From Empty Homes to Higher Offers | Sarah Bevan on Home Staging, Property & Backing Yourself

What if the difference between a property sitting on the market… and selling for a higher offer… came down to how it’s presented?

In this episode of the Built By Her Podcast, Georgie sits down with Sarah Bevan, founder of The Home Staging Service, to talk about the strategy behind staging homes  and how it’s helping developers, landlords and homeowners sell faster and for more.

Sarah shares how she turned what started as a side hustle into a growing business, after taking the leap from a corporate career and backing herself to build something she genuinely loves.

From her very first project selling within two weeks, to building momentum through networking, referrals and saying yes to opportunities, this is a real, honest conversation about what it actually takes to grow a business.

In this episode, we talk about:

✨ What home staging really is (and why it’s more than just making a home look nice)

✨ Why empty or poorly presented properties struggle to sell

✨ The psychology behind how buyers view and connect with a space

✨ The difference between home staging and interior design

✨ Working with developers, landlords and homeowners

✨ Why staging can be more cost-effective than dropping the price

✨ Building a business from a side hustle

✨ The reality of the first year (and finding momentum)

✨ The power of referrals, networking and putting yourself out there

✨ Balancing business growth with family life

About Sarah:

Sarah Bevan is the founder of The Home Staging Service, helping property owners maximise value and sell faster through strategic staging.

From fully furnishing empty homes to transforming tired rental properties and designing serviced accommodation spaces, her work combines creativity with commercial thinking to deliver real results.

Her approach is energetic, practical, and results-driven,  focused on helping properties stand out in a competitive market.

Website: thehomestagingservice.com

Instagram: @thehomestagingservice

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🎙️ Hosted by Georgina McDonald founder of G R Design Studio

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🎧 Produced by Richard Lannen at Nozzle Media
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📸 https://www.instagram.com/nozzlemedia

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So for people who don't know who you are, other than me, Sarah, what who are you and what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 0:04

So my name is Sarah Bevan and I help people with empty properties sell them quickly and for a high market value. That's in kind of like, you know, that's my short version. The longer version is essentially that we fully furnish property for sale. Um so that's everything from forks right through to furniture and artwork and everything. Um and I also do design for people as well. So if somebody's got a service accommodation like Airbnb that they'd like fitted out, um, then we do design and build for that as well. Um and I've got a few other projects on the go as well, and nothing to do with what I normally do, but um you know they're just fun. So um so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

And what are you called?

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Oh, that's a good point. Good question. The company is the Home Staging Service.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Amazing. And where do they find you?

SPEAKER_01 0:49

So um most people can find me on my website, it's very exciting, which is thehomestaging service.com. It's a real short one. Um, or of course, they can find me on Facebook or Instagram um or LinkedIn, um, or networking, do tons of networking and lots of referrals, get loads of referrals. So I'm networking like a lunatic.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Amazing. And how did you get into this as a job?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

That's a great question. So I suppose if I kind of look back, um, like I bought my first house when I was 19, so um I've been and it was a bit run down, you know. So I've been like improving, getting properties ready, selling, moving, doing all these things really for most of my life. I'm not gonna say how many years because then that's just embarrassing, but a really long time. Um, and I love that. I actually love like putting that creativity into property, and like I said, I've you know, always sold for a high market value, and generally speaking, I've sold quickly. Obviously, that's the one instance that didn't, but you know, that's always the way it goes. Um so um, so that's kind of where it started, and then I started investing in like the service accommodation uh market and started creating my own, you know, design schemes for my own properties, and I absolutely loved it. Um, and then I think like I was doing that all alongside, it was a bit of my side hustle, really, doing it alongside my full-time job. Um, and my job was no longer serving me. Um, I've got a young family and kids and stuff, and I really wanted to work for myself forever. And I just thought, I don't know what to do though to work for myself, you know. And um, so I'd quit my job um and um I found this thing pop up on Facebook and it said, Oh, you know, are you interested in design? Are you interested in this? Are you interested in that? And I was like, Oh my god, this just sounds like me. Um Facebook has targeted me well. Yes, I am definitely. Um so yeah, so I basically did this sort of five-day challenge, and literally by I think day two or three, I was like, this is absolutely like a calling. Um, so that was it. And I and I signed up and did the full course and then launched the business, and here we are three years later, doing exceptionally well. So um and what did the five-day course teach you? Um, it was kind of going through so the first initial sort of five days was just real top level kind of um, you know, essentially this is what home staging is, this is what it does. Um, obviously there was a little bit about service accommodation as well. So I was like, oh my gosh, everything I'm doing anyway, it's all great. Um and then yeah, so kind of it was like just I don't know, just real top level stuff, like, oh, this is you know what you need to think about in terms of like your keep making sure that your finances are ticking over and just like the kind of basic stuff. Um, but it was enough to make me go, I could I could do this, you know? Yeah, and that's what I've done. So happy days.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

That's amazing. Um for those of those people who are listening who don't know, what is the difference between home staging and just designing a room? Great question.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

So when we are staging properties, essentially what we're trying to do is to appeal to the widest audience possible, and that's where it differs from design because with design, obviously, you're trying to get down into the absolute specifics for that person, that market, whatever it is that you're wanting to design for. So with home staging, we're trying to keep it broad, but we're also trying to take into consideration property features, um, period of property, where it is, target market. So it's more strategic in that way that with it's really about marketing as opposed to design, which is more for a person's love, you know, and passion sort of thing. So that's that's kind of where I differentiate it.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Amazing. And in terms of the people that use your services, who would you say mainly comes to a home style?

