Staging is more popular than ever when it comes to selling a home. But you might wonder if it’s worth the inconvenience and upfront costs.
Even with a well-maintained (and well-decorated!) home, staging can increase the price you get for your home and decrease the time it stays on the market.
When it comes to staging, we have two options. We can hire a professional stager who will use their own furniture and décor to stage your home in a way that works for your potential buyer. Or, I can suggest how best to present your home with what you already have and even bring in some of my own items to supplement what you have.
Here’s a rundown of why staging is worth it:
Staging a home is not like “cleaning your home for guests,” but rather, it entails coming up with a marketing strategy that will showcase your home in a way that will appeal to the most buyers.
It’s still important to make your home sparkle and shine by cleaning, but this next step makes selling your home more of a “business” goal with a clear-cut purpose. How you live is NOT how you sell!
For example, that third bedroom, which is part office and part storage closet, probably needs to be turned into an actual bedroom. It’s really easy to do with an inexpensive bedframe and some stylish bedding from a discount store. You can also make it an appealing office space only if you think your potential buyers are searching for that right now.
Staging creates a positive emotional tug for buyers when they walk through your door. First impressions are so important and will linger after buyers leave your home. We want them to dream of their perfect life in your home, so sometimes we need to declutter, spruce up, reorganize, and create extra storage space to get buyers to think with their emotions. Staging can be easy and cost just about nothing. I can walk through each room with you to tell you exactly what to put where.
Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh eye.
Your large leather couch or collection of pottery may be gorgeous and look great in your day-to-day life, but to buyers, it could make your home feel tight and cluttered. Remember, don’t take it personally! When you sell your home, it’s a product for sale, not the home you’ll be living in anymore.
When in doubt, go neutral. You may love that turquoise wall, but most buyers will be distracted and only see the wall, not the spacious room and everything else your home offers. Try to neutralize your home. Right now, the best colors are the whitest white for doors, trim, and ceilings, and a light grey or ‘greige’ for the walls. You want to present as a soothing, modern, and clean slate for new buyers to imagine their lives.
Staging can give a room a purpose—it can create an office, a guest room, or a reading nook that is usually absent.
You don’t want buyers to wonder what to use this room or space for while living there. Instead, you want to show them what life could be like there, even if it’s not currently how you use the space. Think about who the ultimate buyer of your home will be and cater to how THEY would use the rooms in your home and stage accordingly.
Take what you have and work with it by paring down, rearranging, or relocating furniture and artwork. You can also reconsider paint colors.
You can prioritize a list of things and then decide, based on your budget, what you’ll do and what you won’t do. Remember, you can take it or leave it since it’s your home for sale.
A carefully staged home looks more desirable in online photos. Your online presence can either encourage buyers to check out your home or could drive them away, so each room needs to look like it has a purpose and is ready to move right into! This will get more people to look at your home, and the more people who come and see it means more offers and a higher contract price.
When it comes to staging and making your home look its best, don’t feel like you have to figure it all out on your own! Positioning your home for the market to get you the most money possible is my job, and I’ll help you through this phase too.
