Home staging can be a game-changer if you’re looking to sell your property quickly. By decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding tasteful decor, you can enhance the appeal of your home to potential buyers and increase your chances of a successful sale.
Recently, home staging has become a big buzzword for anyone preparing their house for sale as well as listing agents.
Staging a home is the crux of many of HGTV’s buy-and-flip or renovation programs.
You don’t see Chip and Joanna Gaines presenting a vacant home to the lucky new owners of a house they renovate.
Each home they design has carefully crafted decor to showcase each of their creations in the best possible light. And in case you didn’t know, the furniture was removed after the reveal. The homeowner does not keep it.
But those beautifully staged homes are not presented vacant for a reason.
It is all about presentation. And it is the icing on the cake.
Homes that fly off the market, even in a seller’s market, will often involve some level of staging. A perception of value is created and the home becomes a hot commodity among the buyers.
Let’s delve into what home staging is, what is not and if it is worth the effort.
What Is Home Staging?
Home staging is the process of preparing a house for sale by enhancing its visual appeal and functionality.
It involves decluttering, cleaning, depersonalizing and arranging furniture and other accessories in a way that makes the house look more attractive and presents options to potential buyers.
In essence, staging is about showcasing the best features of a property while minimizing its flaws. We want to highlight features of the home and not your personal belongings.
For example, we want to highlight your hardwood floors and not your Oriental carpets,
or…
your large floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the space with natural light and not your custom drapes.
Effective home staging can help a property sell faster and for a higher price. It can also help buyers visualize themselves living in the house, making it more likely that they will make an offer.
What is Home Staging Not?
Many home sellers go into the home selling process thinking a well-decorated home is a staged home. While a piece of the home staging process is about decor, it is far from being about a well-decorated home.
Often even the most beautifully decorated homes can benefit from a home staging consultation.
We aren’t selling your home for them to make it theirs.
When you stage your home we are creating a space where homebuyers can mentally take possesion of your house as their new home. And, often that means removing some of the personality out of your house that makes it your home.
The Difference Between Decorating and Staging A Home
Home Staging Is About Merchandising Your House
Staging Works
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Staging
The Benefits Of Staging A Home
- 85% of staged homes sold for 5% to 23% over their asking price, with staging providing an 8% to 10% return on investment.
- An increase of 1-5% of the value of the home was reported by 22% of the agents that stage their client’s homes.
- Staged homes on average spend less time on the market… up to a whopping 73% less time.
- 81% of home sellers say that a staged home makes it easier for them to sell their home
- Staging a home on the market increases the sale price of the home on average anywhere from 1-10% according to 50% of listing agents.
- The rooms that benefited the buyers most from home staging are the Living Room, Kitchen, Master Bedroom and Dining Room.
- 58% of the buyer’s agents said that home staging has an impact on home buyers. While 31% said it impacted some buyers. And, 9% said it had no impact at all.
Is Home Staging Worth It?
I know from my experience listing home over the past 20+ years is staging provides many benefits to the home seller.
And with the data provided by NAR, it reinforces that staging a home can reduce market time, increase buyer appeal and have a significant return on investment.
Buyers’ Expectations of Homes On The Market
Homebuyers today have much higher expectations than home buyers of the past.
Reality TV shows create a discrepancy between beautifully staged homes that are shown on the show and what homes look like in person. There often is nothing real about reality home shows.
And love-it-or-hate-it reality house-hunting shows create unrealistic expectations. An expectation is that homes for sale all have been expertly staged and look their best.
Reality TV is shaping today’s home buyers’ expectations. And perfectly prepared homes are one of the big expectations that are set.
Who Stages A Home?
If a homeowner decides to DIY their home staging many articles can be found to assist in the staging of their home. The downside of DIY home staging is not fully understanding the concepts of home staging and trends that attract current buyers.
It is also possible that your listing agent provides home staging services themselves. An experienced agent will spend time in classes on home staging and be up on home buyers’ expectations of homes for sale in the marketplace.
The last option is for the seller or agent to hire a professional home stager. A professional home stager is usually certified and spends every day staging homes in preparation for a sale. The best result usually comes from a professional home staging consultation.
How Much Does Home Staging Cost?
The cost of staging your home can vary significantly depending on the services needed.
A quick walk-through from a home stager pointing out key tasks with no written report can run as little as $200- $250. A more comprehensive staging consultation can run $400 to $600 with a written report. The expectation is you complete the taks on your own.
If you are looking for the stager to spend time doing some of the rearranging and bringing in design elements the cost can climb to $800 to $2000.
If your home stager is bringing in furniture to stage entire rooms you can expect the initial set up to run $1000 to $1500 a room (includes furniture rental for one month). Then furniture rental on an ongoing monthly basis can run $800 to $1200 a room.
The average cost of home staging is approximately $400. With a comprehensive consultation with a report being the service most often requested.
know from my experience listing home over the past 20+ years is staging provides many benefits to the home seller.
And with the data provided by NAR, it reinforces home staging can reduce market time, increase buyer appeal and have a significant return on investment.
Virtual Staging
A recent trend is to have vacant rooms or entire homes virtually staged by digitally enhancing photos of vacant rooms. Virtually staged photographs will have furniture, carpets, curtains and decor items added.
A virtually staged room will accurately depict the size of the furniture to help give a sense of scale, the intended use and visual appeal to the room.
