Yorkshire home stager gives sellers some top tips as looks matter more than ever

In America and Australia staging is the norm because it can make all the difference to the selling price and to the speed of sale and now Wakefield based Rachel Smith, who trades as www.clutteristheenemy.co.uk, is proof that it can work here in Yorkshire.

She specialises in home staging, styling and decluttering and concentrates her efforts in the mid to low end of the property market. Costs for consultations range from £270 to £400 depending on the size of the property and she also has a stock of props that home sellers can borrow.

Rachel believes that home staging is needed now more than ever thanks to the dominance of property portals, such as Rightmove and Zoopla. “People don’t go into estate agencies to collect brochures and chat about properties for sale, they look on property portals and make their mind up within seconds based on the pictures they see. So how a home looks is really important and good photographs of it are vital.”

She adds that when prospective buyers arrive to view a property in person, it’s not just looks that matter, it’s also the feel of a place. “Quite often, when people have decided to sell a house, they have already moved out in their head and you can feel that negativity. It’s not helpful when what you need to do is make someone fall in love with your property, because you aren’t just selling bricks and mortar, you’re selling a lifestyle.”

Rachel devises a project plan for clients, pointing out what needs doing. This can include anything from decluttering to washing the front door to repainting canary yellow walls in a neutral colour. On the day the estate agent takes photographs, she takes props, including plants and cushions etc., which are left in until the property is sold. She also works with the photographer to get the best shots. Her most recent success was a semi-detached house that had been for sale for a year.

“The hallway was red and every room was a different colour. We took some of the colour out, decluttered and added some plants and soft furnishings and it sold within six weeks.

“You don’t have to spend a lot. Small changes can make all the difference to the time it takes to sell and to the price you get,” says Rachel, who has compiled a helpful list of do’s and don’ts for those selling their home.

Top five things to do when selling your house:

*Make sure you have a door number that can be clearly seen from the road and a doorbell/door knocker. People often do a drive-by and if they can’t find your house, they can’t buy it. So many people use their back door as their main entrance so try standing outside your own front door and inspecting it as if you were seeing it for the first time.

*Erase any sign of pets. That includes food bowls, water bowls, leads and pictures of them on the walls. Yes, they are members of your family but if potential buyers are not animal people it will put them off your house immediately.

*Take down family photographs. You want potential buyers to be in your house for a good amount of time. If there is too much evidence of your family, it will make them feel uncomfortable, like they are intruding on someone else’s life, and they will cut their viewing short. They will also spend more time trying to work out if their kids know your kids than looking at how amazing your house is.

*Make the beds. Nicely. A nicely made bed changes the whole look and feel of a room. If a vendor sees you’re capable of making the beds beautifully, it makes them think that you’ve looked after the rest of the house.

*Hide the wheelie bins and all the other rubbish bins inside the house. We all have them but no-one wants to see them/smell them.

Top five things not to do when selling your house.

*Don’t burn wax melts continuously. Not everybody loves them.

*Don’t swag your curtains. You might think it looks nice but it blocks out all the light.

*Don’t remove all your furniture. Ninety per cent of people don’t have vision so they won’t know where to put their furniture if a room is empty, even if there are lines on the carpet from where the furniture has been.

*Don’t leave stuff on top of your wardrobes. It looks messy and it makes it look like you don’t have enough storage space.

*Don’t think it’s a good idea not to have a sale board. Nosy neighbours will probably have alerts set up on Zoopla anyway so they’ll know when your house comes on the market.

For more details of Rachel’s home staging service visit her webiste at www.clutteristheenemy.co.uk.