6 Reasons Why Home Staging Is Important

If you are looking to sell your home, home staging can help you reduce your home’s time on the market while also getting the highest possible price. Whether you are selling a small 2 bedroom house or a 5,000 sq foot penthouse, staging greatly changes the perception of how your home is viewed by buyers.

In this article, we will cover the basics of home staging, the importance, and other useful tips and tricks to help you get started. 

What is home staging?

At its core, home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale in the real estate market. The goal of staging is to make the house as appealing as possible to the highest number of potential buyers. As a result, staged homes tend to sell faster and higher than the listing price. Staging allows buyers to visualize how they would live in your home creating an emotional attachment.

If you want to think about it in another perspective, selling a home is like selling your car. If you want your car to sell for the highest price, you would make it look brand new. That includes vacuuming, cleaning seats, fixing any leaks or damages to the car, and so on. Similarly, if you were selling your house, which is your most valuable asset, it would make sense to do the exact same thing. 

Staging differs slightly from decorating. Staging’s goal is to appeal to the most buyers, while decorating a home is based on your preferences. In some cases, there might be some overlap, but in most cases staging differs greatly from decorating a home. 

The importance of staging a house

A real estate agent is essential if you want to sell your home. The job of a real estate agent is to match their clients to homes they would be most interested in and likely to buy. 

Cluttered and poorly furnished houses are not shown as much by real estate agents. Ideally, they want to show homes that look beautiful and spacious because those houses are more likely to sell.

Staging can help you transform your house a real estate agent would want to show their clients. As a result, staged homes tend to sell quicker and for more because the house is showcased to more buyers. 

6 Reasons To Choose Home Staging

Realtors will recognize your home as a staged home. 

Staged properties are more favored by realtors. Realtors know that staged homes are professional and higher converting.

Homes that are staged look better than homes that are not professionally staged.

Un-staged homes look empty and dead. Staging your home will give it new life and make buyers more likely to fall in love with it.

Staged homes are shown more by real estate agents to potential buyers.

Because staged homes look better, real estate agents want to showcase it to more buyers.

Buyers are more likely to views homes that are staged because they think there are better properties.

Staging increases the perceived value of your property. Buyers will think your house is bigger and more spacious than a un-staged property.

Staging increases your home appeal to buyers. Staged properties often sell quicker and for more than un-staged properties. 

Staged homes often appraise 6-20% higher than un-staged homes.

Homes that are staged can quality for special marketing and promotional materials within real estate listings

Staging will make your property stand out online as well. Get special listing tags and other marketing materials when you stage.

How much does home staging cost?

If you are committed to staging your house, but worried about what it will cost you, there is no need to worry. This blog will breakdown the cost of home staging even if you plan on doing it yourself. 

Doing It Yourself

If you plan on staging your house by yourself, I would highly recommend getting a consultation from a professional stager. A professional consultation includes a list of issues that must be fixed before you put your home on the market. A staging consultation costs anywhere from $300-$500 and is a great starting place if you plan on staging your home. 

I would also recommend renting out a storage place to store all your excess furniture. Too much furniture in a home can make the home feel small and crowded, which negatively affects buyers.

If you want your home to feel spacious you need to de clutter your home, which means throwing out or storing any excess furniture. If you can’t seem to throw out everything, renting out a storage unit would come in handy. Renting out a storage unit costs anywhere from $100-$200 dollars a month depending on the size of the unit. 

Based on the staging consultation, home staging can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 dollars. 

A professional stager may recommend that you repaint your wall, change out all your light bulbs, repair any leaks, or prune your plants. In that case if you have problems around the house, like leaks and repairs, a handyman will cost you anywhere from $70 – $125 dollars per hour. Depending on how many walls need to be done, repainting your interior and exterior walls could cost you anywhere from $500 – $2,000.  

If you decide to change out all your lightbulbs, it can cost anywhere $100 – $150 dollars especially if you are opting for the higher wattage bulbs. And if you are pruning your plants, it can cost you $20 – $30 dollars for a good pair of pruning scissors. 

Easy Home Staging Tips 

Staging your home does not have to be hard. In fact, if you make a plan and timeline, home staging can actually be fun for the entire family. Here are some staging tips to consider when making your home staging plan. 

Declutter

One of the most important things buyers look for in a house is space. Buyers want to feel that a room is spacious and big to accommodate all their needs. Oftentimes when buyers walk into a cluttered room, they will feel just the opposite. They will feel that they are being congested by the furniture and cannot “breathe” in that room. 

Decluttering is one of the most important tools to stage your home. Decluttering means getting rid of your college textbooks, your family photos, extra desks and chairs, and all your personal belongings. 

Remember, you are trying to attract as many buyers as possible. Buyers will not be appeased by your funny alarm clock or by your sports trophy. You should take out at least 40% of your existing furniture in order to maximize space within the room. 

For example, you should take out any furniture that blocks a fireplace, a hallway, windows, or a door. You are not showcasing the furniture but rather using the furniture to compliment certain features of the house. Instead of blocking the fireplace with furniture, center the furniture around the fireplace to highlight the fireplace. 

Light 

The number one thing buyers look at when buying a home is light. Buyers want their house to be filled with light whether it is sunshine or artificial lights. The last thing buyers want to feel is that their house feels like a dungeon. Lighting can help improve buyers’ perceptions by highlighting certain features of your house. 

There are some easy things a homeowner can do if he or she wants to improve lighting in their house. 

One method is to replace all your lightbulbs in your house with higher wattage bulbs. Higher wattage bulbs use more energy than led light bulbs, but produce more light. If you want to maximize the amount of light in the dining room, or bedroom, using higher wattage bulbs will produce more light, increasing buyers perception. 

Another method is to clear any outside plants from the windows. Plants that are blocking windows also block light from coming into the room. A quick and easy fix is to trim your plants to allow for maximum light to enter. 

Cleaning your windows and fully opening your shades are two other small things you can do to maximize light. It may seem obvious but cleaning your windows can drastically improve lighting and make your house feel cleaner. Cleaning your windows is one of the most overlooked things by home sellers. Opening your shades seems like a no-brainer, but oftentimes homeowners forget to open the bedroom or kitchen blinds which can make those places feel like a dungeon.