A Guide to Home staging in central London
London’s property market is intensely competitive, with one set of recent figures from a major national property organisation suggesting the £5m and above bracket in the city in particular is slowing. This is backed by statistics from a firm of chartered surveyors suggesting that while house prices are lifting across much of the UK, that isn’t happening as much in the capital.
Against this backdrop, and bearing in mind that London’s market is unique within the UK, presentation makes all the difference between your property remaining unsold and a speedy, profitable sale.
Property staging transforms a viewer’s perception of your house or apartment. The process prepares a place for sale by depersonalising it, decluttering and decorating and arranging furniture. Crucially, it allows viewers to picture themselves living there and making it their home.
A place is made to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible with a stylish, neutral look to boost attractive offers. Potentially, you raise final sale price by up to 15%.
What are the challenges specific to London’s property market?
Property staging addresses several challenges unique to London’s market, including:
· Greater London’s population is around 9.1m, plus it’s the UK’s most ethnically diverse city – and every viewer has their own requirements. Some overseas buyers, for example, may have particular cultural preferences – staging cuts across these differences.
· Particularly within the prime central London market, expectations are high. Professional staging helps to give people what they expect.
· Your London property is almost certainly in a densely populated area and competing with similar places – staging makes it stand out.
· The capital has myriad diverse property types, from luxury newbuild developments to period homes. Staging suits all of them.
· Space in London is always at a huge premium.
How does staging help overcome these challenges?
Staging creates visual distinction in a saturated marketplace, while helping justify asking price through professional presentation and projection of a particular lifestyle. Equally, it highlights unique architectural features while drawing attention away from and minimising flaws. One figure states that a professionally staged London property sells within, typically, 45 days, compared to the unstaged average of 99.
The Home Staging Association UK & Ireland reports that the process boosts the value of offers made. Almost a third (32%) of agents say uplift is typically between 11% and 15%.
As elsewhere in the UK, London house-hunters overwhelmingly start their search online. Staging generates more online views and increases engagement, thanks to the resulting high-quality photography. And in a city where space is highly prized, staging makes places look bigger and more functional.
Finally, styling can also take into account local character. A Soho apartment, for example, has vastly different requirements to those of a Hoxton loft or a Kensington townhouse.
London property staging from McGlashans Interiors
At trusted firm McGlashans Interiors, we’ve gained our knowledge of and experience in the prime central London property over decades. So we fully understand local buyer demographics, price points and style preferences and how these differ across different areas of the capital.
What makes us stand out from other property staging businesses?
A number of factors set us apart from the competition, including:
· Combined estate agency and design expertise: Our expertise via our estate agency arm, McGlashans Property Services, established in 1988, means we know precisely what gets results across the prime central London market. We don’t just stage places to look pretty – we design to sell.
· The traditional values of a family-run business: We pride ourselves on our principles of honesty, integrity and trust. What’s more, most of our work comes from word-of-mouth client referrals.
· Exclusive Marylebone showroom: Our physical store and showrooms in the heart of central London’s Marylebone offers high-end pieces, ensuring direct access to and immediate availability of quality furnishings. For example, McGlashans is the UK’s biggest stockist of renowned Belgian manufacturer Flamant Furniture.
· A bespoke, end-to-end service: For every project we take on, we’ll do site visits, tailored design, professional photos, styling and delivery. We’ll also liaise directly with architects and developers and estate agents, removing the hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers. We’ll be with you from initial site visit through to the celebration of a successful sale or let.
Contact us today
With over three and a half decades’ experience serving the centre of town, we’re uniquely placed to provide an outstanding, tailored service as London home staging and luxury furniture hire experts. We create beautifully furnished yet comfortable homes, designed to brief and on time, every time. Get the ball rolling today – get in touch to learn about our trusted service and attract more viewers and sell your property more quickly and profitably than would otherwise have been possible.