An issue many people face while looking at a possible house or apartment is just how difficult it can be to picture large, empty, and unfurnished rooms as what will likely become the nexus of one’s life.
To counteract this difficulty, home staging is a common practice. This process brings in furniture and an interior designer to ‘stage’ the house as if it was currently being lived in. It helps buyers to visualize themselves in the home. As The New York Times reports, the next logical step in this practice is to offer these staged units as turnkey options for buyers.
One example of this occurring is with a partnership between the developer HFZ Capital Group and the furniture retailer Design Within Reach. They have staged five of their apartment models and allow any potential buyer who falls in love with the model as is, the opportunity to buy the entire furniture package, which ranges from $39,000 to $60,000. If they want to change out a few pieces, a member of the retailer’s sales team will help them. If they only want the sofa or the bed, they can do that, as well.
HFZ says that this is particularly useful to first-time homebuyers, who may struggle more than others to envision a completed home and might not have the furniture already on hand from a previous living arrangement.
As developers are beginning to learn, there is a niche but strong market of buyers who are looking to find a place to live, take it, and move in immediately.
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