Thinking about staging your home yourself or hiring a professional home staging service? Staging has a lot of great benefits, so in this blog, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the process and how it works.
A client’s living room staged by the Catalyst Group in Washington, DC.
What Is Home Staging And How Does It Work?
As the name suggests, home staging involves redecorating your home to make it look more appealing, and showcase its best assets. There are a lot of ways you can do this, including:
Removing old and worn-out furniture and replacing it with rental furniture
Cleaning up the home and removing day-to-day items like pet equipment, kid’s toys, etc.
Replacing family photographs with more generic photos
Adding more lamps and lights to brighten darker rooms
Painting bright walls in more neutral colors
Organizing storage spaces and removing most items from attics, closets, basements, etc.
While “home staging” usually refers to redecorating the interior of a home, the exterior can be staged to an extent too, by doing things like repainting doors and siding, mulching flower beds and planting flowers, trimming bushes, and doing other minor yard work and home maintenance tasks.
You can handle home staging on your own, but lots of people choose to hire professional home stagers, who use their years of expertise to quickly improve your home before tours, photographs, and more.
The Benefits of Home Staging
Home staging can be a lot of work, or if you hire a professional, it can be expensive. Why is it worth it? Here are a few reasons:
Bring out the best in your home – You can make your home look its best – emphasizing its best aspects and improving things that may otherwise turn buyers off from purchasing your property.
Sell your home faster – Professionally-staged homes sell much faster – up to 73% faster compared to non-staged homes, on average. If you need a quick sale, staging may be the way to go.
Sell your property for a higher price – This is the primary reason why people stage their homes. A more appealing property means that people are willing to offer more money during the sales process. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, about 41% of sellers saw an increase in value of 1-10% compared to what the home would have sold for if it wasn’t staged.
Consider Home Staging If You Want A Faster Sale & A Higher Price For Your Property
Depending on your situation, home staging may or may not be a great investment. If you live in a “hot” property market where homes are selling above asking price already, staging may not be worth it.
But if homes are selling more slowly and for lower prices in your area, staging your home can boost its appeal, bring in more buyers, and get you a better price. And that’s always a good thing. So think about your own personal situation, and consider whether or not home staging is a good idea for you.