Why Home Staging Is A Must Before Selling
Want to Sell Your Home for More Money?
The key…? Home Staging!
When it comes to selling your home, time is money and so is presentation.
In today’s competitive real estate market, simply listing your home isn’t enough. If you want to stand out, attract the right buyers, and secure the best possible price, home staging is a must.
Imagine this: a potential buyer scrolling through countless listings online, and then, suddenly, your beautifully staged home catches their eye. It looks impeccable in photos and video. It exudes warmth, style, and that elusive "move-in ready" vibe. They can instantly picture themselves living there, and BOOM just like that, your property is at the top of their must-see list.
But the benefits of staging go far beyond just looking good online. Staged homes not only sell faster but often receive offers that are thousands—sometimes even tens of thousands—of dollars above the asking price. In fact, a well-staged home can mean the difference between a quick, profitable sale and a prolonged negotiation process that leaves money on the table.
So, if you’re considering putting your home on the market, don’t overlook this crucial step.
Staging is a powerful investment in your home’s future value. It is your secret weapon!
What is Home Staging?
In short, home staging is the art of preparing and presenting a home for sale in a way that highlights its best features and appeals to the broadest range of potential buyers.
This process typically involves decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding decor to create warm, inviting, and pleasing spaces that allow buyers to imagine themselves living in them.
Staging can also include minor repairs, painting, and other improvements to ensure the home looks well-maintained and move-in ready.
Ultimately, the goal is to make a property stand out in a crowded market, driving interest, increasing perceived value, and facilitating a faster and more profitable sale.
Benefits of Home Staging
Speeds up the sale
Boosts your sales price
Enhances your home’s online appeal
Attracts more committed buyers and more offers
Few negotiations for a lower price
Prepares you for your move
Your realtor will work harder for you
Gets the best possible deal
1. Speed up the Sale with Home Staging
In North America, staged homes sell 73% faster than their non-staged counterparts, according to recent data (Home Staging Insitute, www.nar.realtor). This rapid turnaround is largely because staging allows potential buyers to visualize the property as their future home, making them more emotionally invested in the purchase.
“Staging captures buyers’ hearts, leading to quicker offers and higher sale prices.”
When buyers feel connected to a home, they are more likely to act quickly, reducing the time the property stays on the market.
2. Boost your Sale Price by 5-10%
Staged homes not only sell faster but also for significantly higher prices compared to non-staged homes. On average, staged homes in North America sell for 5-10% more than their non-staged counterparts. This increase in sale price is largely due to the enhanced appeal that staging brings, allowing potential buyers to see the home in its best possible light. A move-in-ready home makes it easy for buyers to see themselves living in it.
By highlighting the property’s strengths and minimizing its weaknesses, staging helps create a strong emotional connection with buyers, making them more willing to pay a premium. Staging helps eliminate distractions, depersonalizes the space, and showcases the property’s best features, which can lead to increased perceived value. Buyers often see a staged home as well-maintained, reducing their concerns about hidden flaws and making them more confident in paying a higher price.
3. Enhance Online Appeal - Pictures and Videos Matter
In today’s digital-first real estate market, online appeal is crucial for attracting potential buyers. With most home searches beginning online, high-quality photos and videos are often the first—and sometimes only—chance to make a strong impression.
Staged homes naturally excel in this environment because they are designed to showcase the property’s best features, making them more visually appealing. This increased appeal translates into more clicks, more showings, and ultimately, more offers.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 87% of buyers find photos to be the most useful feature in online home listings, highlighting the importance of compelling visuals in attracting interest.
The impact of good pictures and videos is evident in the success stories of staged homes. For example, a condo in New York City saw a 60% increase in online views after staging and updated photos, leading to multiple offers and a sale price well above expectations. Similarly, a home in Los Angeles that had languished on the market for over six months sold within three weeks of being staged and re-photographed, achieving a sale price 8% above the asking price.
These examples show how investing in staging and good photography can significantly enhance a property’s online presence, making it stand out in a crowded market and driving faster, higher-value sales.
4. Attract more buyers and more offers
Home staging is important in widening a property's appeal to a variety of buyers. By creating a neutral yet stylish environment, staging allows potential buyers to envision the space as their own, regardless of their personal taste or lifestyle.
This is important in attracting different age groups, from young professionals to retirees, as well as buyers with diverse cultural backgrounds.
For example, a well-staged home might feature a blend of modern and traditional elements, appealing to both younger buyers looking for trendy features and older buyers who appreciate classic touches.
A more marketable home often leads to multiple offers and competitive bidding. This is especially true in hot real estate markets where demand is high.
For instance, a staged home in a competitive neighborhood may receive several offers within the first week of listing, leading to a bidding war that pushes the sale price above the asking price. This competitive situation speeds up the sale and the seller gets the best possible deal.
5. Less Negotiating for a Lower Price
A well-staged home minimizes lowball offers by presenting the property as move-in ready and highly desirable, which creates the impression that the home is worth every penny of its asking price. When buyers see a property that is clean, stylish, and well-maintained, they are less likely to question its value or perceive it as needing significant work, which could justify a lower offer.
6. Preparing for Your Move
The staging process is a valuable first step in helping homeowners start decluttering, which not only enhances the home’s appeal but also makes the eventual move easier. This decluttering process naturally helps homeowners begin packing and organizing their belongings, reducing the stress of moving later on.
Additionally, staging promotes a mindset shift by encouraging homeowners to see their property as a product for sale rather than their personal space. This emotional detachment facilitates a smoother transition, as it allows homeowners to focus on the future rather than holding onto the past.
7. Shows your Realtor You are Serious
Staging a home is a clear demonstration of a seller’s commitment to working closely with their realtor to achieve the best possible outcome. This collaboration fosters a shared goal of maximizing the home's value, and it reassures the realtor that the seller is dedicated to making the sale a success.
This mutual dedication is crucial for a successful realtor relationship, as it ensures both parties are aligned and motivated to work towards the same objective: a quick, profitable sale.
It also motivates realtors to market the property more aggressively. Realtors are more likely to invest in high-quality photography, virtual tours, and other marketing tools when they know the home is presented in its best possible condition. A staged home not only looks better in marketing materials, but it also has a higher chance of attracting serious buyers, making the realtor's efforts more fruitful.
This increased marketing effort can lead to more showings, more offers, and ultimately, a higher sale price, benefiting both the seller and the realtor.
8. Getting the Best Possible Deal
Staging provides sellers with the confidence that they’ve done everything possible to secure the best price for their property. This peace of mind is invaluable, as it eliminates any lingering doubts about whether more could have been done to enhance the sale.
Staged homes often lead to more satisfied sellers who feel they’ve truly maximized their property’s value. Knowing they’ve achieved the best home sale deal through effective staging, sellers are more likely to experience long-term satisfaction with the outcome, as they can be confident they received the highest possible return on their investment.
It is clear from the above-discussed points that home staging is an important step in selling your home. It can be achieved by hiring a professional or by doing it yourself.
For some people, the cost of hiring a professional is not an issue. Nor is the loss of privacy. However, there are lots of people who’d rather do it all themselves.
If you are one of the last group then stick with me.
In the following posts, I will teach you how to prepare, stage, and market your home while working with a real estate agent to sell your home.
Can you do it yourself?
Of course, you can!
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Questions, thoughts, or comments, please note them below and I will get back to you.
BLUE SKIES!
