is it better to stage a house for sale

Staged homes consistently sell quicker and for more than homes left vacant or decorated with the current owners' personal effects. Talk to an experienced real estate agent to learn why home staging is a clever way to ensure a speedy, profitable home sale.

Full Answer

What does it mean to stage a house for sale?

Staging a home means preparing a property for sale by temporarily furnishing and decorating—and sometimes, renovating—various rooms to make it more attractive. It’s possible to stage a home yourself. However, you can also work with home staging companies that take care of it for you.

Is it bad to stage a house?

The issue with a staged home is that it is designed to appeal the most substantial number of buyers, which can mean it comes across as either too generic or too specific to a specific subset of people. Some people will just be turned off by staging, especially if it is not well done and subtle enough.

Does Staging Your Home sell it?

Without a doubt when a home is vacant, there is a perception among buyers that a seller is more eager to make a deal. Staging your home can have advantages and disadvantages, but it is essential to understand that staging does not sell your home.

How to stage your home for a quick sale?

12 Tips on How to Stage Your Home for a Quick Sale. 1 1. Clean. A clean home shows potential buyers that you've taken good care of the property. Ideally, you should clean every part of the house, from the ... 2 2. Declutter. 3 3. Depersonalize. 4 4. Focus on fresh. 5 5. Define rooms. More items

What Is Staging a Home?

Is Staging Worth It For Me?

How to sell your house quickly?

How to deter a prospective home buyer from walking in?

How to make your home feel aspirational?

Why is it important to stage a home?

How much does it cost to stage a house?

See 4 more

About this website

Do houses sell better empty or staged?

Staging makes your home more attractive to potential buyers, which can help it sell faster and for more money. Ninety-five percent of staged homes sell in 11 days or less, which is 87% faster than non-staged homes. They also sell for an average of 17% more, so you could recoup the cost of staging and then some.

Is it better to show a house empty or with furniture?

Counterintuitively, rooms look bigger when they are appropriately furnished than when they are empty. So if your rooms are on the small to medium size, careful furnishing will make them look bigger. If your rooms are cavernous and your furniture looks undersized for the room, it's better to leave it empty.

What should you not do when staging a house?

Staging Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your HomeStarting without a plan. ... Listing a home before it's ready. ... Not taking professional photos. ... Neglecting simple home improvements. ... Making major renovations. ... Not removing or replacing dated décor. ... Hanging pictures too high or too low. ... Using non-neutral colors.More items...

Should you set table when selling house?

Generally, when you're staging your home to put on the market, I recommend that you avoid setting the table, instead keeping the focus on the space, not your stuff. That is, after all, the entire concept behind staging to sell. You aren't selling your stuff, you're selling the house!

How do you make an empty house look good to sell?

How To Stage an Empty House Without Furniture: 6 tipsTip #1: Focus on the rooms where it really matters. ... Tip #2: Paint and do quick fixes. ... Tip #3: Pay attention to curb appeal. ... Tip #4: Bring in décor and accessories. ... Tip #5: Use renderings for your listing photos. ... Tip #6: Think of other ways to stand out.

How do you make your house stand out when selling?

Making Your Home Stand Out From The CrowdFix the Little Things. ... Clean and Keep It That Way. ... De-Clutter. ... Go For Neutral Paint. ... Look to Your Lighting and Fixtures. ... Avoid Personalizing Too Much. ... Handling Pet Issues.Up Your Curb Appeal.More items...•

Is staging really worth it?

A recent survey from the International Association of Home Staging Professionals shows that staging helps sell homes three to 30 times faster than the nonstaged competition. Further, staging can help increase the sale price by up to 20% on average.

What is the 3 foot 5 foot rule in staging a home?

The 3-foot-5-foot rule Keep surfaces in the 3-foot to 5-foot range, such as on coffee tables, credenzas and dining table, clear of clutter. Some stagers love to bring tall vases and place them everywhere, but don't let them.

What are the 4 types of staging?

The four main types of stages are:Found stages.Proscenium stages.Thrust stages.Arena stages.

What should you not fix when selling a house?

Fixing cosmetic damage Sure, peeling paint, a weathered back door and scuffed floors may make things look a little run-down, but if you are looking to save some cash on repairs and renovations, you'll rather want the money to be put to good use.

What is the most important room when selling a house?

The Living Room is the Most Important Room to Stage Fortunately, this aligns with sellers' staging trends, with 83 percent of sellers who choose to stage the living room. To easily stage your living room, consider these tips: De-clutter and remove personalized items, knickknacks, and photographs.

What should you not do when selling a house?

8 top home selling mistakes you should avoidUnderestimating the costs of selling. ... Setting an unrealistic price. ... Only considering the highest offer. ... Ignoring major repairs and making costly renovations. ... Not preparing your home for sale. ... Choosing the wrong agent or the wrong way to sell. ... Limiting showings.More items...•

Do people keep furniture on home shows?

