Home Staging: Is It Worth It?
While meeting with clients about selling their home we always recommend staging, and that is almost always followed by “is it worth it?”. Well, the short answer is YES and we’ll be breaking down all the reasons why.
Let’s start with first impressions. We want to make sure that buyers can emotionally connect to your property. It’s about showcasing and engaging. People’s first impression also typically comes from images online, especially with all the new millennial home buyers that are now in the market. Nearly all (99%) of millennial home buyers start their search online. Having a staged, photo-ready property can greatly influence a buyers decision to view the home in person or even make an offer.
Getting your house staged also means that you aren’t living there, and all your personal belongings and personal style has moved out. The stagers come in and furnish the house into a home. They make it warm and inviting, but most of all, they make it neutral. You may have exquisite taste, but that taste may not resonate well with all audiences- which in turn can end up with your house sitting on the market longer than expected. If you plan on leaving your house bare, you risk making the buyer feel like the space is cold, and they may have a harder time envisioning what their life would be like to live there. The National Association of Realtors™ study on home staging reported that 82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. Their initial feeling when walking into the home will stick with them and ultimately play a role in their decision to buy or not buy your house.
Time on the market is another important factor about selling your home. When you list your house for sale there are costs involved to get your property prepped, like cleaning, landscaping ect., but those are minor cosmetic costs you could get back in the sale of the home. What you don’t get back are the costs such as interest on your mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities and maybe even HOA payments. All of these add up and could cost thousands of dollars if your house sits on the market for months. When your house sits on the market for over a month there’s a good chance you’ll end up reducing the price as well. That’s just more money out of your pocket. Spending the money to stage a house is more cost effective than having to reduce the price by 20k or more. A recent survey showed that staged homes spend 73% less time on the market than a non-staged home. As realtors who work with sellers every day, we see these results firsthand. Not only will your house sell much quicker, saving you money, but studies have also shown that staged homes will receive on average anywhere from 1-10% more than asking price. Overall, more money is going in your pocket and that is never a bad thing!
Selling your home can also bring about a lot of stressors that you might not have been prepared for, especially if you’re considering living in the home during the sale process. There will be strangers walking around your space and looking at your personal belongings. You shouldn’t be present while people are viewing the property as well, which could become quite stressful- especially if you have children or animals you need to account for. Having your home staged will guarantee a weight lifted from your shoulders. A professional stager's job is to bring out the best features of a home and take the stress away from the seller when preparing their property. A stager focuses on picking the right furniture arrangements and decor to draw a buyer's eye to a unique focal point or to enhance the natural light of the room. The more comfortable potential buyers feel in your home the quicker you’ll get offers and be able to move on to your next chapter.
Staging transforms the space and helps inspire buyers on how each room ca be utilized. According to NAR's 2021 Profile of Home Staging, more than a quarter of buyers are more willing to overlook property faults if a home is staged. There are endless ways that staging can enhance your home and give you ease and confidence in your home selling journey. It will save you stress, time and even money! So, will you be staging your house when it comes time to sell?
Check out some of the beautifully staged homes we have sold over the past year:
