At any given time, the sheer number of homes for sale in a particular area can overwhelm buyers. Staging, or the act of making property visually appealing to potential buyers, can draw attention to your house over others. Since not all sellers are aware of the psychological impact staging has on buyers, your house will stand out in an overcrowded market.
Staging Occupied Properties
If you still reside on the property and your furniture remains in the house, it is a good idea to depersonalize each room. Since most people have too many possessions in their house, staging occupied homes for sale is more about minimizing clutter and neutralizing personal taste.
Books or artwork that may upset a segment of the population, such as religious or political paraphernalia, should be removed. Personal photographs should be stored away. You may even need to paint the walls beige, taupe, or off-white to ensure that your property appeals to as many potential buyers as possible.
Staging Unoccupied Properties
Four walls, a floor, and a ceiling usually do not attract buyers on their own. First of all, the property’s flaws are much more evident. Also, incorporating furnishings shows the buyer the potential of a particular house as a lived-in dwelling. It can take the abstract idea of residing in that house out of fantasy and into reality by showing the buyer how beautiful it could possibly look.
Of course, it goes without saying that a vacant house will need more time and money invested in staging to achieve the same goals as one that is still occupied. However, there are many ways that sellers can entice a possible buyer without spending a small fortune.
For example, vacant homes for sale can benefit from the addition of a few pieces of rented furniture, a new carpet, and some fresh coats of paint. A few inexpensive art prints and a book shelf with dollar store knickknacks can also add some life to the house and aid in getting the buyer to envision living in it, which may lead to a sale.
Hiring A Professional
Maybe decorating is not an interest of yours, and you would like some professional help. You can relax, because there are people called “stagers” who actually stage houses for a living. However, if you decide to hire someone, make sure they have experience staging similar properties in your specific area. After all, that is the niche that you intend to target.
Once you find some candidates that you feel comfortable with, ask to see photos of their previous work. Ask each of them what they have for inventory to put in your house to make it appear more appealing. You should interview each person and see who best fits your personality, and whose ideas best fit your current needs and budget.
Costs
Since all staging jobs are unique, costs can vary tremendously. For example, it has been estimated that staging some vacant homes for sale can cost up to one percent of their value.
Obviously, it is much more affordable to stage an occupied property using as many of your own furnishings as possible. You can work with what you have by moving furniture into other rooms and into different configurations. Try to be creative and envision what the general public would consider to be warm and inviting.
If you choose to hire a professional for an inspection of your property and a consultation, you can expect to spend at least $350. For that amount, you will get the stager’s expert opinion regarding the best methods to dress and decorate your house to win over buyers.
You may take this advice and stage the house yourself, or for an extra fee, you can hire the stager to do everything for you. However, you will have to pay for any supplies, including pieces of furniture rented.
There is some expense involved regardless of the extent of the job; however, the increase in the number of sales among properties that have been staged is dramatic. One real estate website conducted an informal survey that found that staging homes for sale resulted in an average of a $1,780 sales price increase or a near six hundred percent return on the average investment! So, the process is worth the trouble and can definitely pay off in the end.