Speaking of inside the home, many viewers swoon over the final layouts. But here's the kicker: More often than not, the homes are staged, meaning the homeowners don't get to keep the furniture and decor that's shown on TV.

Where do you put stuff when showing a house?

Storage Ideas When Staging a HomeStorage unit. The best option for storing your stuff when staging and selling a home is a storage unit. ... Friend or family member's house. ... Peer-to-peer storage. ... Garage or shed.

Does an empty house look smaller?

Empty rooms almost always appear smaller than they really are because without furniture … it has no frame of reference. This empty room had doorways everywhere and a small fireplace that would make buyers feel like their furniture would absolutely not fit.

What should I keep in mind when viewing a house?

Use their guidelines to help you make an informed assessment of a home's condition.❏ Check the floors. ... ❏ Notice cracks in the wall. ... ❏ Pay attention to fresh paint. ... ❏ Look for water in the basement. ... ❏ Test the windows. ... ❏ Assess the roof. ... ❏ Note the trees outside. ... ❏ Eyeball electrical and plumbing.More items...•

Is Home Staging Worth Paying for When Selling?

Once a home is staged, the space will look like a cover spread in a home magazine, so why not take advantage of the light, spacious, well-designed space created and photograph each room with a wide-angle lens to market the home. Over 90 percent of homebuyers start their search online, and photos of newly staged homes will not only attract buyers to information about the home, but to the front ...

What Is Home Staging?

It involves filling a home for sale with beautiful and fashionable interior decor to make it more appealing. You can bring in furniture, lighting, plants, paintings, appliances, curtains, and any other thing you need to create a specific look for a particular client.

What are the disadvantages of staging a home?

Depending on what you want to be added, this process can set you back several thousands of dollars. Staging a home usually requires specific pieces of furniture and decorations.

What does it mean to be move in ready?

Creating a move-in ready look transforms an empty house into a more welcoming and attractive environment, making it feel like home. Being able to visualise where they will put their furniture and fit other belongings will also help them make a buying decision.

Is it better to leave your house empty or stage it?

The biggest advantage of leaving your home empty is surprisingly the same as staging a house for sale. Some buyers cannot envision a house that’s occupied/staged as staging limits the room for creativity. To some cash house buyers, it seems too generic or specific. If the staging is not done well, buyers may be turned off by your house thinking that their own setting will look like crap.

Is a staged house good for sale?

No home for sale is perfect. With a staged house, buyers will focus more on how they can maximise the space. Staging also allows you to show the usefulness of small or oddly shaped rooms. However, if there’s nothing to look at, buyers will keenly scrutinise every part of the house, checking the paint, plug sockets, doors, and so on.

Can you schedule an appointment to see an empty house?

It also takes less time and effort to prepare an empty house for sale. Whenever a potential buyer wants to visit the house on sale, you can schedule an appointment immediately.

Does a well staged environment increase value?

That being said, real estate agents believe that a well-staged environment increase value on your property as it features several qualities that could be deemed buyable. This makes it a worthwhile investment.

Why do people stage their homes?

Staging your home can help potential buyers picture themselves in the space — a crucial first step in getting them to consider making an offer. And, you’ll be in good company among other sellers. According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report, 82 percent of urban sellers, 71 percent of suburban sellers, and 61 percent of rural sellers say that staging their home is one of the top pre-listing activities they complete.

How much does a stager charge for a house?

They typically charge between $100 and $150 an hour.

What is a live in stager?

Live-in stagers: An emerging trend in high-end homes, a live-in stager is a person who, usually as part of your staging team, temporarily moves into your home after you’ve vacated. They’re tasked with making sure the home is always showing-ready, warm, and welcoming.

What is partial staging?

Partial home staging: An affordable middle-of-the-road option, partial home staging is when you do the decluttering and cleaning yourself, before bringing in a professional stager to apply the finishing touches. They’ll rearrange and reimagine your current furniture and decor in a way that’s buyer friendly. You can also hire a stager to simply do a walkthrough of your house and consult on what you should do to prepare your home for sale, and the actual staging tasks will be up to you. They typically charge between $100 and $150 an hour.

How to declutter your home before moving?

Declutter: Go room by room, removing the items you won’t need between now and moving day. Pay extra attention to cabinets, closets, and pantries — you want to give potential buyers the impression that your home has ample storage. Not sure where to put all your extra stuff? Consider getting a temporary storage unit.

What is staged home?

If the word “staging” conjures up the idea that you’re putting on a show for prospective buyers, you’re on the right track. In a well-staged home, you’re putting the home in the spotlight and inviting buyers to imagine themselves taking a starring role. To do that, you need to step behind the scenes and give buyers room to imagine themselves taking the lead as homeowner.

