Staging is the new buzz word in house sales. Fiona Tyrrell talks to a man who transformed his 1970s home before auction and to the experts who explain why staging can add value to your property. Kate McMorrow took some professional advice in getting her own home ready for sale
Home staging, a concept familiar to North Americans for more than 20 years, involves getting experts in to de-clutter, de-personalise and redecorate a house to appeal to the buying public.
Usually people looking for the services of a home stager are looking to sell a top end of the market house that is not looking its best. Furniture dealers Flanagans of Buncrana, based in Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, got into the home staging service after hiring furniture to the film and television industry.
"Home staging" involves providing clients with furniture and accessories for the duration of a sales campaign to enhance the presentation of the property. A full turnkey package involving gardening, painting and flower-changing is also available. Most of its clients are owners of large period homes.
"For properties that are different or somewhat unique it makes infinite sense to present them fully furnished," explains Peter Flanagan. "People spend so much money renovating houses that not to put the final touches to them is not to show the proper potential of the property."
One of the largest properties the company has furnished for these purposes was a house at Clifton Terrace, Monkstown, Co Dublin. Around €120,000 worth of furniture was used in the house, which sold for €5.05 million last month. After carrying out extensive restoration work, former owner, builder Damien Kehoe, asked Flanagans to furnish all 455sq m (4,897sq ft) of the property.
Peter Flanagan estimates that having the house well presented can add between five and 10 per cent onto the value of the house.
When people walk into a house, it is first impressions which count, says Peter, assuming they are happy with the location and it is reasonably within their budget. "People form a bond with a house. They wonder whether they can see themselves eating in this room or waking up in another room. They ask whether the house is intended for them."
There is "absolutely no doubt" that proper presentation increases the sale price, according to interior designer Vanessa Hamilton. She offers her clients services ranging from helping to put the finishing touches to a lived-in family home to a total turnkey package for an empty house.
Fees for home staging, not including the hire of furniture or other services, will range from €1,500 to €5,000 depending on the job, she says.
Some people opt to turn their own hand to house staging. They may rent out one or two feature pieces, such as mirrors or a diningroom table, to put the finishing touches and set the tone of a house, according to Rosemary Whelan from Oman Antiques.
If home staging is not your cup of tea, Rina Whyte of Interior Designers Ireland advises that even simple jobs, such as replacing flowery carpets and curtains, can make a big difference to the value of a house.
Even people selling houses at the lower end of the market, around the €260,000 mark, are spending some money on interior design, she reports. Clever use of colour, changing carpets and replacing curtains, can maximise the sense of space in your home, she says.
By spending €500 or €800 on carpets or curtains, you could add €2,000 or €3,000 to your home, says Whyte.
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