SPEAKER_01 4:26

So um obviously the core of my business really is lends itself to property developers because they typically have empty homes. Um, and uh ultimately, you know, a lot of developers, if you look at the like the big players in the market, they always have a show home. So it's taking that concept of a show home and kind of stripping it back ever so slightly. So you've still got all the artwork and all the accessories and all the crazy stuff, but what you don't have is say like wallpaper and curtains and all this kind of soft furnishes, you know, the soft finishes. Um, so so developers are definitely a primary market. I also have a lot of clients who are flipping property, so it might be one-offs, but they might be doing three or four or five of those a year, maybe more. Um, so that's the kind of core of my market. And then obviously, you've then got um homeowners who are, you know, have moved out for whatever their personal circumstances are, and they found themselves with an empty home. So we we do some work with homeowners. Um, and then the other part of the business that we've kind of done really well with this year is actually helping landlords. So obviously lots of landlords are coming out of the market, and once their tenants have moved out, have left the property looking a little bit, you know, tied around the edges. So, so kind of for that service, what we essentially do is go in, get that property completely sparkling and ready before staging.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Does that, when you say sparkling and ready, is that cleaning? Is that a liquor paint? What does that entail?

SPEAKER_01 5:45

It really depends on the property. So to date, we have replaced windows, we've replaced carpets, we've replaced um not gas central heating, but um radiators, heaters, and that kind of thing. Uh, light fittings, we've done like minor electrical work. If switches aren't working, we've had to go and investigate why that is so that everything's kind of running, you know, running as it should. We've replaced ridge tiles on roofs and garden clearance and property clearance and all sorts of different things. So there's not really like one thing, it it really depends on what each property needs. But ultimately, we just get the team in and they go and do it, so it's all great. Um, so yeah, so all those things, deep cleaning, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Um you find that satisfying?

SPEAKER_01 6:23

I do, thankfully, I don't have to do it. But I actually do enjoy a clean home. So on the rare occasion I've had to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in, I do find it quite satisfying. But yeah, so uh so that's a cleaning boat, and then obviously, yeah, then we stage at the end, and then yeah, so we've done quite well with that this year as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

And the importance of having a staged home, I I've been purchasing houses before and I look at them, and for me, it's not too bad to look at a room and think, oh, I'd have it like this. But I've got a lot of friends who go house hunting and they get put off by the house because they don't like the interiors of it.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

And in my head, I'm like, well, that can be changed, but they can't see past it. So the idea of staging, especially new builds, development projects, it must be fundamental to selling the property.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Yeah, of course, absolutely. And I think that's it. I think a lot of people don't have that vision. So, like you like you've literally just said, like, someone could walk in if it was an empty property, for example, and go, I have no idea what to do here, I have no imagination, I'm not creative, I have no idea how big this room is and whether my stuff's gonna fit. And when you stage it and essentially it gets rid of all of those negatives, and it enables the buyer to basically go on this little journey through the property and kind of be wowed in all the of the spaces so that they can go, oh yeah, oh yeah, I like this. Oh yeah, oh yes, I could use it for that. But if you don't kind of spell it out and lay it out for them, I think a lot of buyers really struggle with that, and I think that is then detrimental to sales, yeah, and that ultimately then leads to price reductions because it sits on the market longer, and ultimately your first price reduction is way more expensive than you the investment you'd make in home staging. So well worth it.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

100%. Do you think that people who see it now want to buy what you've in there? Do you get that lot?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yes, I do, which is so lovely, and I do like it when that happens. Um, and ultimately, yeah, you know, if if if a buyer comes in and says, Oh yeah, I really want to buy XYZ, that's fine. We you know, we allow that to happen. So um, so yeah, that does happen sometimes, and it is obviously lovely when that does. So cool.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah. So, in terms of um the furniture you provide, do you have to buy it for every every property you go into and then take it back out again? And do you have to store that? Or do you have like a bank of stuff that you can use?

SPEAKER_01 8:35

I do have a massive bank of inventory because you can't have a warehouse. And I think we're well, yeah, we're actually, and we're gonna be moving warehouses soon as well because we're kind of getting so much stuff now. But um, so essentially, yeah, I've got over the years I've been you know, obviously growing the inventory because we're staging so many different homes, and obviously each home, like I said, it's got to be right for the property um period as well as the target market. So, so yeah, a real wide variety of furniture to make sure that each you know each property can sing for itself. Um, but yeah, I do own all the inventory, so essentially I buy it and then ultimately it's a rental service.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

A bit like um wedding rentals, kind of, yeah. Similar sort of concept, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

But yeah, without you know, well, with a bit of an I do at the end, but the idea is with the buyer and the developer, so more good.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

That's insane. So you said you do a bit of design and um staging. Where do you think your creativity and all of that has come from? Because you are very creative and bold. Like I look at you and I just think rainbows. Oh you do, like you're very colourful, like even your personality is very colourful. And I've seen your work as well. Even your work is quite colourful. And do you think you've got a style that you put in, or do you try and go quite neutral with what you're doing?