What is the first impression of a home?

Your home’s curb appeal is the ultimate first impression. Mow your lawn, pressure wash any dingy areas, repair chipping paint, plant some flowers, and tidy up any patio furniture.

What is Staging a Home?

Before you can even start to make a decision, it will be helpful to know what a staged home is in the first place.

How long does it take to stage a home?

A staged home takes time to get right. It may take days for the home stager to bring in everything necessary to stage the home, and still more time to organize it correctly. The removal of the staging materials also takes time, sometimes longer than you want to wait. Staging a home also costs money.

Why is staging important?

Another significant benefit of staging is that it can make listing pictures look more appealing. The listing photos you use are usually the first glimpse potential buyers get of your home, so you naturally want to make sure they look as great as they can. If staging the house can make the pictures better, the advantages are apparent.

What is the benefit of staging a room?

The last significant benefit of staging is that it lets you show the usefulness of strangely shaped rooms. If you have a room that is small or oddly shaped, staging lets you demonstrate that it is still a room that has value. Houzz has some great tips to follow.

What is important when staging a house for sale?

What’s important is that your home is prepared for the sale. An effort should be made to have it looking it’s best before the for sale sign hits the lawn. The prior reference has some simple staging tips to help your place looking acceptable.

Why is it easier to sell a staged home?

Selling a staged home may be easier because you can set the stage for what buyers see. Buyers walk in and see the comfortable furniture, pretty decorations, and general hominess, and feel like they could sit down and relax in the home. The more they can see themselves in the house, the more likely they are to buy it.

How much does it cost to stage a house?

Staging a home also costs money. Depending on what is involved, it can cost several thousand dollars to stage a large home with lovely and appealing décor. You may not want to spend so much to stage, or you may not have that much lying around.

What are the benefits of home staging?

A well-staged home will sell for more than one that's not been gussied up. Home shoppers, when they enter a nicely staged home, can imagine themselves living there. A home that's not staged will force a buyer to look past all of the seller's possessions to imagine the home as theirs. Photos of a properly staged home look better in online listings, which help sell the property.

How important is home staging?

Staging can create a more emotional purchase for the buyer, which ultimately can generate more money for the seller.

Why is staging important for a home?

Home staging is also beneficial because potential buyers don't want to see work that needs to be done upon moving into the home. For every problem they see, they'll deduct its cost from their offering price. If they see too many problems, they may pass completely on buying the home.

How to show potential buyers you care about the house?

Try to employ the following techniques in as many rooms of the house as you can afford and have time for. 1. Clean. A clean home shows potential buyers that you've taken good care of the property. Ideally, you should clean every part of the house, from the floors to the ceilings—and everything in between.

Why are cracks in the ceiling red flags?

Cracks in the walls or ceiling are red flags to buyers because they may indicate foundation problems. If your home does have foundation problems, you will need to either fix them or alert potential buyers to them; fixing any foundation problems would be better in terms of getting the home sold. If the foundation only looks bad but has been deemed sound by an inspector, repair the cracks so you don't scare off buyers for no good reason.

Why is clutter bad?

There are two major problems with clutter. One is that it distracts buyers from your home's features. The other is that it makes it seem like the home has less space.

What are the areas to focus on when staging a home?

The living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and outdoor living spaces are all important areas to focus on when staging your home.

Show Empty or Staged Home: Pros and Cons

One of the most frequently asked questions to real estate agents from sellers who are trying to sell their home is that “should I stage my home or show it empty?”.

Home staging

One of the main pros of staged homes is that it makes listing photos more appealing and can create a more emotional purchase to your potential buyers which can help sell your house faster.

Show it Empty

Although not as common, some home buyers will approach a vacant home and find it easier to see themselves living in the home. When your home is staged, some home buyers may have a hard time visualizing how they will fit their own lives into the picture.

How much does it cost to stage a house?

The cost of home staging varies by the size of your home, whether you’re using your own furniture or staging furniture. You’ll also need to consider the costs of moving some or all of your belongings prior to staging. Even if you use your own furniture to stage, you’ll need to move out at least a third of your belongings to effectively declutter and depersonalize your space. Here are a few average staging costs and average moving costs to aid in your decision-making.

Do staged homes sell faster?

Staged homes or partially staged homes usually sell faster than empty homes, in most markets. With today’s open-concept layouts, staging can be an important tool in helping buyers visualize how a home’s living area is best used. If a buyer just tours a large, empty living room, it’s hard for them to picture a useful layout, so staging can help paint a picture.

Is home staging necessary?

If you’re still living in your home but wondering if staging could be beneficial, consult with both your real estate agent and a professional stager to assess the need for staging in your local market. Discuss logistics for your furniture, the complete staging fees and the specific return on your investment in your market.

What is partial staging?

