Home staging. Between the complicated legal process of selling your home and the hassle involved in listing it on the market in the first place, staging a property is something that people can either forget about or dismiss. But there are many benefits to be had from staging your home. Deciding whether to stage or not to stage? We answer all the questions you have.
 
What is staging?
 
Staging a home is presenting it in a way to impress potential buyers - a process that can not only help your property to stand out in a crowded market but also make it easier for buyers to visualise themselves in the home. 
 
Should I bother staging?
 
That depends on your property and what you're hoping to achieve. A recent study by the National ASsociation of Realtors found that just over a third of Realtors stage all their homes, which suggests that the benefits in significant. Indeed, it can help to boost your property's value. But it can also help to attract attention, especially with the number of homes competing for eyeballs onine. Indeed, 13 per cent of Realtors only stage homes that are "difficult to sell".
 
49 per cent of surveyed Realtors believe that staging usually has an effect on the buyer’s view of the home, while just 4 per cent say that staging has had no impact on buyer perceptions whatsoever.
 
81 per cent of Realtors say staging helps buyers visualise the property as a future home, while 46 per cent say it makes prospective buyers more willing to walk through a home they saw online.
 
How much does it cost?
 
The median cost spent on staging a home is $675, which sounds like a lot, but when divided between rooms - from the usually-expensive kitchen work to the bedroom - that cost may not be outside of your budget. Indeed, sellers often expect an uplift in price as a result of their home's improved image.
 
How much impact does it have?
 
This is the question that sellers will most want to answer. 45 per cent of Realtors say that a home decorated to a buyer’s tastes positively impacts its value. But there is a key consideration there: buyers do not all share the same tastes, with 10 per cent of Realtors saying a home decorated against a buyer’s tastes could negatively impact a home's value.
 
How much of a price increase can you expect? Realtors believe that buyers most often offer a 1 to 5 per cent increase on the value of a staged home (37 per cent from Realtors representing sellers and 32 per cent from Realtors representing buyers). 22 per cent of Realtors representing sellers and 16 percent of Realtors representing buyers say the increase is closer to 6 to 10 per cent.
 
What should I stage?
 
If you've decided to go ahead and stage your home, the next question is what to stage. According to the NAR, the living room is the most important room to present pristinely, followed by the kitchen. Rounding out the top five rooms are the master bedroom, dining room and the bathroom.
 
How should I stage my rooms?
 
Watch this space: we'll be providing a breakdown of each major room over the coming weeks, from essential advice to cost-cutting tips...
 
Photo: Wonderlane

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Author

  1. avatar
    Nick Marr

    I am an internet entrepreneur with a passion for driving big audiences and a love for real estate. I have had plenty of ups and downs which has given me the experience to help others launch their own businesses. I enjoy projects that save consumers time and money, challenge convention and add real value to peoples lives.