What is Staging and Does it Sell Homes?

Decluttering, depersonalizing, and defining a space

 You’ve decided to sell your home. Maybe you’ve outgrown your old residence, or perhaps it’s time to relocate— whatever the reason, the time has come. And lucky you, right now it’s considered to be a “seller’s market,” so it should be as simple as putting up a for sale sign and packing your things, right? Wrong. If you want to maximize profit on your home and garner real interest, first impressions matter. That is where staging comes in.

What is staging?

Staging is strategically depersonalizing, decluttering and defining a space. That means taking down any family or personal photos and keepsakes (goodbye child’s handprint in plaster), getting rid of those piles of old magazines, and creating a clean, simplified aesthetic. 

The term “staging” has bit of a glamorous (and expensive) reputation. (Thanks, HGTV!) You might imagine money flying out the window while walls are getting torn down and your whole house gets transformed into a showplace. But in real life, staging isn’t an intimidating process! It can be as simple as adding a fresh coat of a neutral paint color or rearranging furniture to create better flow for visitors touring through your home. Voila! Real life real estate staging.

Of course, each property is different, so staging is customized according to the specific needs of the home. The important thing to remember is that once staged right, you’ve created a home that people can picture themselves living in.

Staging sells homes

Did you know that staged homes spend half the time on the market than non-staged homes do. And, according to the National Association of Realtors, the longer homes stay on the market, the lower the sale price drops. The good news? It’s reported that buyers are willing to spend 1% - 5% more on a staged home than on a non-staged home, and once staged, homes spend an average of 73% less time on the market. Staging really does sell homes.

How staging works

DuBois Realty Group of Keller Willams Realty and Dawson Interiors teamed up on a recent property, an old schoolhouse-turned-home that the owners were ready to put on the market. The goal was to allow the unique history of the architecture to speak for itself, highlighting the open concept common area and over-sized windows that filled the space with natural light. 

When it came to staging, the owners took it very seriously. They had a collection of unique artwork, but recognized that it may not be other people’s taste in art who may be touring the home, and didn’t want to detract from the structural beauty of the structure. So, all personalized items and artwork were removed, clutter was removed, and a fresh coat of paint was applied to the walls. This allowed for a depersonalized, decluttered and defined space that highlighted the vaulted ceilings, large windows, and original wood floors. 

As a result, the house went under contract after being listed only a couple days. 

 Don’t you want to maximize your profit and spend as little time on the market as possible? It’s easy to do if you stage your home well.  

For information about receiving a FREE Home Staging Consultation text "STAGING" to 59559 or call (207) 344-3230.