The Costs And Benefits Of Staging A Home For Sale

Karin Carr, REALTOR®
Published on October 6, 2022

If you want to sell your property and get the most money for it, staging your home can help you do that.

Staging a home means getting it ready for a possible buyer, or “setting the stage,” if you prefer. It means redecorating, rearranging furniture, cleaning, and using other techniques to make the house look its best. The objective is to make the house look as good as possible so that as many people as possible will want to buy it. 

Advantages of staging a home

There are numerous advantages to home staging. For one thing, it might help potential buyers visualize themselves in the property. It creates a sort of clean palette — one free of clutter, personal photographs, and other stuff that can turn off a buyer or make it difficult for them to picture themselves living in the home. According to National Association of REALTORS (NAR) research, 79 percent of buyers find it simpler to envision a staged property as a dream home.

Staging also helps a home appear more “move-in ready,” which means it doesn’t appear to require a lot of repairs or maintenance before a prospective buyer can move in. Seventy-one percent of purchasers want a property that is ready to move into. Staging could help you create that idea, which could offer you an advantage in eventually selling your house.

Finally, staging makes it simpler to sell a home. It looks better in listing images (which might be important in today’s home-buying process), and it’s more appealing when posted on social media, printed on flyers, and shown in other visual marketing mediums. As a consequence, staged homes sell more quickly. According to the NAR, 62 percent of realtors believe staging affects the time a home spends on the market.

Home Staging Options

When it comes to house staging, you have a number of alternatives. You can handle the procedure yourself (DIY), get assistance from your real estate agent, or hire a professional staging business to do the work for you. You could also choose to combine these options in some circumstances.

  1. Do-it-yourself. Doing your own home staging can be a smart alternative when you’re confident that you’ll be able to design and market the property, or if you just want to save money. Repainting and polishing up the walls, moving the furniture about, introducing additional throw pillows, taking down any individual artwork or décor, and adding cozy details like fresh flowers are all options you might want to think about.
  2. Real Estate Agent. Numerous real estate brokers are firm believers in staging’s potential to facilitate a home’s sale. As a consequence, they will assist their clients in preparing and staging the home prior to shooting, listing, or marketing it. While some agents may merely offer advice on how sellers might stage the home independently, others will participate actively in the process. They might also have a selection of decorative objects that they may lend you to brighten up your home.
  3. Professional stage designers. If you want a more hands-off approach to home staging, you can employ a professional stager or staging business. These are industry specialists who frequently have interior decorating, design, or even real estate expertise that can benefit you.
The Costs And Benefits Of Staging A Home For Sale

These experts do charge a fee, but they usually do the task for you. They will assess the existing state of your house, offer advice on how to make it more marketable and appealing to potential buyers, and then put these suggestions into practice by moving the furniture, adding new accent pieces, or assisting you with decluttering.

In order to make your home appear its best, stagers frequently have a vast collection of furniture, accessories, pieces of art, and other objects at their disposal. Just be mindful that employing a stager’s inventory can incur additional costs; make sure to inquire about that.

Does Home Staging Pay Off?

Staging a property can provide measurable selling appeal from a financial perspective. Nearly one-third of real estate brokers, according to NAR, claim that staging raises buyers’ dollar offers by 1 to 5 percent when compared to similar houses. Another 30% of agents claim that it raised the home’s dollar worth by 16% to 20%.

Home staging may boost the likelihood of selling your property quickly and for top money. If you’re on a tight deadline or want to increase your profits from the sale, home staging can definitely help. It can also help if your market is very competitive for sellers by making your property unique, gorgeous, and distinct from the competition.

If you’re unclear whether staging is right for you, talk to a real estate professional in your area. They may assist you in evaluating your home and making recommendations depending on the market and the preferences of local purchasers.

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