A 52-square-metre apartment near Jókai tér in District VI had been on the market with another agency for four months at an asking price of HUF 70 million. The owners would have been satisfied with HUF 68 million.
After City-Lets took over the sale, we recommended home staging before relaunching the property. Around HUF 4.5 million was invested in removing old furniture, a major deep clean, repainting the walls, ceilings, windows and doors, replacing light fittings, installing a new kitchen worktop and tap, furniture rental, decorative styling and professional photography.
The apartment sold for HUF 89 million within six weeks. What’s more, all costs were fully tax deductible!
What Is Home Staging?
Many Hungarian sellers have heard the term but are not entirely sure what it means.
Home staging is the process of preparing a property for sale before photography, advertising and viewings begin.
Depending on the property, it may include:
- Deep cleaning
- Decluttering
- Painting
- Minor repairs
- New curtains
- Replacing light fittings
- Furniture rental
- Decorative accessories
- Professional photography
- Floor plans
- Temporary furnishing of empty apartments
Some homes only need cleaning and professional photography. Others need painting, lighting, furniture or small upgrades before they are ready for photography and viewings.
Cleaning, Painting And Minor Repairs Usually Come First
Before spending money on furniture or decoration, sellers should check the visible condition of the property.
Buyers notice dirty and marked walls, ceilings, doors, floors, kitchen surfaces, bathroom fittings, light switches, sockets and visible repairs during viewings.
A dripping tap, damaged wall, broken light fitting, loose handle or stained bathroom sealant may be inexpensive to fix, but it can make buyers question how well the property has been maintained.
Cleaning, painting and minor repairs often improve presentation more than decorative accessories.
Remove Old Furniture And Clutter
For many properties, the first step is removing items rather than adding them. Old furniture, crowded shelves, storage boxes and personal belongings can make rooms harder to photograph and harder to understand.
In Budapest apartments, buyers often look closely at room size, storage space and layout. If a bedroom is used as a storage room, or a living room contains too much furniture, buyers may struggle to judge how the apartment would work for them.
Empty Apartments May Need Furniture
An empty apartment can look lack lustre and uninspiring, especially on photographs.
Temporary furniture can show whether a sofa, dining table, bed or desk fits comfortably. This does not always mean fully furnishing the property. In some apartments, a few key pieces are enough to make the rooms easier to understand, and greatly more appealing.
A clear floor plan can also help buyers understand the layout before they visit.
Lighting And Photography Should Be Handled Before Listing
Many preparation projects include replacing dated light fittings, updating curtains or blinds, adding lamps and increasing brightness before professional photographs are taken.
Buyers usually see the online listing before they see the property. Dark photographs, unclear room angles or poor lighting can reduce enquiries before a viewing is ever arranged.
“Most sellers are surprised by how much difference relatively small changes can make. Cleaning, painting, lighting, furniture and professional photography are often far less expensive than a price reduction after months on the market. In our experience, sellers can often recover around three times what they spend on presentation, while well-prepared homes can achieve 10-15% higher sale prices and spend significantly less time on the market,” says Alex Markus, Chief Executive of City-Lets Ltd.
Spend Where Buyers Will Notice The Difference
A vacant investment apartment, an owner-occupied family home and a partly renovated property will usually require different levels of preparation.
City-Lets helps sellers decide whether a property needs only cleaning and photography, or whether painting, furniture rental, lighting changes and more detailed home staging are likely to improve the result.
The apartment near Jókai tér did not sell because of one decorative item or one piece of furniture. It sold because multiple issues were addressed before the property returned to the market. Cleaning, painting, lighting, furniture, photography and presentation worked together to create a stronger end result.