Give us a quick overview about yourself and Sandersons?
Sandersons UK are a Kent-based independent estate agency, established for over 27 years. We cover all aspects of residential property.
I joined the property management team almost 11 years ago and at the time, we were principally a Letting Agent. My role progressed to become Chief Operating Officer as we expanded the business into sales, land and new homes. During this time we have continued to expand largely through recommendation and delivering a calibre of service that sets us apart from other agents. Sandersons have been recognised in the Best Estate Agent Guide in both 2019 and 2020.
When did you first come across home staging as a concept?
We have always recognised the impact a furnished home can have on the speed and price we can let or sell a property for. We know how important it is for someone to be able to visualise themselves living somewhere, and it is very hard to do that in a blank open space.
It is only in more recent years with a wider presence of new homes in the market and a greater focus on online property presentation, that the concept of appointing a home staging company has been recognised and valued in the UK. Developers are under more pressure to achieve return on investment and will need to ensure that their show homes stand out in an already competitive market. One of the key ways to achieve this is with quality home staging, combined with exceptionally good photography and marketing from a reputable agent.
Why would an estate agent want to stage a property?
The purpose of home staging or styling is to sell a dream, a lifestyle and enable people to picture themselves living in that property. If properties are staged well, it enables us to highlight the property as well as possible through our marketing materials… which in turn means more viewings and offers.
It is our job as the agent to set realistic expectations for our client, and to achieve for them the highest possible price from a committed, proceedable buyer or tenant. It is down to the agent to generate maximum interest from as many interested parties as possible, in the shortest time frame.
What doesn’t help us, however, is if the internal area is just a big open space. You may hear people say rooms start to feel bigger when you put furniture in them and in our experience, it really is true. You might see an empty bedroom and think there is no way I could fit a king size bed, side tables, wardrobes, chest of drawers, dressing table and maybe a nicely upholstered chair all in here. In reality, you can, it is just impossible for many buyers to find that perspective without the furniture there.
Our involvement in everything from land acquisition to development advice and sales means we are able to start talking to developers about the importance of factoring in home staging as part of their marketing strategy earlier in the process. It is our intention to continue to highlight the positive impact this can have on property marketing.
You’ve worked with Beau Property Staging on a home styling project yourself. Why did you choose them and what sets them apart?
We have witnessed so many developers say that they will sort the interior design themselves (yes, that fills us with worry!) and others say they already have it sorted with a staging company they work with. However, we have then often seen it executed poorly and it just seems like such a shame. It is like baking an amazing cake then doing a really bad job putting the icing on top, it just puts people off wanting to take a slice.
As investors themselves, Beau Property Staging understand just how critical it is to get this aspect of property marketing right. We have seen first-hand the wow factor difference from Joss Miller’s visions of how to transform these empty spaces into something truly desirable. When we recommend them to our clients we can have every confidence that they will maintain a superior level of customer service consistent with our own values and quality standards.
Why do you think sometimes home staging in the UK gets overlooked?
I recall Chris Hammond of Beau Property Staging saying to me that in the USA you just wouldn’t find a quality home for sale unstaged and he’s right. Why are we so behind the times with this in the UK? I think it comes down to a lack of awareness on the impact staging can have, and also it is simply not a service that is always budgeted for.
Even with those who ‘get it’, I also believe people underestimate the value of a qualified interior designer. So many people think they can try their hand at interior design at the end of the project and pop down to a certain Swedish furniture manufacturer to buy some basic furniture, put themselves through a flatpack nightmare and have something ‘that will do’ at the end of it. But, sometimes it really is best to leave it to the professionals.
What are your top tips for someone looking for a home stager?
Identify who the buyer of your property is likely to be, understand their lifestyle and how you imagine they would occupy the space in the property. A good home styling company like Beau Property Staging will work with you to understand that concept and target the marketing accordingly.
From a cost point of view, it is critical to allocate a budget for marketing and presentation at the start of the project. For sales, ask yourself – If I could achieve an extra £30-40k plus for my property because I have attracted multiple interested buyers all competing for it, is it worth investing some money now to allow that to happen?
If you are just browsing the internet or social media, take the time to look at any home stager’s previous work, case studies and image gallery. This will give you a good idea of how yours could look. Also look at the range of styles they can apply as it shows they really understand every project is different and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Finally, once you have got your property looking the best it possibly can under the magic touch of Beau Property Staging, select a great estate agent, which (of course) has to be Sandersons UK!
