When it comes to selling your home, first impressions are crucial.

Potential buyers often make up their minds within moments of walking through the door, so creating a welcoming and appealing atmosphere can significantly impact their decision. Staging your home effectively can not only help it sell faster but also potentially increase its market value.

If you want to save money and have the time and the desire to do what it takes to present your property in the best way, the DIY option is the way to go. The tasks you might need to perform will be a medley of repairs and home design: rearranging furniture, decluttering, removing personal photos and decor, adding new curtains and throw pillows, repainting, touching up the walls, and a whole lot of cleaning.

Before potential buyers arrive, be sure to add homey touches like cut flowers, scented candles, and house plants. Make sure your home smells amazing (candles, a diffuser, or even a plate of fresh-baked cookies will work). And don’t forget the exterior! But before we give you essential tips, do you know what staging is and why you do it?

Home Staging and Why You Need to Consider It

Home staging is often used to expedite the sale of a property, particularly when someone is moving to a new home. This process showcases a home’s most appealing features to attract a broad range of potential buyers.

Home staging is a marketing strategy that involves carefully adding and rearranging furniture and decor, enhancing curb appeal, and making any necessary adjustments to present the house in its best light.

By minimizing any flaws and emphasizing the house’s strengths. The goal is to present the property in the most attractive way, which can lead to increased interest, higher offers, and faster sales.

Effective home staging creates an inviting environment where prospective buyers feel comfortable and inclined to spend more time. A properly staged home is likely to attract attention through online listings and showings, potentially resulting in favorable offers.

Then when it is time for the movers to arrive, your house has sold, and you are packed and ready to go!

There is Key Thought that Goes into Home Staging

Buying a home involves a lot of effort. Buyers may quickly decide whether to visit a home based on location and listings but to make your home a standout, it must feel like home to potential buyers. While practical details matter, creating an emotional attachment is crucial.

Home staging is both an art and a science. The stage should be neutral yet personal, helping buyers visualize how they’d personalize their new home. If they can see themselves living there, they’ll develop a connection and feel confident investing in it.

Why Stage Your Home?

It makes sense to stage your home if you are ready to move to a new location and you have the extra money. According to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), “82 percent of buyer’s agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.” Consider the following when thinking about whether you should stage your home or not:

• Staging the living room is crucial for buyers (46 percent), followed by the master bedroom (43 percent) and kitchen (35 percent). Buyer’s agents prioritize having photos (83 percent), videos (74 percent), and virtual tours (73 percent) for listings.
• Staging a home increases its value by one to five percent, according to 23 percent of agents.
• 31 percent of sellers’ agents staged all homes before listing, and 49 percent used a staging service. The median cost of using a staging service was $1,500, compared to $300 when done by the agent.

Staging a home offers three key benefits:

• For prospective buyers to visualize living in the home. This is exactly what you want potential buyers to do. You want them to imagine themselves in the kitchen cooking or relaxing by the fireplace while watching TV.
• Increase the amount of the offer, and hopefully, even draw in multiple offers. If you stage your home correctly, you could have multiple offers on the table and then even see the offering price go up. You will never lose by staging your home to sell.
• Ensuring that your former home spends less time on the market. A home that stays on the house market too long is a signal. It may not necessarily be a bad signal, but it does show that something needs correcting.

Stage but do what fits your time and lifestyle. If you are in the middle of a huge move, you may want to stage the house early and clear out clutter, unneeded furniture (you can have way too much furniture.), and even change room colors if they are too specific to your taste. Remember, the goal is to stage your former home so others will want to live in it.

When it comes to staging a home to sell, you have three options.

• Do it yourself This is an easy and financially the cheapest option.
• Ask your real estate agent to help. Agents can definitely help you decide what needs to go and what needs to stay. They can also be honest when they think a home is ready to sell or needs additional work.
• Hire a professional stager This is the most expensive choice but if you choose the right stager, you could see your home sell faster and for a greater value. So, if you have the budget and want someone else to do the work, opt for a professional staging company.

Professional stagers have the design experience to enhance your home’s appeal. They will assess your home’s marketability, inside and out, and provide recommendations to attract potential buyers. They also often bring their own decor, artwork, and furniture, which may incur extra fees.

But they will rearrange furniture, help declutter and optimize space usage to present your home in the best light. Services may also include painting exterior surfaces and removing furniture.

 

Bottomline: Is Staging Worth It?

In most cases, the answer is yes. According to the data, home staging can provide a selling advantage. It can help you market your home in a way that results in a higher offer and a quicker sale.

Whether it’s worth it depends on your specific situation:

• Your timeline
• The cost of staging
• The value staging will add to your home
• If you have a sellers’ market where you live.

If you can’t decide, ask your real estate agent or a trusted friend, who has gone through this process. Usually, your realtor will know the market for your area, or you can hire a professional stager for a “consultation-only” visit. You will learn a lot in just one visit.

One thing is for sure: you want to get your home sold so you can move forward and get into your new home as soon as possible! In the process of all of this, don’t forget to schedule your relocation team in plenty of time.

Lambert Moving Systems — As an authorized agent of the northAmerican network, Lambert offers award-winning services coast to coast. This partnership allows us to provide you with a seamless moving experience, whether you are relocating locally or embarking on a long-distance journey. Call or Schedule an Appointment to experience excellence.