The one downside of virtually staged homes is buyers will often be confused and disappointed when they arrive for their showing to find a vacant home. It is a good practice to call out that the home has been digitally staged so buyers are not disappointed when they arrive.
The Importance of Home Staging Before Photographing A Home
Scroll through any real estate sites and you see that many of the homes have professional photography of well-staged homes. If you scroll up and look at the statistics above a staged home will have a 40% more chance of a home buyer scheduling a showing.
That is a significant increase.
Combine professional real estate photography with a professionally staged home and you have a winning combination.
Your First Showings Are Online
When a buyer is sifting through listings it is important to grab their attention immediately and make your home stand out from the crowd.
I always tell sellers their first showings are online. It is is critically important to have your home staged a professionally photographed to grab potential buyers attention.
Top Home Staging Tips When Preparing Your Massachusetts Home For Sale
Clean
Deep clean every corner of your home. A spotless home will certainly impress buyers and make them overlook other areas of the home that may not be perfect for them.
De-clutter
Depersonalize
I’ll say it again, we want your potential home buyers to see the home as it works for them. It is hard when you have family photos and highly personalized art or decor.
Neutralize your home’s decor so homebuyers can take mental possession of your house as their home.
Use Rooms As Intended
Buyers don’t always have the vision. Lead them where they need to go and don’t leave much to the imagination.
Make that fourth bedroom ab bedroom instead of a yoga studio. Or convert your dining room back to a dining room instead of using it as a playroom.
Edit Rooms
When staging a room we talk about editing a room. We often accumulate more stuff than we need. This could be furniture, personal items and decor.
Pair down and curate just what is needed to define a room.
Pay Attention To Flow
You don’t want furniture jam-packed into a room. Make sure there is a proper flow in and out of a room, as well as around the furniture.
Less Is More
When staging your home less is more. For example, we all have appliances and items on our kitchen counters we rarely use.
Get rid of them and show you have plenty of workspaces.
Ditch The Collections
Buyers will get distracted and react to your collections.
Ditch the Snow Babies in your curio cabinet, or the Hummels on your top shelf and the beer mug of every sports team in America.
The worst thing that can happen is if they remember the 100 Snow Babies instead of the large kitchen island.
Light It Up
Don’t keep shades drawn and drapes closed. You want your spaces to be bright and airy. Consider removing heavy drapes completely or replace with sheers.
If need be add lighting so buyers are not milling around in the dark.
Focus on Key Areas
Prioritize what areas need to be done. Topping the list is Living Room, Master Bedroom, Kitchen, Dining Room and Bathrooms.
Be Objective
Yes, you love your home and you probably love how you decorated it. But maintain your objectivity.
Neutralize the decor and pair down your belongings. Let the buyers see the features of the house and how they will use it. Not how YOU use it.
Fresh Paint
Some of the best money spent when staging and preparing a home is fresh paint. Repaint any highly stylized paint colors with neutral paint colors.
Plus, your paint job may be old and tired. Nothing can revitalize a space like a fresh coat of paint.
Small Repairs
Most buyers want in move in ready homes. Try to get your home as close to move in ready as possible.
Curb Appeal
Do you want your buyers starting their showings excited this might be the one or UGH, this is adump.
Outdoor Living Areas
Do I Have To Buy New Furniture When Staging My Home?
Do I Have To Get Rid Of All My Stuff
How Far in Advance Do I To Plan For Staging?
How Do I Know If My Home Needs To Be Staged
What If I Dont Like The Home Stagers Recommendations?
Summary of Staging A Home For Sale
Home staging is essentially the process of preparing a property for sale by making it more attractive and appealing to potential buyers. This can involve a wide range of tasks, from cleaning and decluttering to rearranging furniture and adding decorative elements.
he goal of home staging is to help potential buyers see the property’s full potential and imagine themselves living in the space. This can be especially important in competitive real estate markets.
Studies have shown that staged homes tend to sell faster and for higher prices than unstaged homes. Additionally, home staging can help reduce the need for price reductions and can make a property stand out in a crowded market.
In short, investing in home staging can help sellers get the most value out of their properties and maximize their chances of a successful sale.
Home staging is not just about making a property look pretty. Rather, it’s about creating a space that will appeal to a wide range of buyers and allow them to envision themselves living there. This may involve neutralizing certain elements of the property to make it more universally appealing, such as removing personal photos or minimizing bold paint colors. It may also involve adding certain elements, such as lighting or furniture, to enhance the space’s functionality and create a more inviting atmosphere.
In conclusion, home staging is a crucial aspect of the home-selling process that can help sellers maximize their profits and speed up the sales process.
By creating an attractive and inviting space that appeals to a wide range of buyers, sellers can increase their chances of a successful transaction and get the most value out of their property. While home staging may require an investment of time and money, it can ultimately pay off in the form of a faster, more profitable sale.
Other Real Estate Resources:
- Pay now or pay later. Deferred maintenance will cost you in the end. Keep up with your homes maintenance for spring with Bill Gassett.
- Not every yard is level. A sloped yard can present landscaping challenges. Karend Highland shares some tips on landscaping a sloped yard.
- Thinking of buying a new home. Be prepared with Luke Skar’s list of questions to ask when purchasing a home.
- Thinking of selling your home and building your own home? Get an explanation of how construction loans work by Paul Sian.
