The Home Staging Magazine Issue 2

CERI OWEN

Our 5* service means that our clients always
achieve the best results. To nd out how you
can add tangible value to your property so
you sell or let for more and quickly, reach
out to Ceri on +44 7984 005

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The SUCCESS of the AMAZON BESTSELLER:

SELL HIGH, SELL FAST

— how to sell your home for the best possible
price in the quickest possible time

Sell High, Sell Fast was written to speak to both Another direct result of publishing Sell High, Sell
estate agents and home sellers about the “whys” Fast has been Elaine’s invitations to speak at events
and “hows” of selling a home to maximise both the and on many other podcasts. Earlier this year she
offer value and the speed of sale. There is nothing spoke at two PropertyMark regional conferences,
else on the market that speaks directly to home the training body of the National Association of
sellers about the best way to capitalise on what is Estate Agents. This is opening more doors to
probably their biggest nancial asset. Elaine training and speaking opportunities with estate
spotted this gap in the book market and Sell High, agents, educating them about the return of
Sell Fast brings her wealth of experience as a investment on staging.
pioneer in the UK staging industry to those who We hope you have enjoyed the journey, just like we
need it most. have and we are very much excited to see what the
The book also sought to do some “myth-busting”, future holds for the staging industry. The last year
especially about how home staging and interior has given us plenty to think about and we’ve got a
design differ from one another. Elaine is always very lot of content in the bank for book number 2!
clear that home staging is a property marketing If after reading this you are eager to give the book
tool, very distinct from interior design and serving a a go, then purchase your Kindle or hardcopy on our
very different purpose. website:
Sell High, Sell Fast became an Amazon best-seller
within the rst week of its launch in October 2020. lemonandlimeinteriors.co.uk
The impact on our business has been tremendous.
The rst thing a new agent will say to us is “Oh you ELAINE PENHAUL
are the stagers who wrote the book!” and it instils
con dence that we know what we’re talking about.
A lot of our work in the industry is encouraging
agents to use a home staging service as a
necessary tool in their marketing pack. Staging is
something that should always be under discussion
at a market appraisal. It is so important that an
estate agent explains not only how they are going
to sell a home, but how they are going to gain
maximum bene t for the seller.
Sell High, Sell Fast fell into the hands of the
renowned property expert, Christopher Watkin and
Elaine was extremely excited to be invited on his
podcast to dig into some of the taboo property
topics he discusses so well across his network of
property professionals. If you’ve not seen these
videos on Youtube yet, then they are de nitely
worth a watch. Try our video: Why do only 1% of
Estate Agents use home staging.






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HSA joins FIABCI

The Home Staging Association UK & Ireland has some exciting news!
We are proud to announce that the HSA is now an of cial member of
FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation. FIABCI is a worldwide
business, bringing together all the professionals associated with the real
estate industry. As Home Stagers, we play a vital part in getting homes
prepped and ready for sale, and we are honoured to have made this step.
Being a member of this wonderful organisation will help to bridge the
work that the HSA do as stagers and property professionals across the UK.
All our members do such wonderful work, and it’s time to take it global.
The HSA will represent the home staging industry amongst the numerous
other real estate professions that FIABCI showcases, including architects,
brokers, and operators. It will give us excellent networking opportunities
to build even more valuable business relationships, which we are
con dent will highly bene t our very own HSA members.
This is a huge step for the HSA and we’re looking forward to all the doors
this will open for our activity. 2022 is already getting off to an inspiring
start.

For more information on FIABCI,
you can visit their website at:
www. abci.org

SASHA BARKER — HSA

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introducing:
FIABCI

GEORGE BETZ Hello and a warm welcome to our new member, The Home
Staging Association!
UK PRESIDENT Founded in 1951 in Paris, FIABCI is a worldwide business
OF FIABCI networking organisation for all professionals associated with the
real estate industry.
FIABCI has provided access and opportunities for real estate
professionals interested in gaining knowledge, sharing
information and conducting international business with each
other.
FIABCI is a member of the International Ethics Standards
Coalition and signed off on the 10 Principles of the UN Global
Compact.
FIABCI core values are that we share and Inspire Best Practices
Worldwide, putting integrity rst in everything we do and say,
thereby earning and maintaining the trust and respect of the
business industry we represent.
Further, we commit to excellence in all spheres of our work and
in our interactions with members, partners and all real estate
professionals. We nourish a culture of innovation and
development of new technologies and solution serving our
industry.
We are focused on creating sustainable membership value
through developing pro table products, services and projects,
and soundly managing the organisation for the bene t of our
members.
Lastly, we are a community of action aiming to protect its
members and global interests of our industry worldwide.

