First things first. Let’s start with a little Q&A about home staging to get some of those pesky basics out of the way.
So what, exactly, is home staging?
Home staging is the process of adding decor, rearranging furniture, and expertly “dressing up” a home to make it look stunning for listing photos and walkthroughs. Home staging is a very valuable marketing tactic that can really help a seller to reach the greatest number of buyers. It’s also a very useful tool in situations where you have a unique or possibly distressed property, or where you’re looking for a way to really play up particular aspects of a home.
So…does it work?
YES! Home staging most definitely works, and here’s why. Home staging speaks to a buyer’s psychology. It brings out a home’s strengths and creates an instant, emotional connection with buyers. It gives buyers a more neutral canvas to work with, giving them more opportunity to see themselves living in the home. This imaginative process is a crucial part of the home purchase process for buyers, so you want to make sure that’s a positive and inspiring experience for them.
Ok, I get that. But does that mean I have to buy a bunch of new stuff or spend a ton of money renting high end furniture?
Not necessarily. There are two different ways to approach staging a home:
Option 1 – We Need Everything…Stat!
Empty homes, that is homes that have no furniture whatsoever, do not show well to prospective buyers. They also tend to sit on the market longer, and can result in a lower sales price. None of these are good for the seller. If you’ve already moved out of your home or are trying to sell an investment property (such as a home that you recently flipped), you should definitely talk to your real estate agent to get recommendations for a professional home stager. Once you and your agent decide on the best stager to fit your needs and agree to contract terms with them, they will then bring in furniture and home decor to set up the space. As an agent I work closely with home stagers to ensure that my clients’ vision for the home and the best possible use of all spaces are clearly reflected in the final staging design. The costs of a full home staging are usually quite reasonable, and are often more than covered by the increase in sales price they typically yield.
Option 2 – We Can Work With What We’ve Got
If you’re still living in your home and don’t have super-specific (i.e. that might be polarizing to buyers) taste, the best course of action for you is going to be to use your existing furniture and home decor to keep your listing costs low. As an agent, I often do walk throughs with my clients and make recommendations for them to implement on their own, using the things they already have. In some instances, I will bring in a designer to help with the heavy lifting on things such as color selection, furniture placement that will be most palatable, and what to do with tough spaces. The designers that I work with are extremely reasonable in their fees, and having that expert opinion on things can make a huge difference on the more intricate things, like matching wall colors with existing countertops and such.
4 Core Concepts For Home Staging Domination
There are lots of home staging tips and tricks that make a home more appealing, but the concepts at the core of home staging are what make it so effective. Here are the four most important rules of home staging that produce great results time and time again:
1.) Stop thinking of it as “your” home
The most important thing to embrace when you are staging a home for sale is that it is no longer “yours.” Technically, your name is still on the mortgage, but you should stop thinking of it as your home. It’s time to start thinking of it like you would a product you’re trying to sell. Ok, but what does that mean? Well, homes typically sell faster when personalization and clutter are kept to a minimum. Buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living there, so having a more neutral or blank slate where they can project their home ownership dreams works better. Additionally, some buyers have a really hard time overlooking décor. Although in theory it shouldn’t taint their view of a home, in practice we find that it does. The main offenders in this department are crazy wall colors, super wacky art and furniture, an overload of personal (or perhaps things that are far too personal to be out) items or photos. You want to always be thinking of how to neutralize. We’re not talking about talking about making your home devoid of any character or individuality at all, just maximizing the pool of buyers who will find it palatable by neutralizing its contents and overall feel. Remember: when you put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and make decisions based on their psychology, the chances of your home selling faster and for more money rise significantly.
2.) Edit mercilessly
Less is always more with home staging. Even the cleanest, most organized homes can benefit from some further editing to make them more appealing to home buyers. Think about model homes and how simple the surfaces and shelves are decorated. There is very little “visual clutter.” The staging is just enough to make it feel like a home without distracting from the house itself.
The same goes for furniture. Make sure there are natural, unobstructed traffic patterns. You may want to remove a few pieces of furniture to make the space appear larger by providing more negative space. It’s only temporary, and will help sell your house a lot faster so you can move on to your next place.
3.) Go the extra mile
Once you’ve decluttered and neutralized the décor, a few extra touches will make your home feel even more inviting to buyers. Little things like a white robe or white towels changing up in the master bathroom, a tray with a couple of coffee cups and a bag of coffee on the bed, and fresh flowers throughout the home may sound inconsequential, but they go a long way in delighting buyers and making them feel comfortable. They will also help your home stand out from the many others they are looking at.
4.) Get an objective opinion
It’s always helpful to get another opinion when you are staging your home. When you’ve lived somewhere for a while, it’s hard to see it any other way than how you’re used to seeing it. You get tunnel vision. Things don’t stand out to you that could potentially be very noticeable to someone who doesn’t live there and see it every day. Reach out to your realtor for ideas and, if needed, a recommendation on a reputable home stager who can offer you some advice on what you should be drawing more attention to in your home, and where you could use a bit of improvement.
Home staging is an economical and effective way to maximize the appeal of your home, and can help immensely in your marketing efforts and the overall sales price. Plus, it’s always fun to give your home one last mini-makoever to really make it shine before you move on to the next chapter in your home ownership story!
