HOME STAGING FAQs
What is home staging and why should I do it?
Home staging is the art of taking an occupied or vacant property and making the space as stylistically and emotionally appealing as possible to target buyers. Home stagers can use homeowners’ existing furniture, their rented or owned inventory, and their design and selling savvy to...
↑ the amount of $$$ you get for your home
↓ the amount of time your home spends on the market (and ↓ stress!)
↑ the quality of your listing so it stands out among your competition
↑ the stylistic appeal to buyers in your target demographic
What can I expect as a Return on Investment (ROI)?
The benefit of home staging is in generating a higher selling price and decreasing your home’s time on the market. But let’s look at the numbers...
58% — the number of sellers who reported an increase of 1% to even 20% in the amount offered for their homes; 25% of sellers received their asking price and avoided a costly reduction. (RESA Consumer Guide)
78% — the decrease in the amount of time sellers reported their homes being on the market compared to similar homes in their area (RESA Consumer Guide)
Let’s take an example. Say your $500K home sits on the market for 60 days. To get some offers, you decide to drop the price by 5% ($25K). If you had instead invested 1% ($5K) to stage your home for buyers and avoided the costly price reduction, you would have saved a difference of $20K.
How does the home staging process work?
At Spaces That Speak Home Staging, we stick to a 4-step process:
1. CONSULT
Our Property Stylist walks through your home with you to identify its assets, problem areas, and how to raise your home’s perceived value. You’ll receive recommendations for any decluttering, repairing or remodeling, styling, and even for tradesmen and handymen if you need them.
2. DESIGN
Once we’ve signed and scheduled your staging agreement, our design team creates your staging plan by selecting inventory and mapping out your home staging. The design will maximize space, play up a feeling of comfort and ease, and enhance all the right emotions in today’s New Jersey homebuyer.
3. INSTALL
Regardless of home size, installation takes only one day. We stage, style, and accessorize your home to its winningest advantage. (You’ll be amazed at the transformation!) At this time, your home is ready for a professional photographer — 40% of homebuyers say they’re more willing to visit a home after seeing staged photos in the online listing.
4. DESTAGE
Once you’ve scheduled your destaging or our contract has come to an end, you won’t have to lift a finger. We’ll take one day to bring in the necessary trucks and remove the items we’ve installed. Please note that destaging must scheduled two weeks in advance.
How much does home staging cost?
Ask any home stager or real estate agent, and they’ll tell you that staging costs much less than your first price reduction! But you’re probably looking for some numbers, right?
In general, home staging can run anywhere between ¾-3% of your home’s listing price. We often stage homes for ¾-1%, but our consultation and flexible staging options (a few rooms vs. the whole home, occupied vs. vacant, short-term vs. long-term) helps keep your investment low.
Check out our Services page or contact us to discuss pricing for your specific situation.
I don’t need to stage my property if it’s vacant, do I?
Yes, you should! A vacant property can feel cold, lifeless, and unappealing, even if the home has everything else going for it. 77% of homeowners say staging helps them visualize the space and the home’s potential.
Remember too, most buyers watch HGTV these days and expect to walk into their picture-perfect dream home. This raises the bar on your home’s presentation but also means buyers will pay top dollar when they see what they want!
Should I try to sell my property before staging it?
We don’t recommend waiting for your home to sink or swim in the market, for the simple reason that staging your home costs less than your first price reduction and it almost always pays for itself.
Keep in mind, too, 58% of sellers reported an increase of 1%—20% of the amount offered for their home after staging, and 25% of sellers received their exact asking price. That’s an 83% chance of success. The odds are in your favor!
Can I choose only a few rooms to stage?
Statistics show that staging the kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom have the highest impact on buyers. Although we don’t recommend only staging these rooms (the home can look disjointed), we can focus our staging on the “money rooms” and keep the stylistic touches minimal but cohesive throughout the rest of the house.
How long does staging take?
Most of our staging contracts start at two months and are followed by month-to-month if necessary. However, there is usually prep work required on the homeowner’s end prior to staging. If your home has anything that needs repair, buyers will often subtract DOUBLE the cost of the repair from your list price, purely for their inconvenience.
We’ll advise you of any necessary repairs, decluttering, and cleaning during our initial consultation, so you’ll know in advance how much time you need.
My home looks beautiful… do I really need to stage it?
Great question. Sometimes, even if a home looks beautiful, it might not be the style that is selling best in your area. A professional stager will be able to tell you whether your home is good as-is or whether a few small touches could raise its perceived value.
What are Investment GURUS saying about home staging?
More Questions?
Reach out to us here or drop by one of our free home staging seminars!