Despite the growing awareness of home staging, many homeowners and even experienced agents resist the effort. Why? Agents and owners don’t understand the benefits. Another reason: perceived cost or adding time to the sales cycle. Finally, some agents want to stage themselves. Let’s address each of these.
The benefits of staging are well-documented. The National Association of Realtors reports that eighty-two percent of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home and almost half of agents say staging increased the sales price. Fifty-three percent of agents said a staged home has a shorter time on the market.
Given these benefits, what about cost? One issue might be that agents or owners might think of staging as a dramatic, whole-house effort involving new furniture, etc. Staging actually is a continuum of services, and a professional stager will offer the agent or owner options appropriate for the home, neighborhood, market and sales objective.
In many cases, “staging” can be a consultation of several hours to advise the owner on how to declutter, lighten, move things around and make easy, fast changes that will allow potential buyers to see the best aspects of the home. The stager can then help the owner or agent go further to implement these changes and sometimes bring in inexpensive small items and accessories or light updates such as repainting a wall to enhance existing furniture and design. In the most dramatic cases, an empty home can be staged with furniture and accessories. Recommendations are based on budget, timeline and need.
What about agents who consider themselves to be stagers? Agents certainly see a lot of homes, and many might have a good eye for design. But is spending time organizing a bookshelf, coordinating repainting or finding accessories a good use of the agent’s time? A professional stager also brings training and experience to a project with an eye to photography and making sure potential buyers can visualize themselves in the home. Generally, an agent’s time is best spent on acquiring listings and closing sales.
Whether your property (or your client’s) needs a quick review for presenting it in the best light, you have a “problem” property or a vacant one, staging can help sell the home faster and for more money. Contact us today to discuss which option is best.