SPEAKER_01 9:55

I think it depends on the property. So, like some properties are so white that I feel like they just need more colour to ultimately, like I said, it's sexy marketing, really. So, um, what I'm trying to do is make those properties that are very white, very kind of neutral and modern look more enticing on the listing. So by adding a little pop of colour in a in a chair or in artwork or something like that on cushions, um, that can really make a difference and really make that listing stand out. Um, but again, I I I think probably my my core style would be either bold and bright, um, or it's quite traditional.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

So quite like that kind of classic look as well. But that's me. Um, but yeah, but I think if I was, like I said, if I'm staging houses, then it I let the property sort of dictate what it needs to be.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Do you find that hard not to put your personal preference into because you're technically not guided by the clients in a way? Most of the time, yeah, most of the time, yeah. But there, I guess you go in there and they're the the brief is can you make this look sellable? Yes. Rather than when you're doing design for a client, they're going, I need this, I need that, I need this, I don't like that, I want this. How much guidance do you have versus freedom and how does that influence your design?

SPEAKER_01 11:09

So ultimately, I would say the majority of my clients on the staging side definitely give me the freedom to know what I'm doing, go in and make the property look amazing. On the sometimes you do have clients who have a specific look that they want to present forward, and that might be because they've had an interior designer help them with you know, like tilings, finishes, and that kind of thing, and they want to see that right the way through the property. So then it's kind of then going back and looking at that look book that they're provided with and then picking out those colours and making sure that all goes together. So I quite enjoy those kind of projects because then it's fun. Um, because you're you know already working with something that's been predetermined.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Um, but yeah, most of the time I kind of get let loose to do my own thing, which I really enjoy because it's nice. It's trust, I feel like they trust me, which is nice as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Do you have to manage budgets as well? Or do you well, you must do to a degree when they say what room, this is the room, this is the budget, dress it?

SPEAKER_01 12:07

So uh yeah, the way the the price so essentially it's standard pricing depending on kind of the number of bedrooms within the property and then the number of kind of reception areas. So um so the the budget is really determined, well, their budget is their budget, but obviously the the price of home staging is determined by me, essentially. Um but yeah, we have you know very um flexible, not flexible price, um transparent pricing to make it really easy for people to cost out, and most of the time, because I'm a big believer in whole property staging, because that gives that buyer, like I said, that journey through. Um, but occasionally we have a client who budgets doesn't stretch that far, and we have to do our key room only service, which is fine.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

So it you're still about me, people who don't know.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yeah, so that is basically looking at the key areas in the home. So that's your kitchen, your living room, and your master bedroom, and really making those spaces sing. Um so we can do that. Obviously, that can be a more cost-effective option, but I would on the caution of it because then you you're leaving then those other rooms and spaces to the buyer's imagination, which we've already said, not necessarily they might not have that. So you can get that, oh wow, wow, wow, but then it's like, well, what do I do with the rest of this space? So um, so we do do the that key room only service if people want it, but ultimately, um, yeah, whole property staging is definitely the way forward if you want that real impact in the market.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

I don't know if you do this, but I'm gonna ask a question anyway.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Go for it.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

What happens if someone comes to you and they say, This is all my furniture, but I don't know what to do with it, because it's a new house. I've I'm bringing it with me. Would you take their furniture and style it into their new property?

SPEAKER_01 13:40

No one's ever asked me that before, which basically means I've never done it.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

And that's okay. I don't actually know what I would do. Because that's another hard thing, isn't it? When you're moving house, you've you've designed your furniture to fit the house that you're currently in. Yes. When you then move, that sofa might not fit there anymore. Exactly. That cabinet might not fit there anymore. Yeah. And the cost of chaining those big item furniture is isn't cheap.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

True.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

So they'll bring it with them. But the services of having someone go, actually, that would go there, that could go there, this would work together.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Yeah, I mean, I so some on it on the rare occasion, and it is rare because I don't do this very often, but um, I do offer sort of um a bit of a design consultation for homeowners. It's not necessarily what you're talking about, but it's it's kind of like looking at what they've got currently and working out what it is they actually want to achieve from the property, um, and then giving them some ideas about well, look, if you got consolidated this kind of furniture and you made it into like a sexy wool bookcase, for example, you could get rid of all these different pieces, but make it a feature of its own. And so we've done things like that, you know, to kind of help homeowners, but I wouldn't say necessarily what you're suggesting. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

It's just I mean, I think it's quite a good idea. I think it's a great idea. I'll have to investigate how I'd cost that. I just thought because we think we're talking about the people that haven't purchased yet being inspired by what you've got. It's the people that then go to purchase that would be interesting to see.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

It would be interesting, actually.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

How they would then take their furniture into that environment.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah, no, it's interesting. I mean, I think I think the only time we've sort of come across that more is when people are downsizing. When we've when we've designed when we've um staged retirement villages, um we do find that some clients kind of go, Wow, this looks amazing, but oh my gosh, like I have so much furniture and I have no idea. Sofas, right, you know, yeah, because a lot of people when they're downsizing, you know, they're you know, um they're moving from great big, massive family homes and they're moving into like a two-bedroom apartment and they just haven't got a clue where to start, understandably, you know. So again, that's why staging is quite important because it shows them the dimensions of what actually would work in that space. Yeah. Um, but yeah, we have we have done a little bit of that kind of thing. We're like, oh, you've moved into a new home. Oh, yeah, sure, we can source you a rug, of course we can get you this, but I wouldn't say that was the that's not what we focus on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Um, so with home staging, do you think that people are kind of getting used to what the value of home staging is at the moment? I feel like it's definitely grown over the last couple of years. And when I think of home staging, I think of new built houses like Red Row and they've always got one showroom. Yes. Um and I think that was just inevitable because that's how they're selling it. But I do think it's become a bigger, a bigger story, a bigger industry. Have you noticed that?

SPEAKER_01 16:25

I guess if you No, definitely, definitely. And I think it's interesting because like when you look at the American market, staging is almost you don't sell a house unless it's staged, you know. So it's a completely um, you know, it's really part of the culture in the states to kind of sell staged. Um, equally, it's still really prevalent in Australia and in Europe, and in the UK, we are major on the catch-up. So I think like in the UK, it's probably been you know, a growing industry, probably for about like the last 13 years. Yeah. Um, obviously, I'm three years in, so um, but I've seen a massive change. Obviously, when you're starting out, like you're starting out, so you know, it's it's new, it's it's new, you know, so so it's different, but but now it's it's yeah, I'm I'm you f feel like a lot more estate agents are on board or a lot more open to it. Certainly the independent ones are really trying to up their marketing game and and looking at other ways that they can help people sell. Um, so I think yeah, estate agents are cottoning on, which is great. Um, and and homeowners, I just think there's just more education around there, and I and I think there's more of us. So it makes the industry more of a thing, you know, because there's home stages, you know, the industry's growing, there's there's many more of us.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

It's funny you say that in the US it's very different to the UK. So a friend of mine was purchasing a house in the US because she lives there, and she sent me the link. And I was looking at it, I was like, why? Why does this look so different? And all the rooms have got a CGI version of that room and how you could style it.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

And I said to her at the time, I was like, Why have you got why is there CGI? Don't you just take a picture of the room? And she said, because they do it on everything to help sell the property. Yeah. And I was like, we don't do that in the UK, but that's such a cool idea. What are we doing?

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Well, I was gonna say we do, and I think the thing is CGI is amazing. Yeah, like when you're in that build phase and you haven't got a physical product to actually show, CGI really can sell that story, and I think it's amazing, and you know, obviously, done right, it really, you know, you can sell off plan that way, you know, if if it's done really well. But I think the difference is when you then have a physical product and someone's looking at your listing and is thinking that it looks like that, and then they go to the property and then it's empty, there is that again, that sort of marketing um misbalance where you're like, oh, this isn't what I was expecting. So straight away you're on the back foot because they're like, Oh, I thought I had furniture in it. Um, and of course, you know, we all we we buy emotionally. So when you can emotionally connect with a property, so through smell, feel, touch, sight, all those different senses are sort of set on fire. Like I always kind of say, like, if you're a homeowner, for God's sake, put some bread in the oven, you know. Um exactly, you know, get the coffee going. Um, but yeah, it's it's kind of it then helps somebody really kind of feel it. And I think like when you're using CGI for a property that's finished, like I said, even though it looks awesome for the listings and can get people to the property, it doesn't always then have the desired effect when the when the boys actually go around for reviewing. Yeah, and that's obviously again where physical staging really does make a difference.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Well, it's when you get there and it looks nothing like that because it actually looks like a complete mess. Yeah. Oh have you ever had that where you've seen the pictures online and they it looks okay, like it doesn't look beautiful, but it looks okay, and you get there and it's like a bomb has hit the house, and you're like, right, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

Yeah, I've I have seen that there is software that does that, almost like takes the room shot of what it currently is, wipes it out, and then re-renders over the top. Um, and I think that's really cool because I think it does show them potential and it is like a way of doing it without if it certainly if you're in an occupied home, I can see how that could work really, really well. Um, but again, if you've got an empty home, like just stage it, like it just makes such a difference. But yeah, I I I think it yeah, it it's interesting. It's like this is what you could have.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Yeah, it hasn't been hard because I'm like, but but it's like AI or it's a CGI or something like that. And I'm like, hmm, well, they've done it. I don't know if you've seen this, but I was talking to a state agent a while ago and he was like, Oh, so this is a list of all of our um properties on, and he was like showing me pictures, and I was like, Oh wow, that outdoor one looks really nice. Went, yes, AI. We just make it look pretty, we make it look like it what it would look like at night. Oh and so he he'd this picture to be at night with the outdoor lights on, and in my head, I just thought, just go there at night and take a picture.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

So that's what that would have been my immediate response. Just go and take pictures at sunset.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

But it didn't make me laugh, and I thought, oh, why do you do that? And he was like, Oh, well, it gets people away from that first impression to get them to the property, which is what you're just saying. Like, once you've got them to the property, they need to sell it again because you can just about imagine it, and you get there and you're like, Oh, okay, how would I how would I have this? Yeah, would it work for me? And when you go in and it's actually a tip, it's like um properties that need refurb work. Yeah, a lot of people don't purchase them, do they? Because they can't imagine what that space looks like.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

And it there must be a massive proportion of people that can't see past what they see in front of them.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

So loads. I think it's like I think there's some like alarming statistics. I think it's like 75% of people can't visualize space, for example.

