New property staging business will 'help vendors increase sale value'

Sheelagh Wright, owner of Kensington House Design offers property staging services to landlords, homeowners and investors across Northern Ireland.

The mum-of-three initially established Kensington House Design during lockdown in 2020 after spending many years developing property herself alongside her career in public relations. She was inspired to add staging services to her business offering when a client asked her for help with furnishing and presenting an empty property that was not attracting viewers.

“I could see the possibilities and began training with award-winning entrepreneur and staging coach, Liv Conlon, to learn as much as I could about how to run a staging business before officially launching Property Staging NI,” she added.

Sheelagh handles every aspect of presenting empty properties for sale, from furniture selection to delivery and removal as well as ensuring bespoke finishes to suit each individual client. She also offers a ‘house doctor’ service for homeowners struggling to sell who need advice on how best to present their homes.

Sheelagh says she is finding that investors and sellers are starting to see the benefits of staging to sell or let in a less buoyant market.

“A recent survey by Right Move suggests that staged homes sell for an average of eight per cent more than equivalent empty properties. With staging typically averaging at less than one per cent of the asking price of a property, sellers can expect around a seven per cent increase in their profit by using our services. On a property worth £100,000 that’s an additional £7,000 onto the sale price with no effort required from the vendor or their agent, so it makes sense to present a property well, particularly in a much less secure housing market,” commented Sheelagh.

“With buyers spending less than seven seconds per property when searching online, having a scroll-stopping home gives vendors a much better chance of increasing viewings and offers, than if they present an empty, uninspiring space, so staging helps increase buyer interest, even before in person viewings,” she added.

And it’s not just those selling properties in Northern Ireland who are taking advantage of property staging services.

“The demand for rental properties in Northern Ireland is at an all time high and rental demand is unlikely to significantly diminish in the near future. With everyone feeling the pinch due the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills, many first time buyers are having to continue to rent, rather than purchase. Not everyone can afford to furnish a home that they are renting so savvy landlords are turning to fully furnished rentals to provide a high quality product and attract the best possible tenants.

There are certain standards and requirements that must be met when furnishing properties for rental, whether the intended purpose is for Airbnb, HMOs, serviced accommodation or standard rental and at Property Staging NI, we can handle every aspect of furnishing a property for landlords,” she said.