Home tips October 10, 2022

The benefits of home staging, even in a Seller’s Market

The benefits of home staging are huge when you decide to sell your house as want to make your home appear as attractive as possible to draw in potential buyers. That might mean having the best photos of it, writing an attractive listing, boosting your cub appeal… and staging your property following these few tips.

Home staging, what is it?

Home staging is the process of highlighting the best features of a home using interior design techniques. It’s part of the home selling process and is designed to impress buyers during open houses and showings.

You can decide to take the DIY route with staging a house, or hire a professional stager, depending on you possess – or not- the skills to stage a house well. Sometimes it’s best to recruit the help of professionals, especially when dealing with a high-stakes transaction like selling a house.

Remember the greatest buzz about your house comes when it’s first listed, so you must take advantage of that first impression and make sure everything is optimized.

Why home staging is important?

Proper staging won’t just help a home appear newer and in better condition. It also allows buyers to visualize their life in this home versus going into a “seller’s home” and decoration.

When done properly, staging a home can help you sell it up to 88% faster and at a better price (average 5-15% more that non-staged property) and wether you want to sell or rent.

Some tips to stage your home

  • DECLUTTER

This is the first job you should tackle when you decide to home stage. Why so important? Because a cluttered room will look smaller, and buyers will focused more on your belongings than on the house they are visiting. Try to free up as much surface space as you can on shelves, coffee tables and especially in the kitchen.

  • DEPERSONALIZE

In many cases, home staging involves first removing personal photos and decor, evidence of pets, knick-knacks, religious images, political memorabilia… The seller can begin packing and storing their items in the garage or basement until the sale is completed. The goal here is to make it look like a model home.

  • PAINTING

Don’t underestimate the power of a new paint job on a property. It can completely overhaul the look and ambiance of any space. Just like cleaning your home, a new coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to home stage your home.

  • ONE ROOM, ONE FUNCTION

If a room is staged as a combination of home office, gym and playroom, buyers can be confused about the purpose of the room.

  • SET THE SCENE

This can really envision the new life of a potential buyer here. For ex, put cookies on the oven, set the table, turn on a fireplace if it’s winter, light up some candles and put some ambiance music…

Bottom line

Benefits of home staging are numerous and is worth the investment. It helps maximize the rate of return on the sale of your property—and usually costs less than the first price reduction. With an average staging investment of 1% of the sale price, about 75% of sellers saw an ROI of 5% to 15% over asking price, according to data from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). Go for it!