Estate agents are showing homes with shortened beds and miniature furniture to fool potential buyers into thinking the rooms are bigger.
The doll's house furniture is one of several tricks being used by the staging companies contracted to help make properties look attractive for open homes.
There might not be
smoke, but there will certainly be mirrors - they make a room look bigger too. And there may be a tray of sugar and cinnamon cooking in the oven.
The tricks are proven ways to sell houses faster, or push up the price - but buyer beware.
Some tactics used in a Mt Albert property visited by the Herald on Sunday are transparent, like the vase of flowers livening up a room.
A glass table creates the illusion of more space; a painting in place of a television gives the living room a more social feel. A selection of the most recent magazines make the vacant house look lively and up-to-the-minute.
But some tactics are harder to spot: the bright rug distracts prospective buyers from the mismatched carpet below.
The use of smaller-than-standard furniture is criticised by other home-staging companies, who say that the practice is widespread but potentially misleading.
"It's deceptive," said Lorraine Wilson, of House Dressing. "A person should be able to see how their own furniture will work in the room."
Estate agent Richard Jordan said home staging should be about making the home look its best without tricking buyers.
"It's very concerning."
The Mt Albert property was "dressed" by Homestage Auckland, whose marketing manager Amber Jacob said: "Staging is different to living".
She confirmed the company used beds with 30cm cut off the end, saying it was up to the estate agent to point the tactic out to prospective buyers.
In the Mt Albert house, a normal-sized bed would have taken up most of the length of the room. Space-intensive drawers and cupboards were also absent.
Last month, Homestage Auckland overhauled an Orewa home that had lingered on the market for five weeks without attracting many offers - the highest bid was $480,000. After it was staged, it sold for $515,000 at auction.
celeste.anstiss@hos.co.nz
