There are several misconceptions about Home Staging:

  • Staging is just decorating a house nicely.
  • Staging is expensive and not worth the money.
  • I can put a few accessories and some artwork in and my house is staged.
  • All my friends say they like my house the way it is so I don’t need to stage.

What is staging?

  • Home Staging and Interior Design (or decorating) are not the same. Interior Decorating is very taste specific; it is done with the both the home owner’s specific tastes, likes and dislikes, and ideas in mind as well as how the homeowner desires to live in the home.

Magnolia OfficeStaging on the other hand is done with selling the home as its main objective and is done so as to appeal to the broadest market possible for that particular demographic. Staging strives to give the house as much of an open spacious feel as possible, to provide focal points that add interest and attract the eye, and to allow your buyers to picture themselves living there.

  • Staging is an investment, not an expense. Statistics show that professionally staged houses sell in one-third to one-half the time as the competition, and for every $1 spent on staging the seller nets $4 in a higher sales price. The ROI is significant when staged by a professional stager.
  • Staging is not just adding a few plants and pictures. Professional Stagers look at many different aspects of the house they are preparing; e.g., furniture placement and flow, color and light, spaces or things that detract from the overall appeal of the home, capturing and holding the interest of buyers, touches that help the buyers connect with your home, etc. True staging means preparing a house to make the best possible impression on the highest number of potential buyers possible to achieve the best possible selling price in the shortest possible time frame.
  • Although your friends may say they love your home, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be staged or that it is able to appeal to your potential buyers. It may be that you don’t need all 4 bedrooms so you’ve turned one room into an office and another into a sewing room but your sellers need all 4 as bedrooms and can’t see past your repurposing. Or you use the living room as your dining room because you like it better that way. But when your buyers walk in the front door, they expect a living room. Friends may have the same tastes you do or it may be that they love your home because it says “you”. You will be doing yourself an injustice if you don’t ensure your home is prepared to appeal to the  largest audience of potential buyers possible.
  • Last, staging is particularly important if you are moving out of your home while it sells. Vacant homes stay on the market 2 to 3 times longer than occupied homes. Vacant homes are colder and less welcoming than occupied homes. Additionally, 90% of potential buyers cannot visualize themselves or their furniture in that vacant home. Staging gives those buyers a visual picture of what the house can look like and a reference point for their own furniture. Staging adds warmth to the home and invites your buyers to see themselves living there.

Remember, staging is a valid and extremely effective marketing strategy!

 

Are you ready to sell your home quickly and for top dollar? Colorado Premier Staging would love to help you get it done. Give us a call today.

Written by Kevin Fletcher