In partial home staging, a seller hires a professional stager who can provide a variety of services. For example, they can simply consult on changes the seller should make, rearrange furniture and decorative items, or stage a single room. In this situation, the seller may still be living in the home but is moved out or in the process of decluttering and packing.

What is a full service stager?

With full-service staging, a professional stager brings in their own furniture to either furnish an entire home or supplement the few items still there. This works best for sellers who have already completely (or mostly) moved out. In some cases, sellers move most of their belongings into storage to make way for the professional staging setup.

How much does a staging consultation cost?

According to the Real Estate Staging Association, a verbal consultation ranges between $200 and $525 for a 2,001- to 2,500-square-foot home. Full vacant-home staging ranges from $2,900 to $5,250, on average.

How many people consider staging important?

Overall, 29% of buyers consider staging extremely or very important to their home search. But younger buyers are more likely to consider it extremely or very important — 48% of Generation Z and 40% of millennial buyers.

How Much Would It Cost to Stage a Home?

As each property is unique, the cost of staging a home tends to be too. It depends on the space you want to stage and the features you want to highlight. It also depends on the extent you want to go to when staging your home.

How to make a space feel more welcoming?

Small additions go a long way to make your space feel more welcoming and cozy. It might sound silly, but think of how nice the smell of cookies or fresh bread is. Bake some, and have a small spread for buyers to enjoy. Some light refreshments can’t hurt either.

How to stage a house?

One of the best ways to stage your home is to paint over any bright, out-there colors. Choose neutral colors instead, like grays, whites, and beiges. Use white to paint the ceilings and any woodwork for an extra fresh look.

What is a blank canvas?

There is a lot of stress and pressure on both sides. This blank canvas lets potential buyers envision your house not as a property, but as a home.

How long should a house be on the market?

It will be an investment, but if you do it right, your home shouldn’t be on the market for longer than a month. And remember, you don’t have to stage every room, you can focus on the rooms buyers care the most about. If it boosts the offer price of your home, it could even end up paying for itself.

What is staging a home?

Staging a home is a selling tactic to add appeal to your home. It’s where you have a strategic arrangement of furnishings and decor to make your home look the best it can. Home staging design is a fine art and takes skill and a keen eye for detail.

Does staging increase the value of a home?

The Right Staging Can Increase Your Home’s Value. Another huge benefit that staging your home brings is the fact it can increase your home’s value. Around a quarter of buyers’ agents said that staging increased the price offered by 1-5%. Sellers’ agents said the same, with 23% mirroring these findings.

What Is Staging a Home?

Too many personal items around the house can be distracting, but completely bare rooms can also come off as cold and impersonal. Home staging can be the solution.

Is Staging Worth It For Me?

Home staging requires an upfront investment that may or may not pay off, but it often does.

How to sell your house quickly?

Other Options to Consider 1 Focus on decluttering. A good decluttering session can go a long way toward selling your home faster. This can understandably be difficult to keep up when there are kids or pets in the house, so consider hiring a cleaning help temporarily. Focus on high-traffic areas like the entryway, living room and kitchen. Donate items you don’t want to keep and organize everything else into drawers and closets. 2 Give your home a facelift. Rather than a full staging, focus on relatively quick and easy ways to brighten up your home. For example, give the walls and baseboards a fresh coat of paint; change out the backsplash in your kitchen; upgrade the cabinet hardware in your bathrooms. 3 Opt for a virtual staging. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of physically staging your home, you can also have it virtually staged. This involves having a graphic designer take photos of empty rooms in your home and then create realistic images of fully staged rooms. Virtual staging costs anywhere from $39 to $199 per room, depending on the company, your location and how much design is involved. 4 Don’t forget curb appeal. Making your home look a little nicer from the outside can also help entice buyers. Try repainting the front door and trimming hedges; plant a few flowers; pressure wash the driveway and garage door.

How to deter a prospective home buyer from walking in?

Do a smell test. People easily get used to the smell of their own home and don’t notice a difference until they’ve left the house for a while and walk back in and sometimes, something smells off. This can be a deterrent to a prospective homebuyer walking in for the first time. It’s also why real estate agents will bake cookies or use cookie-scented candles when staging empty homes, to make it feel more homely.

How to make your home feel aspirational?

Make your home feel aspirational. It’s important that the home shopper falls in love with the property they ultimately choose to buy. You can help create that emotional connection between a buyer and your home by staging it. Professional color combinations, smart layouts and unexpected pieces help the buyer develop positive feelings about the space and imagine living in it.

Why is it important to stage a home?

It’s important to do everything you can to stand out. Professionally staged homes are eye-catching and can encourage more buyers to consider your property, even before they see it in person.

How much does it cost to stage a house?

According to HomeAdvisor, many homeowners pay between $631 and $2,304 to have their homes professionally staged.