What’s wrong with my furniture, why do I need to stage my property?
Well, clearly there is nothing wrong with your furniture, after all you have enjoyed it for years. However, you aren’t purchasing your own house and to increase the appeal of your property, and ultimately increase the sale price, a real estate agent needs to make your house attractive to the buyer audiences that they are appealing too. Staging and styling is a critical way to do this.
There is, however, a little more to staging your house. Staging, when done right can influence the buyer’s decision to purchase your property. There is actually a psychology behind it termed the psychology of emotions. This is where a physiological stimulus (the staging) causes the autonomic nervous system to react and create an emotion in the viewer; an emotion which can be either positive or negative dependent upon what the viewer is viewing.
The impact of staging can manifest in multiple ways, for example, I’m sure you know someone in your circle of friends who created a shopping list of exactly what they want in a house. Next minute, they purchase a house that is the complete opposite from their original shopping list eg they purchased in a subdivision when they were searching to purchase in an established area.
Human beings aren’t dominated by pragmatism, we are actually emotional beings and are constantly interpreting the world through external feedback that links to emotions.
When selling a house, emotion in a property is created through the ‘feel’ of the aesthetics (yes the feel) and ambience. Emotion will increase the motivation of the buyer to purchase and ultimately drive competition to achieve a premium price for your house.
So, staging a property isn’t just a matter of placing some furniture, it’s about styling the property to create those first positive and lasting impressions.
Believe it or not, but a buyer will forfeit an impractical floorplan if the ‘feel’ of the property is immediately positive. Once that emotion has taken hold, the buyer will then aim to confirm their emotions. This is called the confirmation bias (when we believe something to be true and we look for evidence to support it).
You have probably overheard couples at open homes where one party says:
“But dear, this area is far too small for our family!”
The other party says:
“I’m not worried about that; we can get rid of our chunky lounge suite and buy a smaller lounge suit.”
“But dear, there is no study!”
“Don’t worry, we can put the study desk in our bedroom.”
One of these parties is star struck by the emotions of first impressions, and no matter, they will continue to confirm their beliefs through confirmation bias.
We do this with negative emotions as well. If the property gives us a poor vibe, we will search to confirm our negativity. This is why a real estate agent will do things like take you through an unusual door to a house rather than the front door when the front door may not have a wonderful entrance. Taking you through the side door into the gorgeous lounge will allow emotions to take hold and influence buyer opinion of your house.
I remember standing listening to a couple once after showing them a grand charming house on a lifestyle block. He an Engineer and her an Architect. I showed them all the positives and told them the history of the property as we went.
The Engineer stood back and said, ….” there is a kink in the roof line. The piles have sunk. That’s structural and it will cost a fortune to realign, and we may be up for new piles as who knows what state they are in!”
The Architect said, “…that’s great, it’s where the grand fire surround is placed and someone over the years has put in an ugly closed wood burner. Let’s take it out and replace it with a gorgeous open fire taking it back to its original state”.
She, the Architect had fallen in love with the aesthetics and the emotion of the property. No matter what he said, she could combat his disapproval as she continued to confirm her positive bias.
Remember, you aren’t the person buying your property; you need to style your property to attract a wider audience than people just like yourself. Increasing the emotional input to the property might just get you that premium price. No research is definite on the monetary value that styling adds to your property, however, the right styling to the desired audience, anecdotally we know adds heaps. Be aware, just like real estate agents, not all styling is created equal!
Disclaimer - This is a opinion piece written by Linda, and is not the opinion of Ray White
There is, however, a little more to staging your house. Staging, when done right can influence the buyer’s decision to purchase your property. There is actually a psychology behind it termed the psychology of emotions. This is where a physiological stimulus (the staging) causes the autonomic nervous system to react and create an emotion in the viewer; an emotion which can be either positive or negative dependent upon what the viewer is viewing.
The impact of staging can manifest in multiple ways, for example, I’m sure you know someone in your circle of friends who created a shopping list of exactly what they want in a house. Next minute, they purchase a house that is the complete opposite from their original shopping list eg they purchased in a subdivision when they were searching to purchase in an established area.
Human beings aren’t dominated by pragmatism, we are actually emotional beings and are constantly interpreting the world through external feedback that links to emotions.
When selling a house, emotion in a property is created through the ‘feel’ of the aesthetics (yes the feel) and ambience. Emotion will increase the motivation of the buyer to purchase and ultimately drive competition to achieve a premium price for your house.
So, staging a property isn’t just a matter of placing some furniture, it’s about styling the property to create those first positive and lasting impressions.
Believe it or not, but a buyer will forfeit an impractical floorplan if the ‘feel’ of the property is immediately positive. Once that emotion has taken hold, the buyer will then aim to confirm their emotions. This is called the confirmation bias (when we believe something to be true and we look for evidence to support it).
You have probably overheard couples at open homes where one party says:
“But dear, this area is far too small for our family!”
The other party says:
“I’m not worried about that; we can get rid of our chunky lounge suite and buy a smaller lounge suit.”
“But dear, there is no study!”
“Don’t worry, we can put the study desk in our bedroom.”
One of these parties is star struck by the emotions of first impressions, and no matter, they will continue to confirm their beliefs through confirmation bias.
We do this with negative emotions as well. If the property gives us a poor vibe, we will search to confirm our negativity. This is why a real estate agent will do things like take you through an unusual door to a house rather than the front door when the front door may not have a wonderful entrance. Taking you through the side door into the gorgeous lounge will allow emotions to take hold and influence buyer opinion of your house.
I remember standing listening to a couple once after showing them a grand charming house on a lifestyle block. He an Engineer and her an Architect. I showed them all the positives and told them the history of the property as we went.
The Engineer stood back and said, ….” there is a kink in the roof line. The piles have sunk. That’s structural and it will cost a fortune to realign, and we may be up for new piles as who knows what state they are in!”
The Architect said, “…that’s great, it’s where the grand fire surround is placed and someone over the years has put in an ugly closed wood burner. Let’s take it out and replace it with a gorgeous open fire taking it back to its original state”.
She, the Architect had fallen in love with the aesthetics and the emotion of the property. No matter what he said, she could combat his disapproval as she continued to confirm her positive bias.
Remember, you aren’t the person buying your property; you need to style your property to attract a wider audience than people just like yourself. Increasing the emotional input to the property might just get you that premium price. No research is definite on the monetary value that styling adds to your property, however, the right styling to the desired audience, anecdotally we know adds heaps. Be aware, just like real estate agents, not all styling is created equal!
Linda has a background in Consumer Psychology and uses these skills to achieve you that premium price. Don’t hesitate to call Linda to discuss how you can increase the value of your home through consumer psychology. This is a service that she offers for free!
Disclaimer - This is a opinion piece written by Linda, and is not the opinion of Ray White
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