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Our Expertise comes from our members. The Hotels), Real Estate Business Services and
FIABCI Community gathers stakeholders of the Suppliers (Appraisers & Valuers, Construction
real estate industry representing over 40 companies, Engineering rms, Industrial goods
professions which include Architects & Service providers, Surveyors, Technology and
(Architect / Designer, Interior Architects / solution providers).
Designer / Consultant, Landscape Architects,
Private Master Planners, Urban Planners), We are an UMBRELLA ORGANISATION.
Associations and Academics ( Federations and Our value proposition is to develop business at
Associations), Academic Institutions national and international level. This gives our
(Universities and Colleges), Brokers (for - members numerous bene ts:
Hotels, Industrial, Land, Leisure, Luxury, Of ces, Be part of a Professional Network and expand
Residential, Retail, Rural), Developers (of Car your global in uence
parks, Entertainment, Leisure & Theme parks, Develop your expertise participating in the
Hotels, Industry, Malls & Shopping centres, FIABCI World Councils
Of ces, Residential, Retail parks, Factories, Explore new opportunities to build your
Storage & Logistics), General Business Service business and market globally
Providers (Accountant & Audit, Notary & Tax Enhance your skills through Education programs
advisers, Consulting, HR & Recruitment, Law Raise your Professional pro le
Showcase your properties in FIABCI’s National
rms, Marketing, Advertising, Multichannel, and World Prix d’Excellence Awards
Digital & PR, Research institutes, Publishing, Our members also have access to multiple
Press and other Media companies), Investors World Class Events, such as our FIABCI World
and Financial Institutions (Banks, Closed- Congress and Regional Congresses and
ended funds, i.e.: private equity, hedge funds, December Business Meeting, iReal Young
Open-ended funds, Business angels, Insurance Professionals’ Camp, the World Property and
companies, Investment companies, Pension Urban Forum and MIPIM Cannes, MIPIM UK,
funds & Sovereign wealth funds, Real estate MIPIM Asia, PropTech, MAPIC, IELP
investments trusts and Venture capitalists), Local
and Public Authorities, Managers (Portfolio
Managers, Asset Managers, Property Managers
and Facilities management companies),
Operators (of Airports, Railway stations,
Harbours, Business centres, Entertainment &
Leisure & Theme Parks, Storage & Logistics,

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PALOMA HARRINGTON

DFAUSTB-PAACEID

Established in the 18th century as a small Speaking at the event was fantastic.
shing village, and having been mainly a Whenever I get the opportunity to present
our industry statistics and how much value
desert until a few decades ago, Dubai has Stagers bring to mix, people are impressed
grown rapidly in the early 21st century into a by how powerful Home Staging is as a
cosmopolitan metropolis, being one of the property marketing tool.
most popular touristic destinations in the This is, of course, part of my mission as an
world. industry leader: educate as many people as
Those working within the property industry possible about our activity and about how
have certainly heard about Dubai as one of we can make a very positive difference in the
the leading real estate markets in the world. property sales process.
The speed of building and selling, the As rewarding as it was to speak to these
amount of investment and the increasing professionals about Staging, I was also
demand always draw people’s attention and extremely grateful and excited to be able to
make even the least curious take interest in accompany them during their visits
throughout the week.
nding out more about what the market We visited the leading developers In the
really is about in this fast-paced city. UAE, such as Emaar and Damac, and heard
Having been to Dubai a handful of times, I from experts at the most renowned agencies
have personally seen the city grow in the in the country such as AX Capital.
past few years with new developments As a Home Staging professional who likes to
popping up by the hour, changing the stay up-to-date with the property industry,
skyline into something we only thought and due to having been in contact with many
possible in mirages. property professionals around the world due
In April, I had the pleasure of joining a group to my role as the Global Director of
of property developers, land sourcers and Operations for the IAHSP®, I have the
estate agents in what was a unique event: privilege of connecting with experts on a
the Property Marketing Immersion Dubai, weekly basis and learn about their markets in
organised by International Business detail.
Development Consultant and Sales & I had heard about the real estate market in
Personal Development Specialist, Eduardo Dubai being fast-paced but it wasn’t until this
Acioli. recent visit that I managed to grasp fully how
The event consisted of a whole week of site intense it really is.
visits, meetings and familiarisation tours According to data platform Property Monitor,
across the main estate agencies and the Dubai property market recorded its
developers of Dubai, followed by strongest start to a year, with a total volume
educational sessions - which I took part in as
one of the speakers, sharing my knowledge
and experience about the bene ts of Home
Staging and how to sell better and faster.

