A Landlord’s Guide To Maximising Your Property Appeal

The benefits of property staging; the most commonly underutilised marketing tool

At Gilson Gray, we are noticing a market trend whereby, those that we refer to as Accidental Landlord’s (someone who owns a property that they rent out, though they did not initially purchase the property with that intention), are now looking to sell their asset and realise the capital from it.

Properties held in personal names can end up incurring significant tax on the income and there is nothing like the year-end tax return to instigate conversation and discussion on this topic.

As such I have seen many ex-rental properties placed on the open market for sale and almost instantly I can identify which ones are ex-rental.

From the cliché paper globe Ikea light shades, mismatching furniture sets to magnolia-coloured walls and everything in between there are certain tells.

In my experience, by investing time, energy and money into your property will ensure that it is received far better by the market and ultimately achieve a better result on the sale.

In my opinion, one of the most underutilised tactics is professionally staging your property. This tool can instantly transform your ex-rental into a buyer’s dream home, showcasing its full potential and helping buyers visualise how to maximise the space and bring the property to life.

What is home staging?

Home staging is the process of preparing and decorating a property for sale to make it more attractive to potential buyers. This involves arranging furniture, adding decorative elements, and making aesthetic improvements to enhance the property’s appeal. The goal of home staging is to help buyers visualise the space as their own, highlight the home’s best features, and ultimately achieve a faster and more profitable sale.

How much does professional home staging cost?

This will all depend on the size of the property and the extent of the package that you wish to implement, however, costs can vary from £500 to upwards of £5,000.

However, when using a home staging firm the costs will include, the sourcing of appropriate furniture,  a design to suit your property, transportation and delivery as well as a stylist to install the items – all of which can remain in place for up to 8 weeks.

Whilst this is a significant sum of money, it can be worth the cost if you want to get the maximum sale price for your home.

How much value can home staging add?

You might question if home staging is worth the money and time, however given the potential return on your investment you can therefore justify the decision to take it forward.

Home staging can not only increase the value of your property, it will also help your property to stand out from the crowd and sell more quickly.

29% of agents believe that property staging increased the value of the home by 6%-20%

So if your home’s been valued at £300k, home staging could get you offers of up to £330k. Even if you spent £5k on styling your home, that’s a tidy profit of £25k.

If you are curious to learn more about the value of your property and how staging can optimise its value, please get in touch.