On 5 November 2020 we entered a new hybrid version of lockdown, so what does this mean for the housing sector?
What differs for the housing sector, this time round, is The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020. These Regulations allow:
you to visit estate agents, letting agents, development sales offices or show homes
you to view residential properties if you are looking to buy or rent
preparing a home to be able to move into it
moving home
any activities associated with getting a property ready to rent or sell
We are currently due to come out of this second lockdown on 2 December. Boris Johnson says that lockdown would end on this date to give people:
"as normal a Christmas as possible"....
The National Association of Estate Agents, NAEA, have confirmed that they are:
"... optimistic that the current housing boom, triggered by both the re-opening of the housing market in May and the subsequent stamp duty holiday, will continue."
Has This News Spurred You to Sell?
If so and you also want to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday, which is due to end on 31 March 2021, here's what you need to do.
Dress to Impress
If you were going on a first date, what would you do? You would certainly dress to impress. The same needs to happen with your property if you want to attract the maximum number of buyers, achieve the highest sale price and sell quickly.
There's two possible ways to do this:
Do it Yourself (DIY)
Hire a Professional Stager
Of course with anything you can choose the DIY option - the DIY route will be time intensive for you and the end result is unlikely to match that of a professional. When you have such a significant asset as your home, you should ask yourself, is it really worth taking the risk of DIY - it could delay your sale and you may even miss out on the stamp duty benefit.
A professional stager on the other hand removes these risks, because they bring with them the skillset and knowledge which has been acquired over many years, in addition to any professional qualifications and industry certifications they may have. They know what your target market wants and they deliver that in a targeted, cost effective and timely way.
The Home Staging Association UK & Ireland's report confirms that professional home staging:
makes it easier for a buyer to visualise the property as their future home
increases the number of viewings
results in buyers spending longer at viewings
results in a home which will sell up to 3 times faster
increases the offers on home up to 10%
Read more here.
How Can sort style and stage Help?
As professional stagers, with over 20 years experience, we've worked on many client projects as well as on our own developments. We've worked through market highs and lows. We understand what it takes to stage your home to attract as many buyers as possible. We also know how to do this cost effectively.
We're very proud of each and every staging project we've worked on big or small - take a look at our:
We're certified Home Styling and Staging Professionals and proud members of the Home Staging Association UK & Ireland. We're incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for two 2020 Home Staging Association UK & Ireland awards - Best Transformation and Best Virtual Staging.
Learn more about the specific client projects which made this possible, here.
We take pride in what we do and we offer a high quality, cost effective solution suited to your specific needs.
Alternatively if you still think the DIY route is the right choice for you, there's lots of useful tips for you here.
Reach out to us on +44 7984 005 626 for your 30 minute no obligation discussion on how we can maximise the appeal of your home to your target market.