As a potential seller you may be asking yourself if investing money in staging a home for a potential “quick sale” is really worth the investment. Read on to find out what all the hype about this hot trend is really about and how “Sisters Selling Real Estate” can help you appreciate the value of obtaining this service yourself.
Let’s start with a definition. According to a recent Google search, “Staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Quite simply, staging is a strategic marketing tool designed to show a property in its best possible light.” Home staging is certainly not a new term, but for many homeowners and real estate agents the concept of professional home staging is shedding new light on how to promote a home in the current real estate market.
There are varying types of staging that range from removing and temporarily replacing almost all of a homeowner’s personal belongings with new posh, trendy ones for thousands of dollars to having an interior designer re-arrange your personal belongings for an hourly rate prior to listing a home.
Why stage? When selling, you want your house to stand out among others right? Well, those who stage properties have an ability to see with an objective buyers’ eye when the homeowner may not. You may think you know your home best and can “see” it better than a stranger but in truth, most sellers would likely benefit from having someone else look at it with unbiased eyes and help get it ready to show in its best possible way. If you didn’t know, home stagers are typically interior designers who are design savvy professionals practiced in the art of getting a home into top selling condition. They assist in enhancing curb-appeal, help eliminate clutter, re-arrange furniture, strategically place decorations, and work to improve the overall flow of a property.
It has been said that, “Selling a house involves marketing, merchandising, psychology and design.” According to the experts, it is proven that a house that “shows” well and is priced right will sell more quickly for a higher price. Everyone has heard that you only get one chance to make a first impression. The same goes for your home. When a house first goes on the market, it receives the most attention from real estate agents and the buying public. That’s the time to have your home looking right!!! To achieve the greatest possible outcome, a home should always be presented at its best from the very beginning.
For this reason, it appears than realtors are fans of the staging trend and believe in the power of this technique no matter the condition of the home or condition of the market. It is thought to be valuable to both buyers and sellers. It lets potential buyers “see” the best version of the home and provides sellers with a quicker sale for top-dollar for their property. “According to the Real Estate Staging Association, professionally staged listed properties simply look better; spend 73 percent less time on the market; typically sell for more money; end up on buyers’ “must see” lists; are viewed as “well-maintained;” and have fewer concessions requested of the seller.” (Suzanne, Sproul, 2013)
Cost. If seeking this service be certain to ask for referrals and get several estimates. Just like any service, pricing in the home staging industry can vary over a wide range. The price ranges dramatically depending on the consultant and the size of the home. Individual stagers set their own fees. Some charge an hourly rate and some charge a set fee for the entire job. The average price for a whole house restaging is about $2500. If you don’t need a full service restaging many interior designers offer services at an hourly rate. For a seller that chooses to utilize any variety of staging services it should be considered a cost of doing business on a competitive level in a competitive market and an investment that the seller will hopefully recoup with a quick, top dollar sale. As you know, expert services do come at a price, as a rule, the cost of staging should balance with the expected benefit of a higher selling price.
Would staging help you sell your house? Let’s see. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer. If considering the purchase of two homes with about the same location and asking price, if House ABC is clutter-free, clean, and nicely decorated, and House XYZ a few streets over isn’t any of the three, which house do you think has a better chance of selling? In this case, it is important to remember that for some buyers it might simply come down to a gut feeling or where they can best “see” themselves. Can you remember what you thought about when you first walked into your current home? What struck you and stuck with you? What was it that convinced you to make the purchase? With that in mind, let’s revisit the original question. Would staging help you sell your house? The answer….Perhaps. It should be noted that there is no guarantee on a quick sale or any return on the investment of a staging service at all, but there does appear to be evidence that seeking an expert option prior to listing does have great value and can be very beneficial to the seller.
One final thought. Once you’ve decided to sell your home, one of the best things you can do is start detaching from it and start looking at it as a commodity. As you might guess, this is easier said than done and can be quite difficult to do. Surprisingly, choosing to have your home staged for re-sale can actually help with this process. In the staging process your house might “feel” and look less like home and actually make the transition easier.
Sister selling real estate are not equipped to provide you with furnishings or decorations to restage your home like true staging companies can BUT we do offer FREE interior design consultations to our clients and provide re-arranging and staging services using your own personal belongings free of charge to make your home look its very best upon signing a listing contact. Check out our video to see an example of what we can do for you. Call today for inquiries about the cost of this whole house staging project where only the homeowner’s currently belongs were utilized and NO money was spent to make additional purchases.
Click Here to see our Transformation Tuesday Video
We are SOLD on making your home dreams a reality. We would truly be honored to partner with you to get your home ready to sell or help you find the home of your dreams. Sisters Selling Real Estate 501.940.3592
♥♥ The Sisters
Diana Blount @ aspire realty group 