In Netflix's 'Selling Sunset', real estate agents often hire the help of a stager to dress homes and help sell their properties. Courtesy Netflix
In Netflix's 'Selling Sunset', real estate agents often hire the help of a stager to dress homes and help sell their properties. Courtesy Netflix
In Netflix's 'Selling Sunset', real estate agents often hire the help of a stager to dress homes and help sell their properties. Courtesy Netflix
In Netflix's 'Selling Sunset', real estate agents often hire the help of a stager to dress homes and help sell their properties. Courtesy Netflix

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Should we be staging our homes? How to best present your property to potential buyers

Experts advise UAE homeowners on how to dress their property for rental or sale, a process often used on Netflix's 'Selling Sunset'

Farah Andrews
Farah Andrews
Dubai

August 12, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

"I have to stay on my A-game, and the staging on this property has got to be perfect," Chrishell Stause says in the first episode of series three of Selling Sunset, which was released on Netflix last week.

In this particular episode of the property reality show, actress-turned-estate-agent Stause is trying to sell a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom, 6,300-square-foot home in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles, valued at just under $4.4 million (Dh16m). In order to do so, she teams up with a home stager named Odelia to stylishly dress a number of rooms in the previously empty house.

The same practice happens here in the UAE. And one Dubai staging expert says it could ultimately earn you more money on your property.

A staged kitchen and dining area, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix
A staged kitchen and dining area, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix

What is home staging? 

"Home staging is the process of preparing, packaging and presenting your home for sale or rent, ensuring it appeals to the widest possible audience and sells or rents for the highest possible price," says Sarah Johnson of Sarah Johnson Consulting, who has been staging on a commercial basis in the UAE for more than 14 years.

The business works with companies and individuals, and offers a range of options, Johnson tells The National. 

The packages start with a basic option, which consists of a consultation, followed by Sarah Johnson Consulting sharing a report and mood board for clients to replicate.

A staged office, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix
A staged office, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix

There is then the option to upgrade to a package that includes the company removing clutter in a space, and advising on upcycling and sustainability possibilities. Finally, clients can opt to hand over full control, giving the company a blank canvas to complete a full fit-out.

"It is bespoke work," Johnson says, and packages start at Dh2,500 per room. She says that as a stager working in residential properties, you "have to be empathetic and mindful, you're in someone's home … it's not a commercial proposition".

“It's about creating an identity that complements the living space, bringing to life an environment that reflects you,” adds Maxine English, creative partner at Sarah Johnson Consulting.

Sarah Johnson Consulting's founder, Sarah Johnson, left, and creative partner, Maxine English. The company has recently expanded its services to offer home staging
Sarah Johnson Consulting's founder, Sarah Johnson, left, and creative partner, Maxine English. The company has recently expanded its services to offer home staging

Does home staging work? 

Johnson says "80 per cent of buyers can't see how that space could work" if it is presented to them empty. "Putting basic elements in has a massive impact on the speed it sells or is rented."

Staging can look good in an empty property; having furniture in a room can make it appear bigger as it's easier to visualise what may fit

Lewis Allsopp, chief executive of Dubai estate agency Allsopp and Allsopp, agrees that there are benefits to home staging.

"It all depends on the client and their imagination. A staged property can work wonders for clients who can’t picture the potential for a space in a home," Allsopp says. "Often, staged properties or well-furnished properties get a lot of interest from potential buyers who are drawn to the aesthetic and the styling of the home.

"Staging can look good in an empty property. Sometimes, as odd as it sounds, having furniture in a room can make it appear bigger because it's easier to visualise the dimensions and what may fit. Often, buyers or tenants will look at an empty room and be left with doubts about what would fit ... Staging could lead to a quicker sale or rental time and potentially a higher price."

Johnson says it is a balance of “effectively creating brand guidelines for people’s homes” and creating an aspirational space, while taking a client's needs into account.

A staged living room, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix
A staged living room, as seen in a home on 'Selling Sunset'. Courtesy Netflix

Allsopp and Allsopp does not currently offer home staging, and  its chief executive notes that the design cannot be too personality-led, echoing Johnson's belief that staging should "take the emotion out" of preparing a home to be sold.

"There are cases where a staged property can block a buyer's vision and they can’t see past the furniture and decor that is right in front of them to make space for the visions of their own home," Allsopp says.

"Our top tip to sellers or landlords, when it comes to making their property attractive to a potential client, is to declutter.

"If the property is currently occupied by the seller, landlord or a tenant, we advise that it is kept as clean and tidy as possible for marketing and, of course, for viewings taking place.

"A vacant property should be kept fresh and tidy, avoid unnecessary eyesores in the garden and, if possible, keep the power connected to show the property at its full potential, and avoid stuffy rooms and dead grass."

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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