To think I can stage an empty flat with absolutely no experience

[Canistageit]

I am having to sell a flat for a deceased relative. The money is not coming to me and there is no benefit to me but i am happy to help as the people inheriting are the best. I’ve been quoted a fortune for putting furniture and curtains etc in it to make it look better and easier to sell. I have no doubt the person who has quoted would make it look amazing but the estate cannot afford to pay this much surely I can do this myself with a little time and buying some things new but getting some things from charity shops. If you agree then please help by adding anything you think I should buy, if you don’t please tell me so I can write it off as a silly idea.

The staging companies generally use furnishings that are new and modern, so you might not be able to get suitable stuff second hand. I’m not sure that picking any furnishings for the sake of it is better than selling it empty.

If you do want to do it, are there already things you/the beneficiaries have that you could use instead of buying stuff?

pp mentioned above that you can use blow up beds for both beds and couches - once they are covered they look like regular beds/couches at a glance.

Do any of the estate agents offer virtual staging? We used this a couple of years ago and I was really impressed with how it turned out. Basically the photos in the listing are virtually staged and the house stays empty in real life. When I heard of it I thought it sounded cheesy and would look obviously photoshopped but it was really good and made the listing stand out. The listing clearly stated that the pictures were virtually staged so viewers knew when they went that the property was actually empty.

Are you talking about putting things like beds, sofa, bookcase, TV unit and dining table and chairs in the flat? Is one of the beneficiaries going to help you with this hard physical work?

What do you plan to do with the items when the flat is sold?

It seems like a lot of hassle for little benefit tbh.

Virtual staging sounds like an excellent idea.

If this is not possible you could try and source the items by asking if any friends or family have items they could lend or give you. Next step would be Freecycle or charity shops, but what about delivery?

There's a reason the staging company is charging 'a fortune' to deliver, assemble and arrange furniture that could need to be in place for months and then remove it afterwards as its a big job to do.

It's utter nonsense, isn't it?

I'm just going to repeat pp and say that there's no need to "stage". An empty flat is fine. Just clean and neutral. Most people are capable of working out important stuff like location, price and size. That's what will sell it.

When we sold our last house (small, 2 bed terraced) it had been rented out for a while unfurnished, so when the tenant moved out it was completely empty and looked a bit tired. I thought about repainting everywhere and staging with furniture, but the agent advised us not to bother. We put it on the market straight away, and got 3 offers on the first day of viewings! So personally I would save yourself all that effort. Try selling it as it is and see what happens. What have you got to lose?

leave it empty

My house was staged as it had been on the market for a few months. We noticed straight away as some of the furniture was just a bit smaller than standard, presumably to make the rooms look bigger, they had also left price labels on the cushions! I wouldn't bother, just make sure everything looks fresh and clean.

Ive just bought a house, moving in on friday. It was completely empty when we viewed it, made it seem very spacious and i was able to imagine our things in it , not some random stuff dotted about . Any houses we viewed which were staged looked silly in my opinion, fully laid tables, loaves of bread are pointless and distract me almost. Clean and white paint does it for me .
If its completely empty now anything you put in it will look sparse anyway so personally I wouldn’t do it.

A lot of estate agents use virtual staging for their online photos so that might be an option, though personally I think the virtual staging looks a bit naff, a bit flat.

Out of interest, what was the quote you were given @Canistageit

I wouldn't bother, I doubt it would add much more if anything to the sale price

Sell it clean and empty. Don't buy anything and don't pay for anything for it apart from a cleaner.

I have seen several empty properties for sale recently that have virtual furniture in some of the photos. There is usually a logo of some sort in the corner to show that it is virtual and to advertise the software that did it, probably. There are also photos of the rooms when empty so there's no dishonesty involved, it just gives an idea.
Maybe you could ask about this.

Clean is far more important than furnished. I’ve sold lots of probate properties and never heard this.

The estate agent didn’t happen to recommend the staging company did they?

Yes I suspect the agent gets commission from the staging company.

I have sold houses in the past which have been partially staged. Back in the “house doctor” days of the 90s. I borrowed pictures, mirrors, plants, throws etc from family members and friends. Their houses looked bare for a few weeks but mine looked good and sold quickly.

I would however paint everything ivory/off white. ‘Add neutral pale coloured carpets throughout (not grey). Add beige full length curtains to all windows since people worry they will be very expensive (and include these in the price of the sale - Dunelm are good here and it’s a few hundred quid well spent since you have the budget). Make sure all light bulbs are bright and work and add cheap pale beige lightshades. Make sure everything is immaculately clean. That’s it. People can then see it’s move in ready and they just need to add their furniture.

Rooms can look small with no furniture in and some people have so little imagination that they can’t see past someone else’s paint choice when viewing a property.

BUT I’m concerned that you’re planning on buying the furniture and will end up out of pocket for trying to be nice and help.

No just sell it empty and nicely painted.

My sons are currently clearing their late father's house.

The estate agent advised to leave, for viewing purposes, the dining table, double bed in main bedroom and the sofa in sitting room to give potential buyers some perspective. These items will then be removed when the house sells.

Leaving a few largish items is very different from going to all the expense of staging an empty property - I wouldn't waste time or money.

As others have said it really just needs to be clean.

so many people saying don’t spend money get advice, obviously this is the agents advice 🙄 and I completely agree, look at new build developments - they spend a lot of money dressing for a reason, quicker sales and higher prices. Whether you DIY or get a company to do it it will be worth it. Many people find it very hard to visualise how you can use empty spaces.

Your job as executor is to get the property sold. Not to waste money from the estate making it look pretty! Get a few estate agents round and tell them you want a sensible price for a quick sale. No need for any staging at all. I sold my DMs house as an empty property last year. It was part furnished when the EA came round to value it, but empty when it went on the market. It sold for £5k over asking price with 5 offers after only a week on the market.

Staging isn’t generally a thing in the UK so I wouldn’t bother. Suspicious that the EA both suggested staging and a company to do the staging - they may be getting a referral fee.

New builds are staged with much smaller items of furniture because the rooms are generally smaller. Also, they build the cost of staging into the price of the property - which is always a premium price, a bit like a new car is.

I agree.

Anything suggested by an estate agent you should be suspicious of as the default option.

Those who suggested just clean and tidy I think had the best idea.

It’s worth it for new build developments to have one “show home” staged in a big development but not usual for single dwellings.

Too much money and time to invest on a single property where buyers don’t expect it anyway. For every person who would appreciate it there are others who couldn’t care less if it has furniture in it or not.

We are selling FiL's house. It is completely empty including no carpets or curtains. The agent said don't bother painting it as whoever buys it will do whatever they want.

We've had maybe 15 viewings and 5 offers. We've accepted an offer and it's proceeding. All I could think was Kirstie telling people to look at the ceiling to see the actual
Size and shape of a room. Because people can't see past the furniture.

Just make sure it's clean and tidy and ready to go. For a buyer of your flat it could probably be painted in a few days whilst empty when it's bought. Thats a selling point.