Staging a Listing is a “MUST” in Any Market

Staging is Worth the Investment

Staging has entered into the ‘standard of practice’ in preparing a home to place on the real estate market.  Making a great first impression, whether via photos on the web, or as the purchaser walks into the front door, has never been much more essential when marketing a property.  In fact it is tantamount to having a listing look it’s best for the marketplace.

Brokers and agents today commonly suggest to their seller clients to embark on some degree of staging, ranging from a detailed cleaning and de-cluttering, to rearranging furniture including accessories, or in some cases, an interior redesign or renovation, or even renting out furniture to load a vacant residence.  The ideal level of staging relies on the house’s perceived problem (if any) and the seller’s spending plan, and depending upon the level of staging and dimension of the residence, could set a seller back $2,000 to $20,000 depending on how many rooms are being addressed.

home stagingHomeowners should be amenable to the process and take to heart the recommendations of a seasoned real estate agent along with a quality stager, who both have a keen sense of ways to present a home to its finest advantage.  Yet even with organizing largely accepted as an important component of marketing a home we do meet resistance once in a while from sellers who love their stuff, their furnishings, and their home the way it is.

Some sellers presume that, in a seller’s market, such as the one we have now, with housing stock in such short supply staging isn’t necessary.  Various other sellers diligently pay attention to brokers’ and agents’ proposed repairs and abide by the stagers’ proposals, but at the same time begin to really feel completely bewildered and question the necessity.   Occasionally homeowners are immune to staging given that they feel their residence is best as is, or they think they have the skills to make modifications on their own.  In each of these situations a seller should just let the professionals take over.  By way of an example would you go to a plumber to have your front yard landscaped?

Periodically a house shows really well without any staging at all, however even the most spotless beautiful home can take advantage of some tweaking to make certain the images standout on a computer or when a buyer walks through the front door for the first time.  A lot of homes benefit from an examination by an individual with an unbiased eye who could determine the weaknesses as viewed by potential customers.  These professionals have the expertise to boost the property’s appearance in the most affordable and cost effective way.  And even though staging might seem like a huge effort, a lot of the work entails de-cluttering, which can also be valuable as an organizational exercise for the vacating seller.

The costs to properly stage a house in any market are justified, because for the bulk of properties it truly pays dividends.  It is estimated that staging normally elevates list prices by 2.5% to 6% (and frequently often times much more), which can total up to an added $25,000 to $60,000 for a $1,000,000 sale.  As a bonus, homes that are properly staged likewise tend to get into contract faster.

Staging is an investment of time and money for the seller, yet, as we have actually seen time and time again, it’s an investment that pays dividends handsomely, most of the time in multiples of the investment spent.

Shelly Roberson

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