The Australian Guide to Home Staging

Home Staging is a relatively new concept in Australia. But it is one that has been proven overseas to provide a massive advantage over other properties for sale. Author Katrina Maes has been home staging for years. She helps clients work within a budget and a timeframe to best prepare their home for sale. Her experience shows that if you home stage a property for sale you will reduce the time it is on the market and significantly increase the sale price. Her research shows that a staged home will sell for approximately 8% more than a non staged home - that's a massive increase of $40K on a $500K home. Home staging involves: Working out your return on investment - how much time and money you spend to achieve the desired financial return; Cleaning, de-cluttering and fixing up - from undertaking a thorough clean to renovating key areas of your property (kitchen, bathroom, landscaping) to increase your sales price; Taking YOUR personality out of your home - buyers want to immediately see themselves in their new home, they don't want to see the old owners; Creating the lifestyle story - if it's a bush property, leave the walking boots by the back door; somewhere on the surf coast, hang the wetsuits in the laundry. It's not just home-owners who can benefit from learning about home staging - investors, developers and deceased estate trustees - anyone looking to sell fast for more. Throughout the book there are interesting real life case-studies supported by actual financial results. There is an eight page colour section show-casing the dramatic contrast between 'before' and 'after' home staging. Katrina Maes was born in Sydney, raised in Hobart, Perth and Melbourne. It's fair to say she's used to moving homes and watching her mother packing boxes one day and being in the 'new' house (and new state) everything unpacked and beautifully perfect before the family were tucked up in bed the next night. Throughout the 70s and 80s Katrina's parents bought houses, upgraded them, then prepared the property for sale. They didn't know it at the time but they were 'home staging'. For some years, Katrina ignored her creative bent, choosing to study business and embarking on a career of number-crunching. Two years later with a baby on the way Katrina started one of Australia's first home staging businesses. Six years on, and having staged literally hundreds of properties, the whole process still energises her.