The Benefits Of Staging A Home To Sell

If you're looking to sell your home, staging the property can help you get the top dollar!

What is staging.  It is setting the stage for a potential buyer.  In other words you are preparing the home, making it appealing to the potential buyer . It involves redecorating, rearranging furniture, cleaning and other aesthetic strategies to present the home in the best possible light.

Benefits of Home Staging

Staging brings a potential buyer all the more closer to a final vision of what their furniture could look like in the home. When you place a vision in front of a buyer, it's easier to secure a sale as it appeals to the emotions of a home buyer.

It's estimated that staging your home can often raise the asking price by 6% to 10%.

Staging also makes a home look more "move-in ready" — meaning that it doesn't seem to need a lot of work or repair before a new buyer could move in. Seventy-one percent of buyers are looking for a move-in ready home.¹ Staging could help give that impression, which could be a nice advantage for you to sell it faster and at a higher price.

Finally, staging a home makes it looks better in listing photos.  This plays a big role in buyer’s shopping process.  Beautiful photos and videos are more eye-catching when shared on social media, printed on flyers and displayed in other visual marketing mediums.

Options for Home Staging

There are 3 options when looking to stage your home.

1. DIY:If you have a good visual sense, you can do your home staging yourself. Things you might want to consider include: repainting and touching up the walls, repairing, rearranging your furniture, removing any personal photos or décor, adding warm touches like fresh flowers and decluttering.
2. Your Real Estate Agent:Some real estate agents have the skills and they will help their clients prepare and stage the home before photographing it, listing it or beginning to market it. While some might only provide recommendations for the sellers to stage the home themselves, some agents will get hands-on in the process. They may even have a collection of decor items they can share with you to spruce up the property.
3. Professional Stagers:You can also opt for a professional stager or staging company. These are experts in the field who help you through the process of decorating and transforming your house to get it ready for you and the market.

In some cases, you could also do a combination of these options.

How Much Does It Cost to Stage a House?

The costs of staging vary and depend on several factors, including the size, location and price of the home, the exact type of staging services you're looking for, and whether you need additional furniture, decor or other items in your staging efforts.

The larger and more expensive a home is, the more it will cost to stage. Generally, you can expect a 2,000-square-foot home to cost somewhere between $2,400 to $3,600 per month to stage. Most often, the professional home stagers require you to sign a three-month minimum staging contract, which means your final bill might come to somewhere between $7,200 and $10,800.

If you're staging your home yourself, you'll want to consider the costs of things like:

1. Paint and home repair supplies.
2. Storage units and organizers, if you are decluttering.
3. New furniture and decor.
4. Floral arrangements.
5. Cleaning supplies.

Consider shopping at thrift stores or second-hand shops for any new décor or furnishings you might need. You might also want to focus your staging efforts on only a few rooms — higher impact areas like the living area, the kitchen and the master bedroom.

You might have to pay anywhere from zero dollars to over a thousand dollars to make any necessary minor repairs, $250 to $750 dollars on paint and $0 to $5,000 on labour, at least $300 to $800 for lighting and anywhere from $0 to $700 on labour, and anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour for handyman services.

Is Home Staging Worth it?

To determine if staging a house is worth it, you should consider a few things, including:

1. The cost of staging it (either professionally or on your own).
2. The value it could add to your property.
3. How quickly you're hoping to sell the home.
4. How competitive the local market is for sellers.

Home staging may increase the likelihood that you'll sell your property and do so quickly, and for top-dollar. If you're on a tight timeline or looking to boost your profits on the sale, home staging can certainly help. It will also be beneficial if your market is particularly competitive for sellers and staging will enhance your home, make it beautiful and stands out from the rest.

If you're ever unsure of whether staging is in your best interest, consider speaking to our real estate agent. They can help assess your property as well as make recommendations based on the market and preferences of local buyers.