I don’t like to say how many years I’ve been helping people change their lives thru buying or selling a home. One reason is that it is annoying, and another is that it makes me sound old! So I won’t. But I remember the first time the absence of staging became something other than just an element of a Listing, and actually turned into an impediment to sale of a particular home.
The home in question was beautiful. It was also not furnished, and had a familiar layout…long hallway walking in, opening up into a great room configuration. We see it all the time, and as Realtors, we know how that space can be used. But for some reason, people were having a hard time figuring out where they’d put their dining room table, how they’d lay out a living room space, etc etc. The Seller decided to utilize a Stager to help. For starters, I worked with the Stager and the Seller to encourage a room by room approach to maximize value and minimize expense. The Seller opted for Dining Area, Living Room, minor Kitchen (barstools etc) and Primary Bedroom. Whereas it had been languishing, that house sold instantly after staging was employed.
Since that experience I’ve been accumulating furniture & accessory items to assist my clients, and I keep a small storage unit so that I can help in that way. There are parts of this real estate job that are not fun (Ok, I said it ; ) but staging is not one of those. I really enjoy it and offer it to my clients as part of how I can assist. That said, some Realtors like me can do this, and others cannot. Some have aptitude in this niche and others do not, and most Realtors do not have a huge warehouse of furniture and other items in order to accommodate more than maybe one or two Listings at a time. When more than minor staging is called for, and/or a larger home needs more than a couple rooms fully furnished, that’s where professional Stagers can really be of assistance.
You might ask “Why exactly would I want to put time, effort or money into staging?”. The reasons are many, but I’ll lay out a few.
- Professional photography is a must being as the Invitation online to view your home must be inviting and intriguing enough to cause a Buyer to want to enthusiastically accept. Therefore, the first order of business is creating spaces that are visually as attractive to the eye in photographs as possible.
- We’ve already talked about how some (many) people genuinely lack the ability to see how the spaces in a vacant home might be utilized. This gives a starter outline that really, really helps in visualizing themselves living in your home.
- Many Realtors and Stagers can work with you if your home is not vacant, to do a bit of decluttering or minimizing with furniture etc, so that rooms feel airy & welcoming and so that things are neutralized a bit to allow them to see themselves and their own furniture/style in that space. ***So, before you move everything out, talk with your Realtor about what you might leave behind temporarily while you sell.
- Buyers make an emotional connection with a home when they approach the entry and enter the home. Staging helps with that process. It’s a matter, of addition, subtraction, and shining things up a bit.
- Staging minimizes the negatives and accentuates the positives, enhancing the Buyers’ experience, actually increasing value & subsequently, revenue. Instead of an empty box with maybe some flaw here or there that is the star of the room, you are creating a version of a beautiful living experience that becomes the primary reality during the showing.
- Stats show homes sell significantly faster and for more money than vacant or un-staged homes. Do a quick Google search to confirm this. There are some pretty impressive numbers out there.
I hope this fills in a few gaps if you had questions about why staging is important. Whether you use a professional Stager, or work with a Realtor who has that aptitude & ability to help, it is an important part of preparing your home for sale.
