Selling houses in BHB

  What is Home Staging? Relatively new in Bedfordshire, home staging is the process of enhancing a property’s appeal to potential buyers by creating an inviting, stylish, and desirable environment. To appeal to the maximum number of people, a property should ideally have trending interiors, that are carefully tailored to the size and nature of the building. By carefully selecting furniture, and adding tasteful décor, professional home stagers help make your property more marketable. In the UK, home staging is on the rise as sellers look for ways to stand out in a competitive housing market. The Typical Client Experience The home staging process begins with a consultation. A professional stager will visit your property and assess the key requirements needed to maximise its appeal. This typically includes selecting an approach - to match the staging style to your target audience - and a discussion with you on your expectations. The experience is designed to be hands-off for the clie...

What do you think, when you walk into an empty room? It may not happen often, but when it does - weird sensation, right? Our eyes, and brains, are making decisions about where to look, all the time, without our conscious input. A recent study by Zoopla, covered by The Guardian , shows that people viewing houses tend to look at the items in them - the furniture, the artwork, and so on - rather than the blank walls. Can that really be true? Let's take a look at some images of the a room, before and after home staging, to find out for ourselves... Spoiler alert: these images are of rooms that were staged by Mint Staging , the business run by me, Holly Hammond. Before home staging: large bedroom After home staging Now that there's a bed in the room, it's possible to know how big the room is. When it's empty, you can't tell how much space this - the largest piece of furniture - will take. Before home staging: living room After home staging The problem with some rooms, w...

Owning a property can be a handful.  Deciding how to improve its value is high on the list of headaches. Smart investors consider the potential of a property, and take decisions for the long term. Should you renovate your kitchen? Do buyers want to see empty properties? Do you need to do any work to your property at all? These are just a fraction of the questions we ask ourselves, when tackling the challenge of selling for the first time. Narrow down your to-do list, with our tips on what not to do. Replacing the kitchen While good quality kitchens can improve the value of your home by up to 10%, hold on. You need to check its cost is going to be less than that 10%. Are there other options than buying new? Don’t go to all the effort of sourcing, selecting, and cost-checking kitchen cabinets if you can’t be sure that it’s worth it. Instead, consider renovating your current kitchen, or replacing items such as handles. Here’s how to tap into current trends . Showing an empty home Ther...

What is downsizing? Downsizing is a process that more and more home owners are choosing. It refers to the process of intentionally moving to a smaller home, to simplify one's life, and reduce expenses. This can involve selling or donating possessions, decluttering, and moving to a smaller home or flat.  Downsizing is not just about physical space, but also about creating a more manageable and enjoyable lifestyle. It's a conscious decision to prioritise what truly matters - and let go of the excess that weighs us down. It may also be referred to as "rightsizing". Rightsizing means the same thing - and also suggests that change is needed periodically, to ensure your home fits your needs. If you're thinking of downsizing, you can be reassured it's a larger trend, as room sizes have been decreasing in the UK - and the " tiny house movement " is booming. In this guide, we'll summarise the financial and emotional aspects, and give you the key steps to...

Tapping into trends to sell your house faster Have you ever thought about who owned your home before you? How about the person after? What’s their job, how big is their family? Whoever the next owner of your property is, getting to know them is important when you’re hoping to sell fast. And why? Because their needs, and tastes, are likely to differ from yours. To sell your house effectively, make sure you’re tapping into the right trends. Why light is a commodity Homes are precious spaces. We all came to realise this a bit more, during the challenge of 2020’s lockdowns. Nobody who had to endure so many hours spent at home would argue for less space, or fewer windows. This is the most common theme of the modern home. Whether it’s open-plan kitchens, sky lights, or bi-fold doors, the evidence is clear to see. We value light among our top needs at home. When it comes to decoration and furnishing, this can be a key to unlock a fast house sale. Consider how colours, textures and shapes in y...

Stop right now. Whether in the process of selling, or thinking about selling up, you need to consider the condition of your home. Taking time to reassess the property that you’ve enjoyed and invested in is an important step if you want to maximise your chances to sell. This is a crucial step, that we tend to miss - and a key reason why over half of sellers fail to sell within 10 months. Fortunately, there are ways to find out whether your chances of selling fast can be improved.  Wondering why your house isn't selling? If your property is on the market and not receiving viewings, there’s something wrong. Think carefully about the confidence your agent may have shown, whether openly or not. The truth of the matter? Most buyers are shopping with their heart first. When looking for a new home, we ‘shop’ with the same things in mind as any other purchase. The product has to be right, or we’ll continue to browse. This is especially true for homes - the largest thing most of us buy in ou...