Staging a house for sale is the process of preparing a property for the real estate market by styling it to be attractive and to help create an emotional connection between the home and potential buyers. This may include decluttering, organizing, and rearranging the home’s existing features as well as adding furniture, decor and accessories to best showcase the home’s best features and to create an inviting atmosphere. 

When staging a house for sale, you should consider the following factors: 

• Target audience and demographic: Consider who your target audience is (buyer persona) and what they are looking for in a home. 
• Functionality and flow: Make sure that each room is staged in a functional, appealing and purposeful manner so that potential buyers are taken on an aesthetic and inviting journey from start to finish. 
• Depersonalization: Remove personal items, such as family photos and mementos, to ensure the space looks tidy and functional and to allow potential buyers to imagine themselves living in the space. 
• General maintenance: Ensure your home for sale is up to date maintenance-wise. Factors including bad paint jobs, electrical/plumbing faults, layout issues and unruly backyards all fall under the premise of poor maintenance and can all contribute to discouraging potential homeowners from purchasing a home, even despite styling efforts. 
• Quality of lighting: Poor or ‘dim’ lighting can make the home feel dark, moody and claustrophobic. That’s why quality lighting, both natural and artificial, is essential when staging your property for sale. 
• Layout of the home: Before placing a home for sale on the market, it is worth evaluating what could be improved on within the home so it can be best showcased to potential buyers when it hits the property market. Changes might include removing a poorly placed wall within the home, replacing dated tile/flooring or renovating an old-fashioned kitchen. 

The benefits of property staging include: 

• Faster sale time/reduced time on the market: Staged homes tend to sell much faster than unstaged homes. 
• Maximum sale price: A well-staged property can increase the sale price by appearing more ‘valuable’ and therefore appealing to more buyers  
• Evoke buyer’s emotion:  The focus of property styling is to evoke an emotional appeal between the buyer and the property for sale, which works to sell the home in a timely manner. An emotionally connected buyer is much more likely to act fast on a listing and pay premium price than the one who doesn’t evoke this same appeal. 
• Higher-quality listing photos: Professional staging can lead to higher-quality online listing photos, which can attract more potential buyers to the property. 
• Drive foot traffic and interest in your listing: A staged home can generate more interest and showings, as it presents a more appealing and inviting atmosphere for potential buyers. 

While property staging does not increase the actual value of a property, it is highly likely to increase the perceived value of the property in the eyes of potential buyers. A well-staged property can be more attractive, more inviting, and more desirable, which can lead to a higher selling price and a faster sale. 

The amount of time required for property staging can vary depending on the size, scale and condition of the property, as well as the type of services required. At Sell in Style Property Styling, we pride ourselves on being quick, efficient and quality. We are able to book most jobs within a day or two notice (ideally 1 week prior) and an average install usually takes approx. 3 hours.