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of transaction reaching 7,865 in March alone This cycle means, however, that every year
- an increase of 83.4% when compared to a properties are put back in the market for re-
year earlier. Off-plan sales were up 94.6% sale, and with the focus being mostly on new
whilst secondary market sales up 76.1%. builds, secondary market properties do need
And property prices and rents in Dubai's to stand out from one another somehow.
residential market should continue to The supply is usually very similar among
increase in 2022, according to S&P Global itself, quality and layout-wise, and the
Ratings. properties tend to be slightly outdated at
With such a buzzing market, I couldn’t help that point, which certainly makes room for
but wonder where does Home Staging sit in the use of techniques such as Home Staging
all these sales. Are properties being staged? to secure better results when hitting the
Are developers and homeowners getting the market.
best offers possible? In the middle of all the Currently, there are Interior Designers and
competition, what are the agents doing so Architects offering a similar service to cater
properties can stand out from one another? to this market, with a few Staging companies
AX Capital Property Consultant Mariana that have also adapted their services to
Dalvesco told me an interesting story. She include refurbishment work and attend this
deals with international buyers on a daily demand.
basis, most of which are investor looking to Similarly to what we have recently observed
buy off-plan. in the UK, with properties selling so fast that
Mariana and her colleagues, as well as many Stagers hadn’t had the time to do their
several other estate agents across Dubai, installs, Dubai lives the same mentality for
usually attend pre-launch events to purchase years, whether it is for new properties or
properties on behalf of their clients, secondary market ones.
queueing up in front of the sales suite the Speed of sale is only one of the bene ts of
night before with nominal cheques in hand. Staging and I often ask homeowners, agents
They once had cheques from three different and developers: “Why don’t you want to
investor clients to buy apartments at a make more money?” I still haven’t seen a
certain development and, although they client that would say “No, thanks, I don’t want
were there early enough and had the power more money.”
to make the purchases, they couldn’t buy all Properties that are not dressed for sale will,
the units they went there to buy: all 400+ statistically, receive less viewings and
units of the development were sold out. In therefore less offers, if any. Negotiation
less than three hours. At the pre-launch power drops and vendors leave money on
event. the table.
Home Staging, therefore, for new It is our job as Home Staging professionals to
developments, is something a bit unusual in understand the property market and educate
Dubai. Investors buy fast according to the our industry partners about the bene ts of
brand and location and there is hardly any what we do.
time (or even physical space) for staging Whether it is in Dubai or in London. Miami or
show units. Tokyo. The message is the same: Home
Most developments reach the launch phase Staging will help to secure a better sale -
completely sold out. Investors buy several quicker, for more money or both.
units and wait 2-5 years until their value
increase. PALOMA HARRINGTON

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UK PROPERTY MARKET
REVIEW for EARLY 2022

