Homes staged for a quick sale

Property stylists who jazz up houses for sale say that homeowners are turning to them in greater numbers due to the uncertain housing market.

The design specialists, known as home stagers, replace the vendor's furniture and household items with fashionable substitutes.

They say home staging can add tens of thousands to a property's value - and costs anywhere between $2500 and $7000 for a set-hire period.

Homebase director Anthea Baker-Shreeve said her company had noticed a surge of business recently.

"We have been flat out busy," she said.

"People are realising they need to market their homes better. In the current market you can't just throw the house on the market and expect it to sell quickly."

She said making a few simple changes could fetch a higher price and effect a faster sale.

To read the full NZ Herald story, click here

Posted: 25 Jul 2010

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