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.

This. It's totally unnecessary. I sold my late fathers completely empty house the day after it was advertised.

I looked round a house that had clearly been staged once. It looked very nice but it was obvious there was no room for the normal paraphernalia of life as it had all been cleared out. I ended up buying a new build off plan.

People are capable of imagining how a house would look with their own stuff in.

The last two houses I bought have been empty. But I got some basic house decor software, put the measurements in and the furniture we had so I could see what it would look like.

I also bought an apartment abroad which was cluttered, badly decorated, awful kitchen etc. That didn’t matter either because I was pulling everything out and starting from scratch!

I wouldn’t bother staging it. But if there are any garish yellow or green walls I’d probably just paint over them.

Clean and empty.

Is the flat in an area where it is likely to be difficult to sell? I guess anything sells at the right price. In your circumstances, I wouldn’t be bothered with this staging/furniture advice. Just get the flat on the market before winter.

Honestly why would you trust an estates agent? Lowest of the low. You’ll sell it empty, don’t waste money on cheap / tatty furniture. Just make sure it’s clean

Just sold my late mother’s flat. Emptied it completely, cleaned it thoroughly and gave it a lick of paint. Got the full asking price. No staging needed, it’s better to let the viewers imagine their stuff in it.

When I sold my dad's flat it had some of his furniture (it had been hugely overcrowded, so think I got rid of some first), other than that no "staging" other than getting rid of the cigarette stench & painting yellowed ceilings.
Sold really quickly - and it was in a 55+ development where some flats were on the market for ages.

You are missing the point. Stagers just lend the furniture - they don't leave it for you to dispose of

I thought staging was a US thing. I've bought lots of properties over the years and never experienced staging in the UK. As pp have said, I wouldn't bother. A clean, empty home will sell without furniture. Whilst new build developers do have show homes, the house they actually sell to you is always empty when you go to look at it.

I think an empty home is 100% better than you yourself buying some cheap bits or charity shop finds.

I daresay a professional organisation would do a great job - they will dress it much like a show home and have suppliers and contacts - but I think it's unnecessary and is unlikely to make it sell faster or for more money.

Yeah the "why is my house not selling" threads attract some weirdos. The answer is always reduce price not get cushions.

If its completely clean and fresh I'd definitely just leave it empty.

Staging
Ffs
This is such an American nonsense
You are selling a property. No doubt the buyers will strip and decorate to their own taste. A developer will look at the ceiling to guage the floor space, and will be concerned with moving walls, not sofas.
No need to add furniture and frou-frou.

Staging it won't add any value. You would be better off knocking the amount of money you'd spend on staging off the asking price.

Just clear it, clean it thoroughly and paint the walls neutrally if needed and easy to do.

If there is an awkward room, like a small bedroom, I can see than showing a double bed fits fine, or the single room does fit a wardrobe and a bed in it could help a lot of people, but I really doubt it's worth the expense.

Just sell it as is. There is no way staging a small dated flat is worth it.

Yes but they furnish one show home, and the costs will be included in the asking prices on the development !
Estate agents are a law unto themselves and have some strange ideas that I don’t understand. Such as wide angle lens shots, they don’t do any room any favours, if I see a picture of a room with a curved tv screen or strangely wide doors I know it’s going to be smaller than it appears ! Although I viewed a house recently where I walked into a room I genuinely didn’t recognise from the details, it was honestly half the size that it looked in the photo . All very disappointing, and actually a waste of my time. I’ve just bought a house I viewed empty, it was clean and white, I am more than capable of working out where to put my bed without having one already in the room.

This is utter bollocks. Don’t waste your time. The market is pretty slow in some areas and on very thin ice in others. Get it sold now before you get stuck with it

Put it in the market ASAP, then only if it is not selling empty then consider some staging after that.
The priority really is bedrooms, most people can work out table and chairs but want to know that a bed fits. You can do a blow up double bed (borrow from someone if you can) or buy a cheap second hand mattress and place on wooden blocks and then put bedcovers on to hide. A bed and a table in the dining room would probably do. Again. Table can be a folding outdoor table with a tablecloth.
I'd never heard of virtual staging but that sounds ideal if it can be done by the agent

Dont bother, people can get a good idea of where their stuff can go with a "clean canvas".

Just make sure minor repairs are done and property clean.

If it's priced right it will sell.

No need to spend anything on it

Anyone who is serious enough to buy a house will be able to see past empty rooms.

Don't spend a penny. Total waste.

I'm about to buy my third empty house - empty to me says no chain and a quick sale

Honestly, I say this from a kind place, but you are overinvested.

Anything will sell at the right place. The sellers need to lower their expectation on price or put the work in or raise funds.

I think it is useful to put a double bed in each bedroom for space visualisation, Wayfair looks cheap: https://www.wayfair.co.uk/Alpen-Home--Abbyville-Milton-Double-Platform-Bed-CGSB2128-L12-K~BRBW2406.html?refid=GX692112965179-BRBW2406&device=m&ptid=293946777986&targetid=pla-293946777986&network=g&ireid=234691311&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwuMC2BhA7EiwAmJKRrDXsvSBT_xtnn7KdvTXh_gnYy7a2cC2D9aDzToCjy44MVfyWkqn3txoC4JoQAvD_BwE, otherwise Ikea. Any spare bedding you have is good if it has been ironed well, then just wash it after. Beds can go on freecycle pr facebook as unused and someone will collect quickly enough, or have British Heart Foundation collect them.

Add a wardrobe if there is low ceiling in any room but it fits. This sort of thing might be reusable later: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SONGMICS-Wardrobe-Cupboard-Clothes-LSF03G/dp/B00FGKH6CO/ref=asc_df_B00FGKH6CO/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5517634287538281003&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045918&hvtargid=pla-2281435178338&psc=1&mcid=f8abacf6e050364aabe949b3c5c98a75&hvocijid=5517634287538281003-B00FGKH6CO-&hvexpln=74&gad_source=1.

Sofa, table and chairs are a lot more difficult. If they look cheap or tatty then it can affect the feel of the room, which outweighs any benefit of showing off living space. If you decide you need them then make sure they are nice and you plan to reuse them.

I wouldn't bother with curtains, soft furnishings and other crap, I know estate agents like it but when we were viewing that just made places look cluttered. It's too hard to ensure it is all done to taste.

You don’t need to stage it, just make sure it’s clean and fresh paint and has the room measurements on the sales info. Your buyers aren’t stupid they don’t need to be ‘shown’ where beds go