It’s of cial: 2021 was the busiest market since
2007, with activity levels unseen since before
the Global Financial Crisis. HMRC report that
across the UK, just shy of 1.5 million sales took
place, 43% higher than in 2020 and a rise of
26% compared to 2019. Mortgage approvals
and lending are up by 15% and 29%
respectively, compared to 2020 (Dataloft, Bank
of England), and activity levels remain brisk,
even following the end of nancial incentives
provided by governments.
Rightmove and Zoopla report there has been no
let-up in buyer demand at the start of 2022. The
success of the country’s response to the
Omicron variant and the lifting of COVID
restrictions have increased positivity, and
prospective buyers continue to evaluate
lifestyles and “search for space”. Hybrid working
looks like it is here to stay. As many start the year
settling into new routines, Zoopla report that
demand from apartment hunters outside the
capital is at a ve-year high. Demand within the
capital is at its highest level since the market
reopened in summer 2020. Rightmove report
new year demand is up 15% year-on-year and
Zoopla has seen demand in the opening weeks
of 2022 at 49% higher than the average
witnessed between 2018-2021.
Pent-up demand remains high; a lack of
available property to purchase means that buyer
competition is nearly double that of a year ago
(Rightmove). Best and nal offers for property in
sought-after locations are commonplace, and
many are selling above asking price.
There are tentative signs that stock levels will
start to improve in the coming weeks;
Rightmove report the number of home
valuations in the rst working week of 2022 was
up 44% on the same time in 2021, and perhaps
more usefully, given the country was in



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lockdown a year ago, valuations were up 48%
on 2020. At present, an estimated 40% of buyers
enquiring about a home have not yet put theirs
on the market. So called “power buyers”, those
who have money in their pocket or have already
been sold subject to contract are in the best
position to secure their dream property.
With annual property price growth in or close to
double digits in many areas, any in ux of new
stock to the market should help calm property
price in ation. The latest data from Nationwide
indicates annual property price growth in the
year to January is 11.2%, the strongest start to a
year since 2005. In the prime markets, annual
price currently exceeds 10% in the North West,
West Midlands, Wales and Yorkshire and the
Humber.
The Bank of England raised the base rate to
0.5% in early February, but this is unlikely to
have a signi cant impact on the market in the
short term. Most homeowners are on xed-rate
deals and even at 0.5% the base rate is
extremely low by historical standards. With
energy costs a signi cant element of current
price rises, this may well turn the spotlight onto
more energy-ef cient homes, particularly for
those seeking to upgrade or take their rst steps
onto the property ladder.

JONATHAN HANDFORD

Jonathan Handford | Managing Director
E: jonathan.h@ neandcountry.com
T: +44 (0)1926 455959 | M: (0)7813 787 474
Fine & Country: 11 Dormer Place, Leamington
Spa , Warwickshire CV32 5AA

neandcountry.com

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CASE STUDY:
COASTAL HOME STYLING

Recently, HSA Member Emma Norman of Coastal second person to view it bought it, as the rst
Home Styling staged a Penthouse Apartment in a one loved it but felt it was too big for them.
really prestigious road in Canford Cliffs, Poole, They’re not sure exactly how much it sold for as
Dorset. they haven't disclosed this information, but the
The property was previously valued at £2.2M seller was very happy and has thanked Coastal
when the owner bought it, he had rented it out Home Styling for their excellent work!
for a couple of years and decided to sell it on. It cost less than 1% of the property's value to
The Penthouse is a four bed property with three Stage, and it had been sold in a matter of days.
balconies, two ensuites, one cloakroom and main Had the property not been staged, we feel they
bathroom. It has a large open plan living / dining would de nitely have struggled to sell it that
room and open plan kitchen / dining room. Two quick or for the money they had wanted.
of the balconies have far reaching sea views of This just proves that staging de nitely works!
Sandbanks.
The property was very dull and dark inside and
lacked atmosphere. It had been styled with dark
furniture and doors, windows etc., and all areas
had tiled ooring except bedrooms, which had
striped carpet.
The tenant moved out, and only a few basic
furniture items remained. The owner didn't want
the expense of replacing the curtains or carpets,
which Coastal Home Styling had to work with.
They worked with CORT to choose a high end
styling package that would work with the existing
decor, and they also shopped for additional
accessories to help style the place and also
furniture and plants to dress the outside
balconies.
The whole Staging project came in at around
£18k including everything and furniture hire for 3
months.
The Staging itself took 2 days to complete.
Professional photographers came in on the third
day and the property sold (before of cially going
to market) within a couple of days. In fact the

