Home staging

“Buyers only know what they see, not the way it is going to be.”

– Barb Schwarz

What is Home Staging and why do it?

It is a proven fact that many buyers make up their minds (subconsciously) within 60 seconds of entering a house they are interested in. Home staging helps to maximise your property’s appeal; it increases your chances of selling by making your home instantly covetable the moment potential buyers walk through its front door. The purpose is to make your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, and well-cared-for. Home staging helps potential buyers to imagine themselves living in the property. A few simple and appealing improvements can help your home send out the best signals on the viewing-day and to charm its potential buyers.

Home staging: when and where?

If you are planning to sell the home you have been living in for years, it might be useful to have a pair of objective professional eyes look at your property the way a potential buyer would (sellers are obviously too emotionally involved to be objective).

Home staging does not require to carry out an expensive interior re-designing project. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The aim is to use the furniture and decorative items that you already have but in a different or more neutral yet very appealing way. A few minor repairs, upgrades, and/or paint touch-ups can help to fix some aspects that could either slow down your sale or force you to reduce its price.

My training in professional Interior Design and my relevant related expertise give me the capacity to evaluate objectively the full potential of your property. I can adequately advise you on ways to make your space look more appealing to potential buyers.

What is the process?

In a home staging project, I will:

view your place through the eyes of a potential buyer
evaluate every single aspect of your home
send you a detailed report comprising many photos and my written impartial suggestions concerning the various elements that need to be either changed, upgraded, or depersonalised to extend your home’s attractiveness
assist you throughout the process (if needed)

If you want to sell your home and to make it more appealing to potential buyers, or if you have questions…

If you think it is time to declutter your home, or if you have questions
I would be delighted to hear from you!

Isabelle & David’s Story

This is our story. We left Paris when my husband was relocated in London for a 4-year contract. The family rapidly fell in love with London and I decided to set up my own company. So, having enjoyed our life in London for 4 years, we decided to stay longer. When the tenants of our house in Paris left after 6 years of occupancy, we decided to sell it. Although the house still looked good, it needed a light upgrade to improve its condition and to achieve a strong sale. It was the perfect case study: I was going to apply my home staging expertise to our own home.
The first thing I did was to step into the shoes of a random buyer and to scrutinise my house as if I were viewing it for the first time. I looked at the house through an expert and critical perspective and I made a note of all the little things that were suddenly blindingly obvious: the paint of the outside wall and of the access-staircase was worn-out; the driveway was incombered by too many wheelie bins; the kitchen countertop and some of the room’s shelves were cluttered; there were a few apparent light bulbs in certain areas; one bedroom was unattractive; the basement kitchen was outdated; a bathroom was outdated; the garden looked neglected; etc. Although for each of the above it was objectively a few minor details that caused the problem, to me they looked like important obstacles that could greatly compromise the selling price we were asking for. Instead of risking to have potential buyers ask for a price reduction because of these numerous little details, we decided to address each problem before putting the house on the market.
After having completely renovated one bathroom, having upgraded the basement kitchen (replacing the outdated furniture with basic and efficient white kitchen cabinets from IKEA) and two rooms, having cleared the basement, having decluttered a few areas, having put a few coats of paint here and there, and having massively cleaned the house and the garden, it was time to stage the house with some touches of inexpensive decoration items. We tried to use as many things we already had and bought a few extra items.

I am sure you will find that the before and after pictures speak for themselves.