Why Staging?
Staging is the best. I love it as a Listing agent and as a Buyers agent. There are countless times that I’ve seen a house go from “ho-hum” to dazzling. Seriously, it’s the awesome in the sauce deal maker. Here’s how and why it makes such a huge difference in the minds’ eye.
Decorating a room or home in a pleasing way, is one of the ways you can define staging. But, to me, it’s really the art of enhancing a space to allow for flow and to augment a room’s best features. In addition, it helps the buyer not get distracted by the homeowner’s belongings.
Although it is easy to think about this in theory (one just needs to watch any real estate show on HGTV to figure out the basics) actually applying it to your home can be a bit of a challenge.
For example, think about your kitchen countertops right now. Do you see them in your mind? From one side of the room to the other, think about each individual item on the counter. Does each item enhance the flow and features of the kitchen? Probably not. Many kitchen counters hold everything from toasters to coffee makers to baking good canisters to dish racks. Although these functional items are necessary for day-to-day living, each item represents something that can distract a buyer from all a kitchen has to offer.
Unfortunately, not only out-in-the-open items can distract a buyer. Buyers are generally curious. They will look in closets, in kitchen and bathroom drawers, on shelves, in storage spaces, and garages. Although the initial reason for looking is usually to determine how efficient the storage may be, it doesn’t take long before something catches their eye. Even something as simple as an artistic paint job can change a listing from “that cute home with the porch” to “the tie-dye house”.
Here are some interesting statistics that stress the importance of staging from the National Association of REALTORS® 2017 Profile of Home Staging:
39%
Listing agents indictated that staging a home decreased the amount of time on the market
21%
Listing agents who indicated staging a home increased the dollar valued offered between 6-10%
1/3
Buyer’s agents who indicated staging a home increased the dollar value offered between 1-5%
77%
Buyer’s agents who indicated staging a home made it easier for a buyer to envision owning that home
When you are going to be selling your home, the first step is to remove everything but what you absolutely need for the next 90 days except for furniture and décor items. You are going to have to move anyway, so start packing! Rent a storage facility and clear out drawers, closets, cabinets, and the garage. The second step is to take a good hard look at the furniture and décor. This is a good time to bring in someone with staging expertise to determine how best to achieve your goals. Rest assured when it is time to sell, I will create your home’s own custom staging strategy to get you top dollar.