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To learn more about Coastal Home Styling, you may visit their website at
www.coastalhomestyling.co.uk or email them at [email protected]

EMMA NORMAN

The POSITIVE IMPACTS
of HOME STAGING

If you’re looking to sell your property, then you may already be
familiar with the concept of Home Staging. Perhaps you want to

nd out how it can bene t you in your home-selling journey.
The goal of Home Staging is to make your property appealing to
the highest number of potential buyers. We want them to envision
your space as their future home - somewhere they can spend their
Christmases, special occasions and life milestones with loved ones.
Home Staging aims to create a neutral space that will allow
potential buyers to picture themselves there.
Home Staging a property has numerous positive impacts. Our
2021 HSA Report showed that property experts believe Home
Staging helps a buyer to visualise a property as their home. We
also saw that 100% of the professionals asked agreed that, when
compared with other similar properties on the market, Home
Staging increases the offer value of a property by up to 15%. This is
due to the space being presented with care and elegance,
showcasing your home in the best light.
Here at the HSA, our members truly are the créme de la créme of
the industry. We’re a welcoming community, dedicated to
providing homes like yours with the very best Home Staging to get
your home off the market. The work they do speaks for itself — for
example, HSA member Coastal Home Staging have had two
editorial features, most recently in House and Lifestyle Magazine.
Another of our members, Lisa Lewis of Stylize Studio, recently gave
staging tips in The Daily Express. We’re so pleased to see their
brilliant work being recognised nationwide, and it is a testament to
their talent.
Home Staging doesn’t have to break the bank or be a huge
investment, but it could be the difference between selling and not
selling your home! There’s a reason why 100% of property
professionals say that a staged home sells up to 3 times faster than
a non-staged one.
You owe your space the best chance at selling, and Home Staging
is one of the best steps you can take to make that happen. Find out
more here.

SASHA BARKER — HSA

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About the HOME
STAGING ASSOCIATION

The HOME STAGING The HSA TEAM
ASSOCIATION
We are a team of creative, passionate people who are here
The Home Staging Association was to support you and help the industry grow.
founded to strengthen the industry,
being the link between Home Paloma Harrington Our HSA COMMITTEE
Staging Professionals, and also Founding Director Elaine Penhaul
between the industry and its Donella Enerio Lemon and Lime Interiors
partners, suppliers and clients. Community & Membership Senior Advisor for
As an Association, the Home Staging Manager Coaching & Professional
Association UK & Ireland provides Development
support, information and training to
all professionals in the Home Staging Jeszi Reyes Kirsty Fisher
industry, contributing to the activity Social Media Manager Lemon and Lime Interiors
growth and recognition. We do that Content & PR
by gathering and promoting
businesses and all professional Our REGIONAL Leigh Davies
services related to the area, being MANAGERS The Property Presenters
the one place to turn to when Hugo Fleming Partnerships
looking for a home stager or services Cranberryhome Natalie Evans
alike. Milton Keynes Little Barn Door Member
& Area Engagement Coordinator
` The Home Staging Association UK & Jo Woodward Amanda Green
Ireland promotes networking Sienna Interiors The Property Presenters
opportunities and provides Glasgow & Volunteering
information on the market in general, Area
as well as tips on home decor,
interior styling and the property SPECIAL THANKS TO:
market, focusing on contributing to
the industry through professional Laura Spence — Designer & Illustrator
growth and development.
homestaging.org.uk Laura is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Edinburgh.
IAHSP® She can be contacted at [email protected]
The HSA UK & Ireland is an IAHSP®
and IAHSP® Europe af liate — and has a portfolio: www.lauraspenceillustration.co.uk
International Association of Home and of course
Staging Professionals. IAHSP® is the
largest and longest-running Home Paloma Harrington
Staging Industry Trade Association HSA Founder, Director, and Editor
with thousands of members Without whom we would have no magazine.
worldwide. Since 1999, IAHSP® has
been dedicated to advancing the
education and staging excellence of
home staging industry professionals.

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