Should I Stage my Home Before Selling?

With the real estate market still going strong, sellers often think their house will sell itself. According to statistics, this is not the case at all. In a technology-driven world of instant gratification, the next home in a buyer’s search is just a mouse click away. A Microsoft study revealed that humans have an attention span of eight seconds–making our attention span shorter than a goldfish. You want to captivate a potential home buyer in the shortest amount of time, and enough so that they schedule a showing to see your property in person. You can achieve this by great photos, and you get great photos by having a home that was prepped properly ahead of time.

When a potential buyer enters your home, it is their experience and how they feel once inside that will often dictate whether they decide to make an offer. You can easily create an inviting and welcoming environment by eliminating clutter (at minimum) and staging your home. There are different levels of staging, which are dependent on your home’s needs. With a little professional guidance (that’s me!), many people can often utilize the items already in the home, and in other cases, we can bring in a professional stager to help make your home show-ready. Every client that lists with me will receive a complimentary photo-ready consultation where I will walk through your entire home and offer guidance and recommendations to get your home showing in its best light.

“Staging a home can save you from a costly price reduction later down the road.”

At minimum it is wise to focus on the four biggest common areas which are the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom and master bath.

• According to one study, buyers are willing to spend 3% to 6% more of the dollar value on a staged home than a non-staged home.

• A Coldwell Banker survey of 2,800 properties revealed staged homes sell in 1/2 the time of non-staged homes.

• The National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey found that the longer a home stays on the market, the further their price drops.

• The NAR survey also found the average staging investment is between 1% and 3% of the home’s asking price, which generates a home-staging ROI of 3% to 7%.

Home staging isn’t a new concept, but it is quickly becoming a leading strategy for sellers to one-up their competition in the market. A well-kept and tidy home without clutter not only photographs well, it also helps buyers visualize the home as if it were theirs.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 77% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for their buyers to visualize the property as a future home. 

Staging is a way of accentuating all of a home’s natural features and “neutralizing” the home so it appeals to the largest amount of buyers. Simplifying your home’s decor will allow buyers to visualize their items in the home and give them a more inviting experience, compared to a home that feels very seller-present. This doesn’t mean you need to get rid of all of your things! It can be as easy as putting all of the “extra stuff” in boxes and storing them somewhere like a storage unit (preferably) or garage until the home sells.

When it comes to staging, think tidy, neat, and minimal. A plant or flowers can boost a room’s appeal instantly. Taking personal photos off of the walls can help buyers make a more personal connection with the home instead of feeling like they are in someone else’s space. If your home is completely vacant, staging is an imperative step to getting your home sold in less time and for more money, as empty homes do not sell as quickly, and the longer a home sits on the market it becomes “stale” and leads to price reductions.

After I conduct my consultation, if professional staging is needed, I have several amazing companies that I would confidently recommend to get your home ready to hit the market and under contract.