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

So again, if you're going into a property that's really cluttered or you're going into a property that's empty, it's really difficult for somebody to kind of go, Oh, cool, I could do this. Whereas I love a floor plan.

unknown 21:42

Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Like, I'm a right move addict. And I gone, I was looking at a house the other day just for fun.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

You know, it's like tinder swiping about it.

SPEAKER_01 21:50

It's sort of like property porn for me. You know, you kind of like scroll through it, and I'll be looking at a floor plan and I'll be going, right, well, that wall needs to come out and that needs to be re jigged. And actually, if they did it like this, they sort of Make way more sense with the space. Um, so yeah, I quite enjoy that. But again, if you haven't got that visualization, it's really difficult for someone to do that and see the potential. Just again, this is why I like working with clients that are flipping houses, because I can sometimes help them as well, you know, just kind of say, Well, actually, look, if you did this, this, this, and this, you'd be able to then get in a downstairs bathroom there, or you'd be able to, you know, shift this wall around, you'd be able to have a great big open plank kitchen dining space. It could save them time, money. Exactly. So, yeah, so there's lots of things.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

A lot of things you can fill. It's amazing actually when you get someone who understands design and space, the power that it has for that property. Because you can really transform a space through furniture, through colour, through smart planning, yeah, spatial awareness. Yes. Putting plug.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

I know, I know. Again, this is another service that I've offered for developers in the past as well. Is you know, they're just design fatigued. They're just like, oh god, I've just lost the will to live with this now, you know, and I just can't, my brain's not switched on, and I'm like, look, I'll come and help you. And it's just literally going around the property and saying, right, you need plugs here, here, here, here, and here. And you need one there, and it needs to be this, you know, slightly, don't get your electrician to stick it in the middle of the wall, get them to move it slightly to this side because where the bed's gonna go, that's where the TV's gonna be. And if you put it in the middle of the wall, it's not gonna be in centre with the bed, sort of thing. So there's little and they would have gone, oh yeah, I wouldn't have not necessarily not thought about it, but I say this cautiously, not necessarily thinking about how that space will be used. Yeah. And I am saying that cautiously. Yeah. Um, so things like where's the dressing table gonna go? Where are you gonna get dressed? Where's the natural light coming in? Well, then you need plugs around there because that's where you're gonna get ready. Um, you know, women and men wear makeup these days, you know, so who knows? But like, but it's just it's thinking about those practical things and how someone's gonna use the space and being able to, you know, help people get it right from from the outside.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

So I've got a question then. So, in terms of working with developers, would you come in at the planning stage or wait for the building to be built for your staging? Because what you've just said would be fundamental when the architect is drawing out the plan, doing the layouts, and then you go, okay, electrical plan, here's here's where things are going. That is better then than it is at the end.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

So would you come in at that stage?

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Yes. So, and again, this is this is another is it's an interesting question because I think you have to I have sort of two types of clients that sit in two different camps. One is the, oh my god, I've been on the market for however many weeks, nothing's sold, panic stations, I need a rescue here. Can you come and stage it yesterday? And you're like, of course, you know, but obviously not yesterday. Give me a week at least. Um, and then you have clients who are, no, we know we already know we're gonna stage it. Um, they get me in on a much earlier. So sometimes um, you know, there's no plaster board on the walls. Obviously, the footings are all there and all that kind of thing, but um, yeah, that the property is definitely being built. So they'll send me a plan and I'll go around and I'll say, okay, because plan's one thing, but I actually like to go and see it. Um, because that again just helps me kind of go, okay, well, if the window's there, is this north facing or south facing? Where's the light coming in and all that kind of stuff? So, yeah, so earlier the better, basically. And again, depending on what you want. So maybe you want a colour consultation. Maybe you just want to know, okay, well, we've already worked out what our kitchen's going to look like, but we don't necessarily want to whitewash what colour should we paint the walls. I can help them with that as well.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Do you help them with like layouts of like kitchens, bathrooms, or do you just purely go in with styling?

SPEAKER_01 25:32

Purely go in with styling.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

Is that where like you would go with a designer and a home stager? Like, how does how do the two come together? Because for me, thinking about talking to you right now, I can see it quite clearly how that would work. But for someone listening, they might not quite understand the difference between an interior designer and a home stager. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

So I think when you think about interior design for new builds, say, if we're talking about our subject, the interior designer will have determined what the kitchen looks like, the space in which it's going to go, all the fixtures and fittings, um, like where all the plug sockets are, ideally, where all the plug sockets are gonna go, all that kind of thing. Um, they would have thought about um the bathrooms and the layout of the bathroom. So all that work will have already been done and probably an electrical plant as well. It's it's more for those clients that haven't gone down that route of getting an interior designer, have worked with an architect, done a fantastic job. But again, it's those, it's those after they are kind of afterthoughts. It's kind of like they get to that point where they're like, right, cool, we've got our building, we've built it all up, everything's done. Um, but actually now we've got a white box and I have no idea what flooring to put down, and I haven't got this. You know, they thought about the big things, but haven't necessarily thought about the final finish.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

