MARKETING


than the competition and with next day delivery options.” Furniture provides reference points and


impact when you enter a home. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is an old saying, but still true, Roomservice by CORT are experts in this field. “Homestaging furniture rental packs include everything needed to stage a property including rugs, lamps, and accessories. All of our furnishings are delivered and installed by our highly experienced team who will complete the full staging of the property in just one day,” says MD Roger Hollis. The installation is rapidly followed by a


quick sale, is the theory and other firms agree that it works; Nadine Barkho at Savills Interior Services says that property presents much better to buyers, “The spaces are clearly defined, the rooms don’t look like awkward spaces to be filled and buyers can see how they could live in the house.”


RESALES Dress-to-sell for private sellers is a major area of growth, especially where a house may not sell quickly, perhaps because the furnishings somehow don’t fit the buyer profile, or because the sellers have already moved and taken their furniture with them. An empty home is a sad home and surprisingly, even the most intelligent buyers seem to struggle to see the empty canvas of a bare house, in need of TLC, as a place they could call home. The sale, in this case, can achieved by


the simple introduction of some carefully chosen pieces of furniture and some elegant accessories – all available to hire for a minimum period (usually) of three months. Nick Gill says that dressed to sell


properties “provide potential buyers with an insight in to the lifestyle a property can offer them. A dressed to sell property will also be differentiated from competitors”. This quickly translates into sales that, says Nick, not only sell more quickly, but at the asking price – or above! Nadine Barkho agrees; “Dressing a


property for sale is a very worthwhile marketing exercise. When you are selling a property, you are competing with fellow vendors and your property has to stand out, especially when there is fierce competition. For properties that are slightly tired, but the vendor does not want to commit to a refurbishment, dressing is a great tool to allow an applicant to


savills


saving scheme, sought a way of getting what the property needed to let well without spending three weeks in IKEA. The furniture package was the


developing product. An instant house ‘fully furnished’ from the king size bed right down to the teaspoons in the drawer; everything could be bought, delivered and placed in one hit. The internet made it even easier; once


Pink rooms for little girls, drama in the master bedroom and an elegant scheme for a simple dining room. All in the service with Savills Interior Services.


the sales and payment systems were sorted out, it became a matter of choose it, pay for it, forget about it, process; a furnished home in a few clicks. The buy to let could be let. One of the earliest players was


‘The spaces are clearly defined, the rooms don’t look like awkward


spaces to be filled and buyers can see how they


could live in the house.’ NADINE BARKHO SAVILLS


concentrate on the benefits of the property, rather than the décor. The last thing you want is an applicant saying no to your property because they don’t like the paint colour, or tiles in the bathroom.” Nadine’s team will first agree an


inventory and price with the seller, which can be done either by visiting the property, or more quickly through the floor plans, “The dressing quote will include everything from furniture, to decorative accessories and artwork. Savills Interior Services ensure that the look achieved is reflective of the style of property, the location, and most importantly, the target demographic.”


LEttINgS The largest growth area of all; the demand took off with the advent of buy to let, as the part time landlord, whether he was a big bonus banker buying a swish pad-to-let or a busy teacher wanting a more interesting


Roomservice by CORT, entering the market over 25 years ago and now part of the global organisation Berkshire Hathaway. “We cover all bases,” says Roger Hollis, Managing Director, “We work with many leading lettings agents, including Cluttons, Carter Jonas, Kay & Co. and Harris Luther. The agents refer landlords to us or manage the service for the landlord. It is the landlord’s decision as to whether he furnishes or not but it can make an immense difference.” “Our dress-to-rent option makes any


property more appealing; the (carefully selected) furniture is installed, the potential tenant views it and appreciates the lifestyle on offer, then moving in is simple as the furniture is already in place, it’s a faster let and faster rental income – and the tenant starts paying the furniture rental on top of that.” Some of Roomservice’s landlords have a whole house furnished, others choose certain pieces, others leave it to the tenant; a popular choice for tenants relocating from overseas. “Our research has shown that for a family relocating to the UK for 2 years or less, the cost of shipping their furniture is more than renting high quality furnishings and equipment from us – and it suits the house.”


tHE AccIDENtAL LANDLORD Furnishing also suits the so called ‘accidental landlord’; those who’d dearly love to sell, but can’t get the right price, letting is a way through the difficulty. Sometimes it becomes an extra income stream or a pension scheme. These landlords may have some furnishings to leave, but a half furnished property isn’t that useful either, so the furnishing companies can provide individual items as needed, but again, all at once. In today’s tenant driven market furnishing and


PROPERTYdrum JANUARY 2011 39


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