Home Staging & Furniture Rental: Transform your Property Portfolio

The property market in Spain today is less a matchmaking service and more like Tinder. Estate agents no longer have the opportunity to speak with potential clients, understand what they’re looking for and find them their ideal match. Now, house hunters spend just a few seconds on a photo before swiping to the next property on the list. In Catalonia, more than 74% of property searches begin on portals like Idealista or Fotocasa, and everything is decided in that first photograph.

Most estate agencies have already invested in professional photography. But furniture rental and home staging remain largely unknown in the Spanish property market. Faced with a flood of similar listings, many believe the only way to stand out is by dropping the price (and, consequently, their commission). Those who understand that home staging transforms both how you achieve mandates and the results of the final sale are the ones who truly thrive in today’s market.

We already have a full article dedicated to explaining what home staging is. But there are a few key points worth repeating, notably, to understand what it is NOT. Home staging is not interior decoration. It’s a property marketing technique that presents homes in a way that appeals to the widest possible number of buyers. It has been thriving in the USA for over 50 years, but remains relatively little known in Spain. The Asociación de Home Staging España (AHSE) was established in 2013 and is certified by the IAHSP. Their aim is to extend the use of this highly beneficial sales technique throughout Spain. We’re still in the early stages of this property revolution. For estate agents who understand that property presentation is vital, early adoption represents an enormous opportunity over their competitors.

Words are all well and good, but we all know that numbers are what really matter. Fortunately, we have the AHSE data to clarify the situation. Here are some of the most compelling findings:

• Home staging prevents price reductions and fee negotiations. In 53.3% of cases, the sale price increased relative to the original asking price by an average of 10%, and in some cases by as much as 40%.
• Home staging reduces time on the market. 96.6% of properties that came to market with home staging sold within the first 3 months, and in 43% of cases the sale happened within the first month. This contrasts with the general average, where only 53% of properties in Spain sold within the first 3 months (Idealista, 2023).
• Home staging sparks love at first sight. 83% of home staging professionals confirm they have worked on properties that sold during the first viewing.
• Home staging is an affordable investment with a high ROI. The average cost of a home staging project represents just 0.83% of the property’s sale price.
• Those who try home staging come back for more. 94.8% of clients were very satisfied with the results, and 85% go on to use the service again.

All of this data translates into the same thing for the estate agent: fewer days managing viewings, happier vendors, and fees that don’t need to be negotiated downwards.

With the rise of AI, many estate agents and even private sellers are turning to virtual staging to make their listings stand out whilst keeping costs as low as possible. We examine all the pros and cons of this technology in our article on virtual home staging. But to summarise it briefly: virtual staging only works in the virtual world. The moment a buyer arrives for a viewing, they are typically met with a crushing disappointment when reality fails to live up to the images presented. And starting a viewing with a sense of disappointment is the worst possible foundation for a sale.

The real alternative is physical home staging, and this is where furniture rental comes into play. Investing in furniture outright represents a significant cost, without even considering the storage and logistics expenses that come with it. There are specialist companies offering furniture rental for property sales, but coordinating them requires time and a knowledge of styling that not everyone possesses.

The simplest and most effective option is to engage a professional home staging service that includes furniture rental. A good professional manages and maintains a wide selection of furniture suited to all property types, installs and removes it within a matter of days, and adds the finishing touches with accessories and details that buyers fall in love with. In this way, the estate agent only needs to focus on what they do best: marketing and selling.

Winning mandates is one of the keys to a successful property business, and growing that business no longer means simply waiting for clients to walk through your door. And here lies what is truly interesting about home staging for estate agencies: it does not just help you sell. It also helps you win new clients and, the holy grail for any estate agent, secure sole agency agreements.

Agencies that offer home staging and furniture rental as part of their value proposition stand out clearly from the competition. Vendors are looking for an agent who can offer them a clear plan to sell quickly and at the best price, and home staging is a premium service that demonstrates just how seriously the agency takes its clients. Combined with professional property photography, it allows you to build a property portfolio that convinces any prospective vendor.

And offering this service is a business pillar that keeps on delivering. The most powerful marketing for any business is word of mouth. A vendor who sells their home quickly and at the best price will recommend you. One who waits months and ends up accepting an offer below the asking price will not. In a market where competition is fierce, reputation is everything.

Spain has more than 60,000 companies engaged in property-related activities, equivalent to roughly one company for every 810 inhabitants. In this saturated market, differentiation is no longer optional.

A very common misconception is that home staging is only for luxury properties. However, the average value of properties sold using this technique falls between €150,000 and €300,000 (AHSE). Home staging adds value to all types of homes:

• Empty properties. Those most likely to be overlooked on property portals. Empty spaces look smaller, and it is difficult to create an emotional connection with the buyer. Home staging with furniture rental helps buyers visualise the space and invites them to picture their future there.
• Properties that have been sitting on the market. A stale listing is a burden for any agency, and unfortunately many believe the only option is to keep cutting the price until someone takes it off their hands. However, a home staging intervention combined with professional photography can breathe new life into a listing, attract fresh interest from new buyers and increase the property’s perceived value.
• Properties with a difficult layout. Every estate agent has worked with properties that have a baffling floor plan. Those wasted or poorly conceived spaces make any property difficult to present and sell. Strategic furniture and accessory placement helps give purpose to every corner, improving the flow of the property so that it feels natural, spacious and welcoming.
• New developments and show flats. Virtual tours are increasingly common, but just like virtual staging, the digital experience can never match the real thing. A show flat with elegant staging conveys the value of a property in a way that no render can replicate.
• Holiday lets. Home staging is an invaluable tool for vacation rental properties. It achieves higher nightly rates, better guest reviews, and stronger occupancy throughout the year.

Whether a property is occupied or empty, high value or mid-market, offering home staging services to your property clients demonstrates that you are at the forefront of the industry, and it will not go unnoticed.

Every estate agent in Spain is looking for the best ways to sell a property quickly and at the best price. Your listings have just a few seconds to convince potential buyers to get in touch and arrange a viewing. Don’t leave it to chance.

Home staging with furniture rental is the key to standing out in an increasingly competitive market. At 27 Minutos, we have spent years helping estate agents and property owners understand the power of home staging. Browse our articles to find out more. And watch this space, because we will soon be launching our professional home staging and furniture rental service across Barcelona and Catalonia.