It's so interesting. I always think people think it's a like it's after luxury. Like you have it at the end, if I've got a bit of money or I might spend it on that, it's a luxury. But actually, the way you use your property, where things need to be, like you just mentioned there, is is fundamental. Like it's how you use your space. If you're not thinking about it at the start, and you've got a beautiful big lounge which your architect has drawn for you, but all your sockets, your flooring isn't right, yeah, all of those things, you're gonna it's gonna cost you more in the long run to do it at the later stage than if you could have done it at the start.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

And and again, it depends on the developer. So, like some developers would wouldn't worry about it so much. They do what I mean because they're yeah, wax rinse repeat. And I'm again, I'm saying this carefully because I I don't want to seem like they don't care because of course they do, but it's that oh dare I say the female touch at the end, you know what I mean? It's those well how well have you thought about where that's gonna go and how much space yeah, the practical it's all about the usability of a space. So that's what's saying, going back to like the plug, you're like, where'd you put the plugs? Well, you need to put them here, here, here, here, here, here, you know, because that makes sense for how this room could be used. And if you don't put them there, they're gonna want them added in later on. And that's either gonna come down to them or you, depending on what the deal money ends up being, you know. And and certainly with flooring, like I, you know, I've had developers ask me, Oh, yeah, because um, you know, if I if I'm gonna stage, do I need to put flooring down? And I'm like, of course.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

The concrete effect is in, but not essential.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

So if you've got an art, if you've got an industrial building and it's and it's very like our tech, you know, architectural and it's very cool, then go for the concrete.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

But yeah, ultimately, yeah, it's that warm family home at giving that vibe.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So, yeah, so those I'm like, yes, you want a carpet, and yes, it probably needs to be, it needs to be neutral. And here are some examples of things that you could put in that don't necessarily need to be expensive, depending on the you know, budget and everything, don't necessarily need to be expensive to have the look, you know, or you could put down something that's like dare I say it, more cost effective, and then still give the buyer the choice at the end. And I think like some because obviously a lot of developers do like to give their buyers the choice of what they want their end product to look like. Um, but I'm like, yeah, you you can't, it's like walking a catwalk, or you you you still need to have a fundamental base to be able to put furniture on, or it just wouldn't, it wouldn't go, it just would look terrible.

SPEAKER_00 29:16

All I can picture is this lounge with a concrete floor and just a lone sofa oh, or by my setting out the window. Like, yeah, that's that.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Yeah, that'll do it. Yeah, 100%. Just whack a rug down, it'll be fine. That's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

I think as well, when it comes to people who aren't doing development projects, so selling either their home potentially, maybe a second home they're trying to get rid of. Um I sold a house a couple of years ago, it was an ex-rental property, so there was no furniture in it when I already sell it. And although I could go and dress it, it would have cost me all the furniture in as I would have had to buy all the furniture to go into this property. Yeah. And I mean, this is before knowing yourself and it was a couple of years ago now, but I remember trying to Google to buy packages to put into my house so I could rent the furniture for however long I needed, so I didn't have to then get rid of it at the end. But there must be a lot of people in that same boat. Just do you see what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 30:17

Yeah, and I think well, yeah, and obviously we you know, we occasionally get clients, for example, who who do investigate that. They kind of go down the oh well gosh, you know, the perception is that home staging is expensive. The reality is it's not. When you actually start costing out exactly how much it would cost you to furnish fully furnish to the standard that we're doing it with all like accessories alone are thousands of pounds, artwork, you know, it's thousands that's just knickknacks, you know. Um let alone the furniture. And of course, at the end, they've got then got like as you've said, they've then yeah, exactly. What do you do with it at the end? Well, they have to sell it, and you and you don't get the same return that you know, it's it's not it's not it's counterproductive basically.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

But also you've sold your house now, so you've got X amount of weeks. Well, in the how long it takes to sell a house these days, but like three months until you finish the purchase to get rid of all this stuff.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Yeah, exactly. Well, this is why renting's great, because it's it's a short-term solution that's that's marketed, you know, it helps you market the property to sell it, and then we just come and pick it all up and take it away. So there's the dream service. Yeah, exactly. We come in, we build it all out, we stage it all, and then at the end we take it all away. Job done.

SPEAKER_00 31:32

That's a great one though for estate agents. Exactly. Massive one for estate agents and maybe like student, I guess student houses the furniture stays in there, but I'm thinking that in the summer when it all gets redone, redoing it like that, or service to accommodations, the prime one, I guess. Yes. When you need to go in there and make it look pretty.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

Yeah, well, yeah, and again, so um so we've just come off a big service accommodation project, which was so exciting. So exciting about it. Yeah, of course. Yeah, because it's live now. Um even though my social media's a little bit behind because I've been knee deep in this project. But um, yeah, so this this was a um a three-bedroomed um property up in Leek in Staffordshire that my client purchased and obviously needed a fast turnaround on it because obviously time is money. Yeah, um, so the property, I think it was bought quite quickly. I'm not entirely sure what happened in terms of the you know um sale process. Um, but it did seem to all happen very, very fast. So I was like rushing about kind of you know, trying to get it all get it all done and designed and then installed. But um yeah, the property needed some work. Um, so yes, there was lots of filling to do, lots of sanding back, lots of getting, you know, just flooring needed some attention, cleaning.

