Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale. This
takes on several different elements to ensure that the home is warm and
inviting, has optimal flow and the features of the property are
highlighted, allowing buyers to develop an emotional attachment. As a result, stagers address many elements, such as paint colour, room
function, furniture layout, de-cluttering, organizing, accessorizing and
of course, curb appeal. They also address the condition of the property,
such as broken doors and door handles, unfinished trim, damaged counter
tops, mismatched lights, etc. In other words….there is a lot that is
involved in staging. Home staging is the best tool available to market your home and allow
it to be positively memorable to buyers and therefore, sell faster and
for more money.
Here are 8 Misconceptions about Home Staging:
#1: Home Staging Is Expensive.
As mentioned already, there are many different areas addressed with
staging. Therefore, the price varies quite a bit. It can start with
the consultation fee where you will receive a
detailed room by room assessment detailing
exactly what needs or should be taken care of before listing your home.
The price can go up if you choose to have a staging company take care of painting,
minor renovations, cleaning, junk removal, etc. However, certain companies emphasize low cost
recommendations and cost-effective solutions that will gain the best
return on your investment. And don’t forget that this is a small
investment in your home to ensure that you are protecting the equity in
your home and increasing the potential for profit.
#2: Other houses sell without home staging.
This is absolutely true. Houses can and do sell without
staging…eventually. However, those sellers may have missed out on the
opportunity to sell faster and for more money. It is very important to
remember that when a buyer makes an offer, they will deduct money based
on items that they feel they will need to address in order to improve
the condition of the home. These deductions will always cost you more
than if you take care of them prior to putting your home up for sale.
#3: Buyers can make changes that they want themselves.
Of course, they can and this is one of the biggest mistakes that a
seller can make. Think of it this way. Would you prefer to remove the
wallpaper in the living room and paint it a neutral color for about
$100 and one weekend of your time or would you prefer to take about
$1000 off the sale price of your home? Which option makes more
financial sense? As much as you may not want to do that work, buyers
don’t want to do that work either. Especially if there is another home
available that is “move in ready”. Find a company that makes changes that will create the most appeal
to the largest number of potential buyers as well as justify the asking
price.
#4: Staging is just for vacant houses.
Yep, vacant houses need to be staged. But so does yours! Let’s just
say for example that you put your house up for sale without staging.
Then a vacant house in the neighborhood goes up sale and has been
staged. Which house do you think will look better in the online photos,
draw a larger group of prospective buyers to view the property and
create more interest for offers?
The fact is your house is competing with all other homes in your area
and price range vacant or not. You want your home to stand out above
all of the rest. Your goal is to sell fast and get the most money that
you can. Staging is a fantastic marketing tool that can help you
achieve these goals.
#5: I don’t need staging because I’ve already tidied up and organized my stuff.
Organizing and cleaning are definitely a part of staging, however,
only a small part. A staging company is able to help walk you through all areas of
staging and ensure that nothing is overlooked or forgotten. They position themselves as the neutral third party that looks at your home from the
“buyers eyes”. As we live in a house for many years, we begin to not
see things like a door handle that does work properly, the door that
sticks, the piece of furniture that blocks the walkway in a room, etc. A staging company will have a strategic approach when evaluating exactly what needs to be
addressed, what colors will work in certain rooms, what features need
to highlighted (or minimized) and how all of this can be achieved.
#6: Staging is just a trend.
Well, staging is still a fairly new concept in the grand scheme of
things. The notion of staging began about 25 years ago. It started
with just a few savvy individuals seeing potential in sprucing up homes
to make them look their best prior to putting them up for sale. These
people were simply interested in protecting their investment and the
value of their home. Today, home staging has gained the attention of a
countless number of real estate agents, home sellers and media (all of
those TV shows focused on the need for staging). Real estate has seen
many changes over the years such as the need for home inspections,
marketing via the internet (namely MLS), marketing via social media and
staging, to just name a few. Staging is not a trend. It is quickly
becoming an essential part of the home selling process, just as
marketing on MLS has. Buyers watch HGTV, they read the design magazines
and that’s what they want. A home that looks like it belongs on the
cover of a magazine…..they want the dream!
#7: No one will care if my closets and cupboards are messy.
Actually, messy closets, cupboards and storage spaces give the
impression that there just isn’t enough storage space. Buyers will open
cupboards and closet doors. They want to see that everything is in
working order and they want to get a good sense of whether or not all
their stuff will fit. By making sure that everything is neat and
organized, you are showing buyers that not only is there plenty of storage space, but they too can
live the dream of an organized life in this house. And the best part is that this part
of staging is free! Why wouldn’t you do this??
#8: Anyone can stage a home, after all, it’s just decorating.
This is probably the biggest misconception. As mentioned throughout
this article, staging engages many different facets. Stagers must make
suggestions that are based on real estate, not design. In others words,
suggestions are fueled by who the target market is, the location of the
home, the price point and market conditions. In preparing your home
for sale, a staging company takes all of these items into consideration along with
color, lighting, flow, use of rooms, etc. They strategically create a
plan to allow your home to stand out above the competition. While there
is definitely a creative design element to staging, there is also a
logical and strategic plan that must be implemented. The way you live
in a house and the way you sell a house are very different. Home staging does not hide flaws or mislead buyers about the overall
condition of the home. It highlights the positives. A stager's goals are the
same as your goals – sell fast and sell for the best price possible.
If you are looking to stage your home, please contact us for recommendations. We have worked with some of the best stagers in the area and we are always happy to help!
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