Before the “For Sale” sign goes up, smart homeowners typically make any necessary repairs and clean until their homes shine. Home staging is an extra step that savvy sellers take to prepare their homes for potential buyers. What is staging? Is it worth the trouble?
What is home staging?
The goal of home staging is to make a home appeal to the widest range of buyers. In practical terms, that may mean getting rid of clutter, packing away family photos, rearranging furniture or storing pieces that are too large for a room, adding or subtracting artwork and other accessories, and painting rooms a neutral color.
Increase potential for a sale
When a space is staged, potential buyers can better envision themselves living there. This is a critical step to getting an offer. Staging highlights a property’s strengths and downplays any weaknesses. It can make a space appear larger, brighter, and more attractive.
More showings
Most buyers begin their searches online. Staging will help your home photograph better and stand out from the crowd of internet real estate listings. In fact, in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) 2019 Profile of Home Staging, eighty-three percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
Less time on the market
Staged homes typically sell more quickly than non-staged homes. The easier you make it for potential buyers to mentally move in, the faster they will decide to make an offer. Staged homes sold 79 percent faster than similar un-staged homes, according to a study by the Real Estate Staging Association.
Higher sale price
Good news! Your staging efforts will likely pay off with higher offers. Multiple surveys report that staged homes sell for more than similar un-staged homes. According to NAR, 90 percent of sellers’ agents believe staging a property results in higher offers — as much as 15 percent higher.
Good return on investment
Staging doesn’t have to be expensive. According to the NAR study, homeowners typically spend $675 on staging. That’s only 0.2 percent of a $300,000 home’s value. Well worth the effort to declutter, store personal items and excess furniture, and rearrange what’s left to highlight a home’s space and architectural features.
Related – Staging Your Home for a Quick Sale