SPEAKER_00 32:46

You have a really good little black book.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

I do have a little book, yes. I have a very lovely little black book. I have my lovely trade people who I love so so much. And they are so good to me. Um, so yeah, so full fully redecorated throughout, all new curtains, blinds, everything. Obviously, all the furniture went in. Um, even down to like the guest book, you know, but it's all like colour coordinated. Um, you know, and this one was for leisure stays, so it was like more fun project because you're trying to make it look amazing. Um, so yeah, so lots of wallpaper feature walls and artworks and you know, just funky things and bright colours because well, not necessarily bright colours, but like bold colours, I should say, you know, to really again try and help those listings pop. Yeah. Um, so yeah, that was a really fun project. Really fun project.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

I'll have to share a link in the show notes if we can see it. Yes, yes, I'd love that.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

But yeah, no, so that property's now live. So um, see, I do like doing the design work.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Oh, that sounds so fun. Yeah. So I want to move on to how you started your business and the journey that you've had. How has your journey been?

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Oh, I'd like to say plain sailing and a nice straight road. But that's that would be a lie. That would be a complete lie. So I mean, I think I mean like I said, I'm I'm just coming to the end of my third year and we've had the best year yet. You know, it's it's been a really great year this year. Um, so I am very happy. And I'd like the first year, honestly, like you start a business, you have no you do know what you're doing, but you have no idea necessarily, not necessarily how to run a business, because I obviously had holiday lets, but um, but it's scary because I didn't have my job to fall back on. So it was kind of like I have to make this work. So yeah, exactly, exactly. So um, so yeah, the f the first year was kind of like that I've taken you know, I've done this big investment in myself in my learning, and I've done you know, big investment in buying um inventory. Um, and now I need to get clients, you know. So um, so yeah, but I was really lucky I got a client within the first two weeks of launching the business, which was unreal because I thought it would take me months to get a new client or brand new client, brand new client. Um, and this particular property, it was um a two-bedroom apartment, it'd been on the market for I think 13 months. They they'd done all the right things, you know. They'd they'd like uh replaced the carpets, they'd painted, but the only thing they hadn't done is obviously you know staged it, and I think they were just pulling their hair out with it, really. And then we sold we staged it and they sold it within two weeks. Whoa, what a good start! Which was amazing. So I was like, oh my perfect, my first ro one, and it's obviously like been a great case study as well. And it happened really quickly, um, which was super, as in I as in I got the business really quickly. Um so yeah, and it just kind of went from there, really. So yeah, I was lucky, and I do say lucky, though other people would say, Oh, no, it's because you took the phone call at Sunday at like four o'clock, and you know, you did all these crazy things to kind of like win the win the business, but ultimately um it stood me, it stood me in good stead because then the apartment next door was also for sale, and then they asked me to come into that one as well. So, and then it kind of just went from there. So it yes, but it snowboarded and then stopped and then snowboarded and you know what I mean. So it wasn't like smooth. Like I had I don't know, maybe like four stages and I don't know, the first I think four months, rough, you know. But it's about gaining it was more about trying to gain momentum and keep going. Um so yeah, the first year was a bit, you know, a bit hitness.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

That is actually quite impressive though. The first like the first client you had didn't know you and they took the leap to go with you, yeah. And that probably completely changed the trajectory. I can never say that word, so I should probably shouldn't say it just then on of your whole entire business going forward. Because that one person who didn't know you risked to use you.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

But that's it, but I think like every single time I get a new client, it's the same. It's theoretically, it's the same, isn't it? Yeah, you you might know me obviously if you know me through networking, great, you know. But if if you've just seen something on Facebook or you've seen something on Instagram, um you don't know me. So it's the same sort of thing, but it's it's trying to reassure people that this is the right thing to do. And if you are running out, certainly with this particular instance, you're you've run out of options. Your only option now is to drop the price. So you have to do something different. So stage it, you know, it makes a difference. Yeah, like I said, I I just I yeah, sold in two weeks, and then ironically, it was sold to a buyer who'd been to see it empty and refused, refused, but she was like, I know I just can't see myself living here at all. Absolutely not, I hate it, no, not for me. Um, and then the agent was amazing and just was quite persistent with this person and said, like, you know, would you you should come back, you know, because we staged it, it looks good, you should come back. And she was like, Nope, not interesting. She was like, No, come on, please. So, so she so they had she they had a good agent as well working on their behalf, which does make a huge difference. Um, and uh yeah, she went in and she just said, Oh, I can't believe this is the same house. Oh my god, I absolutely love it. Can I buy all the furniture? She is the first as well. So I was like, Yay! Um, but yeah, so uh yeah, couldn't have asked, couldn't have asked for a better, better first one, really. Oh my gosh. Um and then I got got lots of referrals from that as well, from that agent, so it was really good.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

Where do you think a lot of your clients come from?

SPEAKER_01 38:04

Oh, um well, like I said, I think um a lot come from networking, a lot of refer I get a lot of referrals, which is always lovely. I love referrals. Who doesn't, you know? Um and then yeah, I get really you know random, I got a message from a lady a couple of days ago who'd see me on Facebook, you know. So you just I don't really know. That's kind of where I've kind of pushed myself out all over the place because like I said, most times through the website or it's referrals or it's networking, um, and then occasionally you get something through social media. So that's amazing. I just keep plugging away.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

What's the hardest thing you think you've had to face whilst launching your business and running your business over the last three years?

