Let’s talk about what professional staging delivers to sellers, why it is worth the money and what it delivers for potential buyers.
On average, a staged home sells 50% FASTER for 6 to 10 % more money. As a seller, you have already decided to sell and move on to the next phase of your life. Are you interested in dragging the process out and paying more mortgage payments and property taxes than you need to? Do you know that after being on the market for more than 30 days, you are much less likely to get anything near the price you want for your home? The MOST interested buyers will find your home online as soon as it hits the MLS, look at those pictures, and if they are gorgeous (and staged), call their agent and tell him or her, “Get me inside that house TODAY!”
Professional Staging may be 100% deductible off your taxes as a selling expense (IF it is your primary residence AND it is staged the same year it is sold. Please see you tax consultant for more details).
The cost of professional staging is Thousand$ Le$$ than a price reduction.
Great (staged) photos online will get potential Buyers to want to see your home in person. THEN they will open the front door and say, “WOW” or “Holy Smokes” or simply do a large intake of breath. (As a professional stager, I would accept any of the above or their variations–nothing less!)
Can that reaction happen without an experienced stager evaluating layout, styling, emotional touchpoints and flow of your home from room to room for maximum impact? It’s possible, but MUCH less likely.
AFTER decluttering, a home stager makes sure the furniture layout draws buyers into each room in an inviting and comfortable way. Then they make sure to enhance the positives and distract from the negatives of your property with the style of furniture, art, accessories, rugs etc. that is appropriate for the style of the home as well as being most appealing to the target buyer. In my experience, adding even small details for a fresh attitude to even the most traditional spaces increases all buyer’s positive reactions.
The biggest stumbling block a seller has to doing staging themselves is their emotional attachment to their home. “It’s been this way for 5,10, 20 years–I like it.” or “My friends love my home–I don’t need staging” or “an interior designer did my house.” Sorry, the answer to all of the responses above is you still probably need staging! I’m a stager AND interior designer and MY home would have to be staged if I put it on the market! Why, you ask (I can just feel you asking that!)?
Because staging is not about design for LIVING. Interior Design, your personal style, or simply how your home “design” has evolved over time is NOT staging.
Staging is Marketing a Product for Sale. Marketing is the Art of Persuasion. Marketing SELLS. The purpose of staging is to create a warm and inviting environment that makes the BUYER (NOT SELLER) say to him or herself, ”I can see myself living and loving to live HERE.”
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