The real estate market’s selling season may be right around the corner ahead of anticipated interest rate cuts. According to the CME Group FedWatch Tool, an online rate tracker that utilizes investment activity to predict rate moves, there is a 100% predicted likelihood that policy makers will reduce federal funds rate in September, and Americans may see one last rate cut before the year’s conclusion.

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If you’re looking to capitalize on the anticipated flurry of housing market activity, it is recommended that sellers consider the various options for staging their home. Staging a home with furniture, either physically or virtually, is an essential step in the home selling process as it allows an interested buyer to better envision how their personal belongings and lifestyle might look inside of a property.

Luckily for sellers, technology has progressed to a point where physical home staging is no longer the only option – virtual home staging, in which a 3D graphic artist digitally alters photos of an empty room, is a popular alternative.

Virtual Home Staging

Staging a home virtually is excellent for sellers who have moved from the home, or for those who are selling from a distance. Virtual staging can be much cheaper than physically staging a home as furniture does not have to be rented or bought outright, and sellers can work with a graphic artist to choose from a range of appealing modern aesthetics and décor choices.

While the digital nature of this staging option can make decorating a breeze, the downside of virtual staging is, of course, the fact that the setup itself is nothing more than pixels. Interested buyers who wish to visit the property in-person will not have the same experience as a seller who opted for real, physical furniture, which may create a mental barrier between a buyer’s expectations versus what they see offline.

Physical Home Staging

The traditional method of aesthetically preparing a home for sale, physical home staging, involves either arranging a home with a seller’s existing furniture or hiring an interior design expert to decorate the rooms with rented pieces. Unlike the virtual option, physical home staging can help buyers assess the true physical scale of a home through orienting furniture pieces of different shapes and sizes. Rather than a buyer being limited to evaluating a home through digitally altered images, a physically staged property will (ideally) provide an identical tour experience to what is depicted online.

Physical staging may prove difficult to coordinate for buyers who are located far from the property (such as an out-of-state home seller) and can be more expensive based on the level of staging and furniture present in the home. However, this short-term investment may increase the likelihood of a buyer closing a sale due to the ease of building an emotional connection to the property. Sellers who still live in the home and are confident that their décor is subtle enough to be utilized as staging pieces may benefit from this option if moving out is not an option.

If you are interested in selling your home this fall, and are seeking expert-backed advice from a licensed RE/MAX realtor on which staging option might work best for your living situation and budget, connect with our team by visiting fineprop.com.

Author: Melissa Dierks is managing partner and team founder at RE/MAX Fine Properties. RE/MAX Fine Properties is a locally owned and operated full-service real estate brokerage with offices across Arizona. Founded in 2008, the brokerage has more than 250 REALTORS® and specializes in both residential and commercial real estate. RE/MAX Fine Properties is a proud supporter of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals®, Susan G. Komen®, and other charities, and is headquartered at 21020 N. Pima Rd. in Scottsdale, Ariz. To learn more, visit www.fineprop.com.