Does Home Staging Work and What is The Cost?

Preparation is essential when selling your property quickly and for top dollar.

Realizing the best price will be very important when you sell your home. Staging a home helps you get the price you want by making it as appealing as possible.

Staging means making the home look like somewhere the potential buyer wants to live. It also means dealing with those repair issues you’ve been putting off before the home is listed for sale.

But is staging a home for sale worth the trouble? And how much does staging cost? We will look at staging so you can see if it is something you should be doing when selling your home.

Why You Should Stage Your Home

If the home is staged, it is easier for people to imagine themselves living there. They might think about where they will position their furniture, making them more likely to want to make an offer.

Staging means removing clutter and personal items that could make it more difficult for homebuyers to picture themselves in the home. The staged home makes it seem ready to move into without the need to spend time and money fixing little problems.

The staged home is more attractive to potential buyers and should spend less time on the market.

The property will look better in listing photos and videos, in social media posts and in print, attracting more attention and helping it sell faster.

This is supported by 62% of Realtors saying that staging a home reduces its time on the market. Most Realtors emphasize putting time and effort into getting a home ready for the market. It can make such a significant difference.

Buyers and their agents know immediately what pride of ownership looks like. Staging helps convey that. Giving each room a purpose also makes it easier for buyers to picture themselves in the home.

How to Stage Your Home

There are different options for staging, depending on your situation. You can do the staging yourself, ask your real estate agent, or hire a professional.

Staging Your Home Yourself

If you have some design skills, have watched many property TV shows, or have a limited budget, doing the staging yourself is an option.

You can repaint tired walls, doors, and window frames. Scruffs and scratches can be touched up instead of being completely repainted.

You can make rooms more appealing and spacious by rearranging or removing furniture. New throws and cushions can add color and interest to the room. Flowers and fresh fruit are simple touches that can improve the appeal.

Asking Your Real Estate Agent

Many Realtors know what works and what doesn’t for the current market.

The benefits of staging a home aren’t lost on Realtors, and asking your agent for help should give you some professional assistance. They might help you prepare your home to be staged before the photos are taken and the property listed.

Some agents might only offer advice and recommendations on what you should do. But even this will help give you pointers toward making your home easier to sell. A more proactive agent might even have some items to lend that will improve the staging of your home.

For example, even a small tip, like clearing off all the kitchen and bathroom counters, can help you have a better presentation.

Hiring Professional Stagers

If the value of your home is higher, hiring professional stagers or a staging company should pay off. While this is the most expensive option, it will be worth the cost if it means you sell your home for more.

Stagers will have furniture and other items that they will use to improve the decor. However, there will likely be extra fees if you agree to this.

A professional should be an expert in interior design and produce better results than doing it yourself would. They will have the experience to understand better what will work in your home to make it more appealing.

Most of the time, professional staging will be most helpful in selling vacant homes or those with lackluster furnishings and decor.

What is the Cost of Home Staging?

Many factors contribute to how much you will spend staging a home for sale. The size of the home, the current condition, and the price are just some things that will decide how much needs to be spent.

The National Association of Realtors states that the median cost to stage a home is $675. However, the price of staging can go up substantially from there.

If a professional staging company brings furniture and other decor, the cost can skyrocket to thousands per month. While this might seem expensive, some agents even recommend spending as much as 3 percent of the listing price to stage the home.

Frankly, I’m not in that camp. Most people don’t need professional staging to make their home look its best.

Is Staging Your Home Worthwhile?

Staging does add value, according to the NAR. More than half of the real estate agents surveyed by the NAR believe staging increases the home’s value. With 21% saying the value increases between 6% and 10% thanks to staging.

Whether you see such value from staging your home depends on the market conditions and how much value it could add. It can also help when you want to find a buyer quickly, but if you are unsure, your Realtor can advise you.

Even putting some effort into making your home look better can help. It beats selling your house as-is, hands down.

Don’t Forget What’s Most Important

While home staging is integral to house sales, you can’t throw the baby out with the bath water. To sell a home, you need to price your home correctly.

The most incredible-looking home isn’t won’t sell if it is overpriced. Choosing the right real estate agent is a close second to pricing accurately.

Sellers need to understand that staging is like the cherry on top of the sundae. Without proper advice and marketing from a professional, it will mean much less. A beautifully staged home that is overpriced will sit like the rest of the properties on the market.

About the author: The above article on “Does Home Staging Work and What is The Cost?” was written by Bill Gassett. Bill has been working in the real estate industry for the past thirty-seven years. He works for RE/MAX Executive Realty in Hopkinton Massachusetts. Bill loves providing trustworthy information to buyers, sellers, and fellow real estate agents to make the best possible decisions. His writing has been featured on RIS Media, National Association of Realtors, Inman News, Placester, Today.com, Credit Sesame, and others.

About Rochester’s Real Estate Blog: Rochester’s Real Estate Blog is owned and operated by Kyle Hiscock of the Hiscock Sold Team at RE/MAX Realty Group.

Since being launched in 2013, Kyle has published more than 150 quality, in-depth, and unique real estate related articles on the Rochester Real Estate Blog pertaining to topics varying from home selling to mortgages and everything in between!  In addition to quality real estate related content, there are also many quality articles pertaining to the Greater Rochester NY area.

The Rochester Real Estate Blog has been recognized by many reputable websites as one of the best real estate blogs to visit and follow!  In addition to being recognized as one of the best real estate blogs, Kyle has been recognized as one of the top Realtors on social media by several organizations and websites.

The Hiscock Sold Team has almost 50 years of combined experience, so if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise.

We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.