Staging a home is an essential part of the sales process. For many sellers, it’s second nature to clear out a home, clean it completely, then get the photos out and get the home on the market. And while it may seem like the right thing to do, many home buyers will have trouble picturing not only their belongings but their new life in a home that is bare-bones empty.
For this reason, it’s important to emphasize how critical it is to properly stage a home while it’s on the market, during showings, and certainly during open houses. Even if a seller has to move all of their things out, there are still options to properly stage a house. Here are our tips for explaining the importance of a staged home to your clients.
Faster Selling & Optimal Pricing
The biggest reason to stage a house is undoubtedly that staged homes sell faster and sell for more money than homes that are otherwise empty. Staging a home helps fill out the spaces within it, allows potential buyers to visualize how they can use the home, and (most importantly) see their new life in the house.
Statistically speaking, homes that sell faster also command a higher price with research showing that homes that sell within the first four weeks of listing generally have a selling price 1% above asking. Basically, a staged home has more interior curb appeal than an otherwise unstaged home, and the investment to stage a home far outweighs the cost.
Staging Creates a “Dream Home” Scenario
In real estate, there’s hardly such thing as a dream home unless it’s a new build and a completely custom job. However, when staging an existing home and putting it on the market, sellers have an opportunity to create a “dream home” scenario where the home is practically perfect and the right buyer will fall in love immediately.
Doing so requires some work, though. Sellers may be in a position where they can keep their possessions inside the house but declutter and temporarily store things to make the home seem even more attractive. Additionally, homeowners may choose to personalize the home in a tasteful way with strategically-placed family photos or personal items. Doing this will give the house a personality of its own and remind buyers that humans do, in fact, lie in it!
Staging Has a High Return on Investment
Perhaps one of the things that keep clients from staging a home is the potential cost of doing so. Not every seller has the opportunity to keep their possessions inside the home while it’s on the market. As a matter of fact, many who are between homes or moving long distances will have to take their things with them if they move before selling.
In that case, sellers will likely have to pay you or a staging company to move a few strategic pieces of furniture into the home in order to properly stage it. This cost certainly isn’t extravagant but definitely isn’t insignificant. For many staging projects, the cost can range from $300 upwards to $2,000. But considering the sales price in today’s market, this is a small price to pay!
