Homebuyers today are looking for homes that offer a combination of style and comfort. Using home staging can often meet this requirement. If you’re planning to sell your home, you’ve probably gotten suggestions from real estate agents to stage it. It’s essential to understand the staging process and then decide whether you want to opt-in for it.
Before putting up your home for sale, you must present it in the best way possible. Even if it means doing some renovations to add to the curb appeal, it’s all worth it if it caters to the target buyers’ requirements. Here’s what you should know about the home staging process.
What’s the Home Staging Process?
Home staging is all about styling and furnishing your home that you want to sell. You want to make it attractive to potential buyers. If you do it right, it will bring in more interested buyers and help you sell your home faster and for more money.
In fact, up to 85% of staged homes sell for 5-23% over the listing price, and a staged home will often stay for the market for just 23 days, as noted by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Home staging makes it possible for homebuyers to visualize a property as their future home, so see the process in the buyer’s eyes. Before you start any work, explore resources on how to sell your house for sale by owner (with video!).
Give Your Home a New Outlook
When staging your home for sale, using the right tactics can quickly transform your bland house and rooms into a strikingly beautiful property and space that impresses potential buyers. Just make sure to take your time to inspect your home, determine what you can renovate affordably, and do your research to find out what matters most to buyers looking to buy in your location.
Even small touches like a new coat of paint on your walls, decluttering, and working on your landscaping can make a real difference. Don’t forget to fix any noticeable repairs and maintenance issues. The most important rooms to focus on are the kitchen and bathrooms. For the sitting room and bedrooms, you can retouch your decor and update fixtures and lighting.
What About the Cost of Staging?
The cost of home staging varies greatly. The more expensive the home, the more the home staging costs. On average, if you’re working with a professional stager, the price ranges from $300 to $600 for the initial staging consultation and $500 to $600 per month for every staged room—the national average ranges from $2300 to $3200.
Of course, you can always save yourself significant costs by staging the home yourself and focusing on your home’s main areas. By doing only the necessary renovations, getting rid of clutter, and other small improvements, you can save half or even more of what you could spend on a professional. Pay attention to what potential buyers see when they first step in the front door.
You Can Use Virtual Staging
If you can’t stage your house because of the cost and time involved, or even because of the current pandemic’s health concerns, you can consider virtual staging. It’s easy to use, more cost-effective, and more flexible for both sellers and buyers. You don’t even need to have an empty house or room to do it. You can digitally remove existing decor and furnishings.
With easy-to-use virtual staging software, you can easily stage your home to enhance your online listings and capture more home buyers. Whether you do it traditionally or virtually, staging a home increases its chances of selling faster and at a better price.