subject: Do I Need to Stage My Home? [print this page] Do I Need to Stage My Home? Do I Need to Stage My Home?
"Do I need to stage my home?" This is a common question asked of me by a great number of prospective clients who have heard about home staging, but really do not completely understand the concept or fully appreciate its many benefits. As a consultant working in the property sector in several regards, I can honestly see both sides of the argument for and against home staging, particularly in this incredibly tough real estate market. However, when studied objectively, staging almost always makes sense, regardless of the type of property sold or the economic climate of the current market, since staging is statistically proven to bring in higher offers and get homes sold faster than comparable unstaged houses or apartments.
So, "Do I need to stage my home?" Yes, I believe you probably do and this is why Staging is always a benefit to sellers. A well staged home will always rise to the top of elite properties in the area and will certainly attract the most attention from prospective buyers and their real estate agents based on look, feel and flow of the interior and exterior spaces. A staged home will address any functional or aesthetic issues in advance of buyers ever seeing them, so the home is likely to fulfill every want without any downside in the buyer's eyes. Best of all, staging is well known to make a real estate agent's job so much easier for representatives of buyers or sellers, since buyers will LOVE staged homes and will immediately become emotionally attached to them We all know that emotional attachment is the best way to get a deal done quickly and profitably
However, staging is not all about upside and there are some cons to consider First, if you intend on hiring a professional home stager or staging company, you will have to pay them. Quality services do not come cheaply However, statistics once again point out the fact that an investment in home staging will likely return itself many times over in terms of a higher sales price. Additionally, the costs of home staging are fully tax deductible in the US as a marketing expense for your property. This means that the service is actually free and will make you more money I guess there is not much downside after all. If you intend on using DIY home staging to do the job, then you will have to invest some sweat equity into the job to get the home in top form all by yourself This can be a big project for the uninitiated.
So, the final answer to the question, "Do I need to stage my home?" really is another question unto itself. That question being "Do you WANT to sell your home?" If the answer is yes and you want to sell it fast and for the most money possible then you MUST use staging as part of your real estate marketing plan. To discount the value of home staging is simply taking another tool out of your arsenal and handing an advantage to your sizeable competition on the property market. Remember, good times or bad, you NEED to distinguish your house against all its competitors in order to make the most money with the least work possible
