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My story: How I became a Home Stager
Friday 13th September 2024
Let Me Tell You About Me: My Journey to Becoming a Home Stager
People often ask me, "How did you get into home staging?" Well, let's just say, I've always had a passion for creativity. While my friends would get excited about clothes shopping, I was the one dragging them to homeware stores, property open days, and browsing for soft furnishings and accessories. I've always been obsessed with styling homes, and my love for property and interiors has been with me for as long as I can remember.
My family and I have a long history of buying run-down properties—those "old-lady" homes that need a complete refurb. Some we lived in, and others we've flipped to sell, but the best part for me was always the transformation. Painting, decorating, and styling the space with furniture and accessories to get it ready for sale was my favourite part of the process. I loved seeing how small changes could breathe new life into a space and make it shine.
One thing I noticed early on was that empty properties just didn't sell quickly. Buyers seemed to struggle to imagine the potential of the home, and they'd often try to haggle for a lower price. But when we started staging our properties—bringing in furniture, accessories, and soft furnishings—it was like magic! The homes flew off the market, and we often received higher offers.
That's when I stumbled upon the concept of home staging. Before that, I didn't even know it was a thing! It's a huge industry in America, but here in the UK, home staging wasn't well-known outside of high-end properties or show homes. I quickly realised that home staging isn't just for luxury London new builds—it's for everyone, including your average seller like you and me. And that's how my journey into home staging began.
Fast forward to today, after a lot of hard work, learning, and dedication, I'm proud to say I run a successful family home staging and decluttering business—Farrow Home Staging. I'm based in Kent and serve the surrounding areas, including Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Dartford, London, Medway, Maidstone, and Sevenoaks.
To give you an idea of the impact staging can have, a typical client of ours sells their home within weeks, compared to months on the market. And it's not just about speed—many of our clients achieve the full asking price, and some even go beyond. For example, a recent client in Bromley had multiple offers within a week and sold for £40,000 above asking price—all thanks to staging!
So, does staging really work? Absolutely! One analogy I like to use with my clients is this: If you were selling a second-hand car, you'd make sure it was in the best condition possible, right? You'd do any minor repairs, give it a deep clean, maybe throw in new seat covers, fresh mats, and an air freshener. Why? Because you want to attract interest and get the best price! The same concept applies when selling your home. You need to handle those DIY repairs, deep clean, declutter, and stage the property to look its best and smell fresh—everything you can do to make it shine and stand out.
I genuinely LOVE what I do, and I'm lucky to say that my job doesn't feel like work at all. I'm so grateful for that. Now, I won't tell you what my job was for years before this, because you might throw rotten apples at me—I was a debt collector! (Yes, really!) But here's the thing, I was known as the softie. Everyone wanted to talk to me because I was kind and always tried to help. So yes, you can be a kind debt collector!
Thankfully, I'm now fully aligned with my true passions and desires, and I couldn't be happier. Helping people present their homes in the best possible light, watching the transformation, and then seeing the amazing results for my clients—it's what makes this job so rewarding.
If you're looking to sell your home faster and for a higher price, and you want to learn more about how staging can help, feel free to get in touch. I'd love to chat and see how we can make your home the next success story! Jenniex