Home staging sells houses
You may love your home decor, but is it preventing a quick sale? Roz Scott has the answer.
Home staging whiz Roz Scott gets immense satisfaction from her work, because she gets results. Upping the ‘‘wow factor’’ in a home is often the difference between a sale and no sale. ‘‘We were called in recently to stage a house that had been on the market for two years,’’ Scott says. ‘‘With a new look, it sold within a week.’’
Another property languished on the market for six weeks with no nibbles. ‘‘This was before Christmas when the Wellington market was very hot. We gave the house a makeover that raised price expectations from $1.5 million to $1.7m plus, and they had an offer three days later.’’
Home stagers have plenty more stories like these. It seems no matter how much we love our own home decor, there are ways to make our homes more interesting to prospective buyers, who may have very different tastes.
Scott, who runs Tickadeeboo Insideout Design in Wellington, started working as a window dresser, and was then in real estate for 22 years. And that’s what prompted her to set up her own home staging and interior design company.
‘‘I wasn’t really happy with what was out there,’’ she says. ‘‘I could see we could add a lot more value to properties on the market. I starting taking stuff out of my own house and putting it around my clients’ homes to help the sale.’’
Gradually, Scott began buying ‘‘stuff’’ for homes and built up a collection of pieces. And now she has a warehouse full of items that are used to ‘‘dress’’ homes for sale – and a full-time business.
What are we getting wrong when we present our own homes for sale?
It’s not so much about what is wrong. It’s more about lifting it up a level, and noticing when things may need replacing.
When I am asked to home stage, I start at the letterbox and look at everything along the path, then the entry and on into the house. This is how a potential buyer will see your house.
While decluttering and mowing the lawn are good places to start, I usually suggest a client does nothing until we have looked through the property. Then we will make a plan of action. It may include getting the fence painted, replanting pots, replacing light fittings, and painting on the inside.