SPEAKER_01 38:43

I think the biggest challenge I have. I mean, obviously there's lots of challenges. Some you I just kind of roll my sleeves up and get on with. Um, and I wouldn't say they're necessarily unique to me. Um or maybe they are. Who knows? Um, I think the hardest thing for me has been having like I'm sure like all small business owners would say this, but it's having the work-life balance because you know, I've got small, I've got young kids. My my little boy just turned five on Monday. I have an eight-year-old. Um, and like I said, I've been going for two, three years. So he was only two when I started the business. Um, and I am a workaholic.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

That's because you're passionate about it.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Because I love it, yeah. I love it. So I find it really hard to stop.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Which unfortunately means then not everyone always gets my attention or as much attention as they would probably like at home. Um, and I constantly have mom guilt. But um, but I think like this, like next year I've got, you know, I'm working on that to make my life a little bit easier.

SPEAKER_00 39:43

I feel like once you've established it though, and now it's yeah, exactly. It's got more structure to it. You have the ability to outsource more.

SPEAKER_01 39:49

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Well, not say outsource, but um yeah, get get more help. Yeah, delegate, yeah, get more help. Yeah, exactly that. And I think I've reckoned this year's been really full on. Yeah, which obviously is amazing. Like I'm not complaining. I know. Oh no, no, sorry, it's in so my financial year ends at the end of May. So um, but yeah, this year's been mental. And there have been times where I just I don't even know what day it is, what the month is, like the whole this half, this first quarter of this year's just gone poof like that. I had no, I was like, oh my god, it's the end of March. Oh my god, my children's five, and I've got no idea. And I was like, oh my god, I don't even organise a party, you know. Well, I had, I had, slightly um embellishing, but you know, for the purposes of podcasting. But no, yeah, it's just it's just been relentless. And I and I think like I've I've literally said like I c I can't carry on doing this because either I'll end up divorced or my kids will disown me, you know. So uh burn out. Well, or yeah, or burn out. So um, so yeah, so I'm I'm working on putting putting in things in place for next year, which will hopefully mean we can do more work as well.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

Well, it will mean that we can do more work, is what I should say.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

So serving more people. So I've got two questions for you. Okay. So if someone is looking to go into home staging, doesn't know where to start, where do you tell them to start? Oh, that's such a good question. Five-day course. Five day course. Facebook ads.

SPEAKER_01 41:10

Yeah, Facebook ad, five day course. I mean, yeah, I mean, there's there's lots of um there's lots of different courses ultimately. Like the one that I did was a really good course. Like I said, it so it was the five-day introduction course, and then it was I can't remember how many weeks it was, but um but basically it got me enough, it was over a period of time it was self-learning, it was easy to easy to follow. Um, so there's courses like that. Um the Homestaging Association also run uh their own courses as well to help people. Um and there are other home stages that are very prestigious and have been in the industry since the day dot um who also you know run courses to help people. So my advice would be get yourself on a course. Um, don't try and wing it yourself. You do need some structure, you'll need to understand obviously, you know, just how to run a business as well as obviously where to get your inventory from, whether you set yourself up as a sole trader or you go VAT registered. And there's so many different questions and so many decisions to make. But yeah, get on a course. Yeah, strongly recommend a course.

SPEAKER_00 42:08

100%. And if you are a woman looking to go into business or start your own business, what would you say to them? Do it.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

Yay, yes, do it, don't even hesitate. Quit your jobs, everybody, and immediately go and work for yourselves. And in joking, don't do that. Don't do that unless you've got some financial backing somewhere. But um, but no, I I I think for me, like I had like I said, I I have always wanted to work for myself. I just never knew what it might that might look like for me. And I think I I was blessed with golden handcuffs in my corporate job, which made it really difficult financially, you know, to to just go, nah, I'm gonna go and start my own thing. And I I got to that point in my life, you know, I turned four. I basically have had a midlife crisis. I turned 40 and went, no, I can't do this anymore. Um, and I just and I wanted to do something I was passionate about. And I think like if you're passionate about work, even though god yeah, you know, you I'm working all all hours, but I love it. It doesn't feel like work, it doesn't feel like work. I mean, obviously it's graft, but it doesn't it doesn't hurt you, it makes you just feel alive, and and for me that has been the biggest like I I I haven't looked back, I just absolutely love what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_00 43:20

That's so nice. I get that question a lot. Why do you always work, Georgie? And I'm like, but I love it. Yes, I love the end result, I love looking at it all the time. Yeah, and it doesn't feel like work ever.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

Because it's a ho well, it's basically a hobby, isn't it? It's a hobby that well for me, it's like so it's putting all those things that I loved that I was doing anyway, but making a business out of it, and it's yeah, paid dividends. So amazing. Happy days.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

Oh, thank you so much. Oh, you're welcome, thank you for having me. Loved learning about it. Um so they can follow you on Instagram, they can find you on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Yes, and on Facebook and Facebook and website. Yes, and I think so. Anything else?

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Anywhere else they can find you.

SPEAKER_01 44:01

Oh, on how's oh I'm going on the market. I've just set up my first house profile going for growth next year, Georgie. Going for growth. So yeah, house H O U. Z. Z, I think. I don't know. I zoned out after H. Sorry. House. Find me on House.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

That's amazing. Thank you so, so much. You're welcome.