Effective Home Presentation Gets Sellers Top Dollar

Data shows that staging boosts home sale prices, but there’s more to staging than meets the eye. On yesterday’s PAR monthly webinar, Nancy Vander Zwan, owner of StagingCraft home staging services, highlighted the importance of staging and offered tips on talking to sellers about effective home presentation. 

What is staging? 

“Staging is not decorating,” Vander Zwan clarified. “Decorating a home is about personalizing it and having a home that reflects the warmth and the personalities of the people who live there.” 

“When you’re staging a house, you’re turning it back into a product that anyone would want to buy. So, when we talk about staging, it’s not just decluttering and depersonalizing.” 

She explained that staging aims to make the house more neutral, allowing potential buyers to imagine how they would live in the space. 

Is it worth it? 

“It’s hard to fall in love with a house, but everybody falls in love with a home. Presenting it as a potential home for buyers is important.” 

Vander Zwan noted that homes staged using StagingCraft sell for an average of 5% over asking price, with the lowest being 4% over and the highest going for 33% over. 

Moreover, the National Association of Realtors®’ most recent Profile of Home Staging Report noted that 29% of real estate agents reported that staging their sellers’ homes received a 1% to 10% increase in the dollar value offered, and 30% of seller agents saw a slight decrease in time on the market when homes were staged. 

How does staging impact online listing photos? 

Vander Zwan cited that on average, buyers spend 8-15 seconds looking at a listing online, which is a very small window of opportunity to get people to want to come look at a property in person. If the photos online present a well-staged, enticing home, their attention is likely to be grabbed, and they’ll want to see more. 

How does a Realtor® convince their sellers that they would benefit from staging? 

“Here’s your script,” she shared. “When you walk into a house and you’ve looked through it and gotten to the listing, you don’t say to sellers, ‘Oh, we’re going to have to make some changes around here.’” 

“You say, ‘I love this place. I can see exactly how I’m going to market it. You’ve decided to sell your property, and so congratulations, now you have a product to sell. I’m not looking to cast any aspersion on how you’ve lived here. I know my stager can come in and turn your home back into a house that anybody wants to buy.’” 

She told Realtors® to take the defensiveness out of it for potential sellers and encourage sellers to look at recently sold homes in the same area, observing and comparing sale prices of homes that were and weren’t staged. 

Can staging help Realtors® and their businesses? 

“You want to have a reputation as a Realtor® for always having properties that look amazing,” Vander Zwan advised. 

“There are a lot of Realtors® out there,” she explained. “It’s harder to get a listing, so how do you set yourself apart? Almost all of the Realtors® with whom I work regularly include a staging consultation as part of their listing package. It helps you present yourself as having a full array of expertise and services as part of your firm or your business.” 

What questions should Realtors® ask stagers when looking to work with them? 

Vander Zwan recommended Realtors® ask the following questions to stagers: 

• What areas do you serve? 
• What services do you offer? 
• Do you offer photo styling services? 
• What professional training have you had in home staging? 
• How do you price? 
• What rooms do you typically recommend that people stage? 
• What’s your lead time to do a consultation or a stage? 

What key phrases are important when talking to sellers about staging their homes? 

“We don’t use ‘declutter’ – we use ‘edit’,” she said. “We don’t say ‘depersonalize’ – we say ‘make more neutral.’” 

“Don’t talk about preparing a house for sale as an expense. Talk to your sellers about investing and making changes that are going to pay off.” 

Final piece of advice? 

“Create emotional connection by giving folks an environment in which they can imagine themselves being there,” she said, adding that it’s important to help sellers understand that they’re not spending money they’ll never get back, but making an investment that will benefit them after closing. 

To learn more from Vander Zwan about staging, including topics like virtual staging, pricing, accreditation, short-term rentals and more, view the webinar recording. 

Additionally, she encouraged Realtors® to check out her website, StagingCraft.com, and follow her on social media at @StagingCraft, where she frequently shares before and after photos of staged homes and staging tips.