Ann Maurice
UKTV Style Meets House Doctor
According to Ann Maurice, star of House Doctor and home-staging guru, professionally-staged homes sell for 10-15% more than the competition. So what's the secret? The UK Style web team went along to Ann's recent home staging seminar to find out her tips of the trade...
Ann's Home Staging Seminar
Ann is clearly a popular lady! There are over 100 attendees at the seminar, including estate agents, interior designers, dabblers in the property market and those looking to make a career out of home staging. Ann is funny, sassy and confident and her forthright approach makes her an instant hit. Over the next two days she shares her tips for effective home staging: how to prepare a home for sale and secure a speedy sale at the maximum price. Here's a taster...
Kerb Appeal
18% of viewers decide to buy a house on walking through the front door, so first impressions are crucial. Ann shows us how to create 'kerb appeal', that instinctive feeling which makes a viewer want to get out of their car to take a closer look. Suggestions include buying a new welcome mat, planting a rosemary or lavender bush so that heady wafts of scent greet viewers and installing an external light for the benefit of evening viewers.
De-clutter
Ann is big on de-cluttering. She urges ruthlessness. If it doesn't fit or if it isn't used, loved, needed, it has to go. Ann acknowledges it isn't easy, so she recommends the 'buddy system' where a friend is on hand to help sort everything thoroughly. Clearing clutter costs nothing, but with time and effort it'll make a bigger difference than any other tactic when selling your home. Do it!
Neutralise
Neutralising is another central theme throughout the seminar. Ann is all for personal expressions of taste, but not when you're selling. For walls she recommends soft, neutral colours such as primrose or camel. Brightly-coloured soft furnishings should be covered with plain throws and any overtly personal possessions such as trophies stored away.
Sensory stimulators
Buyers buy with emotions, not with their heads. Ann's tricks for tapping into sensory perceptions include creating an attractive focal point in each room. A fireplace, sculpture or a piece of art all enable the buyer to focus and feel 'inside' the home. Silence is deadly, so Ann suggests soft background music for viewings. And as one's olfactory memory is the longest-lasting, make sure your home smells pleasant with fresh flowers and open windows.
The Verdict?
A lot of what Ann says isn't rocket science but her suggestions are sensible, practical and achievable. We'd thoroughly recommend her seminar for anyone with an interest in home staging, whether dabbler or pro.
For more information about the programme, see What Is House Doctor? And for an in-depth interview with Ann see The House Doctor Uncovered.
Ann is clearly a popular lady! There are over 100 attendees at the seminar, including estate agents, interior designers, dabblers in the property market and those looking to make a career out of home staging. Ann is funny, sassy and confident and her forthright approach makes her an instant hit. Over the next two days she shares her tips for effective home staging: how to prepare a home for sale and secure a speedy sale at the maximum price. Here's a taster...
Kerb Appeal
18% of viewers decide to buy a house on walking through the front door, so first impressions are crucial. Ann shows us how to create 'kerb appeal', that instinctive feeling which makes a viewer want to get out of their car to take a closer look. Suggestions include buying a new welcome mat, planting a rosemary or lavender bush so that heady wafts of scent greet viewers and installing an external light for the benefit of evening viewers.
De-clutter
Ann is big on de-cluttering. She urges ruthlessness. If it doesn't fit or if it isn't used, loved, needed, it has to go. Ann acknowledges it isn't easy, so she recommends the 'buddy system' where a friend is on hand to help sort everything thoroughly. Clearing clutter costs nothing, but with time and effort it'll make a bigger difference than any other tactic when selling your home. Do it!
Neutralise
Neutralising is another central theme throughout the seminar. Ann is all for personal expressions of taste, but not when you're selling. For walls she recommends soft, neutral colours such as primrose or camel. Brightly-coloured soft furnishings should be covered with plain throws and any overtly personal possessions such as trophies stored away.
Sensory stimulators
Buyers buy with emotions, not with their heads. Ann's tricks for tapping into sensory perceptions include creating an attractive focal point in each room. A fireplace, sculpture or a piece of art all enable the buyer to focus and feel 'inside' the home. Silence is deadly, so Ann suggests soft background music for viewings. And as one's olfactory memory is the longest-lasting, make sure your home smells pleasant with fresh flowers and open windows.
The Verdict?
A lot of what Ann says isn't rocket science but her suggestions are sensible, practical and achievable. We'd thoroughly recommend her seminar for anyone with an interest in home staging, whether dabbler or pro.
For more information about the programme, see What Is House Doctor? And for an in-depth interview with Ann see The House Doctor Uncovered.
