Behind the scenes of home staging

There’s a story Kate Alexander likes to tell, about a four-bedroom home on Auckland’s North Shore that spent two months on the market with no takers. The reason? “It was empty,” says Kate, the founder of Places and Graces, a home styling and interior design company based in Devonport.

Kate Alexander from Places and Graces. Photo by Michelle Hyslop

“People generally can’t see past what’s in front of them. We were brought in to present the home in a way that garnered appeal, and not only gave prospective buyers the chance to visualise themselves living in the home, but also inspiration that their home could look like that.”

Result? The home sold two weeks later for more than the asking price. UK figures suggest that’s not unusual: research there showed that staged homes sell three times as fast as non-staged homes. What’s more, UK real estate agents believe that home staging bumped up offers by up to 10%. Kate, who believes it could be the same in New Zealand, explains why. 

“I prefer to call what we do property styling because staging to me sounds fake, whereas we aim for a home to feel real and lived in. Property styling is as much a science as it is art, using design to lead the eye in a certain direction, ensure each view is pleasing, create a cohesive feeling from room to room and suggest the kind of lifestyle the home can provide. Buyers fall in love with the promise of a lifestyle as much as the practical features of the house like the number of bedrooms or all-day sun.” 

Kate, who started her company a decade ago, specialises in styling both occupied and empty houses for sale. She focuses on Auckland’s Devonport and Takapuna markets as that’s where she lives.

“Staying local has allowed me to keep the business niche and deliver a personal service. Our clients are varied and often become repeat clients. It’s also allowed us to build our interior design practice off the back of the property styling, because clients who’ve seen their homes transformed often want us to help them achieve that feeling in their new home.”

Here’s how it works: either a client will contact Kate or will be referred by one of the real estate agents her company works with. And then Kate and her colleague will swing into action. 

“Our approach is 100% bespoke. We do have a science we follow but the design aesthetic is unique to the architecture and style of what is already in the house. Sometimes we will even buy items specifically for a house, such as furniture or artwork.”

Get tips on how to style your home for sale. Photo by Michelle Hyslop

Kate, who previously ran a brand strategy and graphic design business with her father, will then visit the home to get a feel for its benefits and challenges. 

“We take photos, chat to the owners and agents and get a complete picture of the property. Then, wearing our buyer’s hat, we write a detailed report for the owners outlining how each space in the house should be presented. That could range from leaving it as it is to changing a room’s function, such as a living room being turned into a bedroom. We suggest furniture and items we might bring in and prep work the owners should do, from painting a wall to removing unnecessary furnishings.”

Once the owners, agents and Kate’s team are on the same page, Kate will then bring in the furniture and add the art, linens and finishing touches. “We use real plants and fresh flowers in all our homes. And we style right up until the photographer arrives to capture the beauty.”The team will then leave items in place for open homes and usually until the home sells. 

Does Kate ever face resistance from home owners unwilling to spend the money or admit that their decorating choices might not be catnip to buyers?

“Sometimes homeowners can struggle to grasp that prospective buyers might not see their home the same way they do. It’s our job to help them understand what we do and the value that it brings.” 

Because, as a decade in the home styling trenches have shown her, it does work. “That’s why the industry has grown into a stand-alone sector. Very few people live in homes in a way that’s immediately presentable to prospective buyers, and nor should they. We get the most out of our homes when we arrange them to suit our individual lifestyles. But the more in-tune the styling is with the audience, the more prospective buyers will fall in love. Sometimes it works so well that clients don’t want to sell!”