Staging an empty house?

[Manicpanicatthedisco]

It's looking like our house sale is going to fall through, and we'll need to find another buyer. However we've had to move already for DH's work so we're in temporary accommodation and our house is empty.

Right now, our house looks pretty much like shit. It's a large Victorian semi and without furniture and decorations it seems like all the flaws are really magnified. Plus it's lost its charm - DH says it looks like it's a person with no soul 😞.

I know it needs to be cleaned within an inch of its life, outside spaces maintained, etc. But in terms of making it look good, please tell me - what do I do? Can I hire one of these staging companies to put furniture and decorations in there? Is this going to be ridiculously expensive? Have you done it and how did it work out? Help! Thank you.

I agree to scrubbing from top to bottom and likely also lick of paint. But I think that you could get away with super cheap marketplace buys. As long as they came from pet free/smoke free/not smelly homes. Wouldn’t matter if beds and sofas were saggy etc.. and you could buy a cheap table and chairs (cover wiyu cloth and cushions if need be). We have just massively cleared for our sale and bought a table from marketplace for £25 and chairs for £75. Second hand sofas to replace our scruffy ones- I spent £400 but wanted nice ones. Saw some lovely but uncomfy ones for £75 odd. If you have spare crisp white bedding then use that on cheapo beds (could use valances to hide if really elderly?). I’ve been shocked by how much cheap furniture is for sale in our local area. And you could give it to a homelessness resettlement charity or to the British heart foundation shops if it has life in it after the sale.
I’ve filled gaps with large house plants - lidl and homebase, cheapest nice pots at TK Maxx.
Whilst you are at TK Maxx buy some of those wick reed scents. Locked up houses can smell musty. Or essential oil of lemon and peppermint on the new cheap furniture under cushions etc. where it won’t show if it stains.
good luck.

You could see how much a staging company costs and compare that with the time and cost of getting things yourself via freecycle.

Manic panic I know someone who does this. It's not as expensive as you think and is def cheaper than a price reduction. I will Dm you

Thanks for the ideas and it would be great to get a dm from you about your friend, @completelystuckonsofa I don't think I can be bothered getting a bunch of furniture myself only to have to get rid of it again afterwards. I don't mind moving my artwork, cushions etc back to the house if I have to but not furniture. And I would prefer to get a company in to take care of it if I can find one - and if, as you say, it will be cheaper than a price reduction.

Paint everything you can.

I also left furniture to show the scale of rooms so left the dining table in the dining room, the sofas in the lounge. It’s made a huge difference

Don't stage it.
That's a craze from these property shows. An empty house is excellent - you get a great idea of space and proportion. It doesn't look shit unless it's dirty. Just make sure it's clean and everything looks in working order.
Don't waste money on furniture or anything else.

Painting it is a nightmare due to the ridiculously high ceilings. I do think I need to change a couple of carpets though - one with a big stain and the other a big hole in it 😳.
We obviously have the photos from when our stuff was decorating the hpuse and they look nice, but it really does look pretty awful empty. I'll see what the estate agent thinks - they've been good so far.
At least no chain and vacant possession are a good thing!

You can buy blow up beds to cover with a bedspread, others use boxes of a suitable size to fake a bed. How about using garden furniture which you could use in your new place?
Choose a sofa and armchairs.

Anything that can be reused and isn't a waste of money.

Reyooz.com have cheap office furniture and you could probably get a desk/table for the dining room. Cover with a simple cloth and don't worry about chairs

As long as it’s clean when I view then I prefer an empty house, you can see much more. Staging for me would be a waste of time I’m not looking to buy the contents.
empty house for me every time.

last 2 houses We have bought have been empty 🙂

We paid for staging for our house which was empty when we sold it and it made the place look amazing, we definitely got every penny back in the sale price.

I kind of think new-ish houses in great condition look fine without furniture and decor in them. Ours, being a large Victorian that hasn't been renovated recently (beyond a bit of tarting up) really looks sad without anything in it to cheer it up.
When we had the photos taken the photographer said that all the art and decor we had up made it easy for her to take great photos. But walking in the door now the difference between the photos and the way the house looks now is just too stark.

I love the idea of fake beds made of boxes - we certainly have enough boxes now due to the house move!

I love an empty house because you can see clearly what needs doing!

I bought my favourite house from a developer and it was kind of staged in that there was a sofa, a dining set and a bed just to give me an idea of the size of the rooms.

I think as long as the walls are fresh and it's clean just a couple of bits will be fine.

You know you can get rollers on massive poles, right?

Whilst I agree you can see the space better if it’s empty I think you’ll get lower offers. People will think that you’ve moved on and are now desperate to get rid. We’ve bought two houses in the past that were empty and offered low and got the property

If bedrooms are small I like to see them with a bed (whether real or something that looks like a bed made up from boxes) so I know whether a single or double bed will fit in. It is the same in living rooms if there is any doubt about whether you could fit a sofa into a room, or perhaps a sofa and dining table. I find a completely empty room can make it difficult to visualise what you can do with a space.

Pressed send too soon.
so I would definitely stage and not let on you’ve moved

Don't use boxes or blow up beds! It'll just look silly. Just leave it empty.

Yes thanks, and I've done that over the years, however while it makes it easier, it doesn't make it easy. It's a 5 bedroom 3 reception room house. Some rooms have been freshly decorated, others haven't.

Sorry, that was in response to the comment about rollers on poles to paint.

I'm going to see what the EA recommends and go with that. I spoke to her today and she says we'll cross that bridge when we come to it but to give our original buyers a couple more days to sort things out on their side. Fingers crossed that works and thanks for the advice thus far.

I agree with this - as someone who viewed about 30 houses earlier this year. Viewers will know its unoccupied as that’s one of my first questions so you know the sellers situation. Just make sure it’s clean and smells ok

I used to flip houses and always staged them, put blinds up and artwork plus accessories, then put a price list together in case the buyer wanted any of the furniture. But it was my business and I had a storage unit for the furniture to be reused for the next one.