your house down as much as they can. They are unregulated, unprofessional, robbing little C's.

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If you're looking to upsize, biting the bullet and taking 10-15% discount shouldn't be painful - actually sellers can benefit - as you should be able to secure a similar percentage discount on bigger number when buying...

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There's a lot of difference between a seller that needs to sell, or, a seller who will sell at the right price.

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Roger, if you need to sell it has to be at the right price. If you don't need to sell, then don't put your house on the market. But don't assume you will get more in 12 months time. The economy is changing. Buyers will lose confidence as soon as some of the public spending cuts hit home......... and that will have a big effect on the market (at least beyond the M25.)

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Martha Stanton-Smith

Jul 29, 2010 at 22:10

As a home stager, I believe in it's value - of course. I think perhaps the way you describe home staging you do not fully understand it. Do you believe that the buying process involves emotions as well as logic? Behavioral research says it does. Do you think stimulation via the senses can trigger emotions? Did you realize that first impressions linger and influence subsequent decisions? If you think any of these might be true, then how could you argue that a skillful triggering of the right emotions could be key to a home sale? That's what staging does, and that's why it works.

Of course if a property is priced totally out of it's normal range for the market at the time, then staging can't compensate for that. We can just create greater appeal to a wider market which should increase your odds of getting the best price to be expected.

Staging is not just shuffling stuff around - in spite of what I chose for a business name -" Rearrangements home staging" Visit sometime at http://rearrangements.ca

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