This week I am delving into the world of property staging. There are some alarming statistics out there of properties that have been ‘staged’ and the selling price shoots up. It seems mad because the buyers don’t actually get the furniture, they are simply paying more because the house looked nice on the day. There is some interesting psychology at play here. There was a famous study published a few years ago about prospective students attending open days at universities. It was found to be significantly more likely for students to accept places at universities at which they had attended open days with particularly sunny and warm weather. The weather of the day, particularly the light levels, would determine positive associations of the university in the student’s mind making them more interested in studying there. In the same fashion, when prospective buyers attend homes for sale they are left with an impression.

The impression is down to things like structure and room size but also is influenced by the decor and atmosphere of the place. This is where home staging comes in. You can make your house look family friendly to attract young families or go for a more minimal scandinavian look to attract young couples with  friends. Apparently there are some real mind tricks that go on. Everything from the wallpaper to chair placement influences people’s thoughts when they assess a room. These thoughts then come back to them when they decided whether to place an offer on the house or not and how high this offer should be. It is important that your home lingers in people’s memories as one they want to buy, so how do you do that? You stage your home! You take on an interior stylist who fills you in on all the best colours to have and the furniture that speaks to people. The results speak for themselves.