Home staging allows buyers to envision house’s full potential

There’s an old saying, “You have to spend money to make money.” As Realtors®, we know this often applies to our listings.

It’s especially true when a house hasn’t been well maintained and some conditions may detract from its attractiveness to the majority of buyers. As professionals, we often recommend things like a fresh coat of paint or new flooring to help showcase properties better.

Over and above that, the practice of “staging” has become a more-popular, more-common step in preparing a house for sale. It involves getting the house clean and de-cluttered as much as possible, and making modifications to its décor, to allow potential buyers to imagine themselves in that house. Stagers will use many techniques, including furniture placement, to show rooms to their best advantage and show the overall potential of the property. Professional stagers are available for-hire in many areas, but it also behooves agents to take training courses to become good stagers themselves.

As Realtors®, we need to help sellers understand that spending money on staging is an investment in the house, to enhance its marketing. It’s time to think less about the cost and more about the benefits of the investment (which itself can be tax-deductible).

Barb Schwarz, creator of Home Staging® and the Accredited Staging Professional® course, has spoken at many National Association of Realtors® events. She urges agents to talk to sellers about the benefits of investing to have a home staged. And she likes to point out that the cost of staging is usually far less than a price reduction.

Statistics support the benefits of staging. According to stagedhomes.com, the average staged home sells in 11 days, and for 17 percent more, than a home that’s not staged. Staging helps our clients get as much as possible for their homes.

When we work with buyers, we know they are constantly comparing the properties they’ve visited. When two properties in similar locations have the same square footage, bedrooms and baths, the staged property will almost always show better, sell quicker, and bring a higher price. It’s important to educate our sellers about this.

And, needless to say, both we and our sellers want our properties to sell quicker, and at a higher price!