Credit: Private Property Reporter • May 3, 2021
Home staging is the act of preparing a home for sale in real estate. It involves designing and decorating a home in a way that would appeal to potential homebuyers. Agents are generally tasked with the responsibility of marketing and facilitating property transactions and hence are not expected to master the art of home staging. . However, according to The President of the International Association of Home Staging South Africa, Liesa Jossel, who is also the founder of Home Stagers Cape Town and Home Stagers Training, there are many benefits for agents who decide to hire a professional home stager.
Benefits of professional home staging:
• Presenting an empty property to potential homebuyers doesn’t set a good first impression. Home staging helps in creating the best possible first impression to potential buyers.
• Property industry research shows that empty properties tend to sit on the market longer than homes that are professionally staged. By staging your home, you will increase its chances of being sold. The average selling time for properties on the market is approximately 30 days, however with professional home staging, many homes have been sold on the first day at the seller’s asking price.
• Professional home stagers have extensive knowledge and skills relating to interior design. Finer details to do with decor will therefore be taken care of.
• Agents can benefit from home staging by spending less time on viewings and less money marketing a home, as well as receive better commission due to the fact that the home will most likely be sold at the seller’s asking price.
• Even in a tough economic climate exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible for agents to still make a speedy sale.
Tips and advice for agents on how to stage a home:
• The initial step should be to focus on analysing every room in the home to see what aspects can be adjusted to be more appealing to potential buyers.
• Thereafter, make sure to declutter each room in the home to give buyers a clear view of the space, and the purpose for which its intended. Decluttering will also help to make the space appear more expansive.
• You can then depersonalise the space by adding neutral furniture and decor to appeal to people of varying tastes.
• Plants are an integral part of any living space and generally add to the general appeal of a home. Strategically place some plants and art in certain areas to make the home more visually appealing.
• Last but not least, you need to ensure that the environment is kept as neat and tidy as possible. Be sure to give the home a clean sweep, and if the home has a garden, make sure it is in pristine condition.
If implemented well, the home staging guidelines and tips provided above will help to reduce the stress involved in home staging and improve the chances of selling the home profitably without delays.