Can I stage my own home to sell?
After living somewhere for many years, most homeowners are not able to look at
their property objectively. Getting help from a home stager with a fresh pair of
eyes and no emotional attachment, will give you a better insight into what the
potential buyer will see.
Does home staging cost money?
There is a small initial investment when staging your home for sale,
but you’re likely to more than make it back on your final sale price.
Take a home valued at $350,000. Home staging can cost less than 1%
($3,500) of the value of the home but increase the profit by between
8 and 10% ($28k - $35k).
Can't potential home buyers use their
imagination and look past the current
décor and clutter?
Only 10% of homebuyers can visualize the potential of the home. It is
very important to have an occupied home staged – it allows the buyer
to picture themselves actually living there. This is more true with vacant
homes, buyers can not visualize size and scale – furniture helps give
them a frame of reference. Staging a vacant home also aids in the selling
of an emotion! And lets face it, when we sell a house, that is exactly
what we are selling: an emotion. People buy on emotion!
Is home staging expensive?
Not nearly as expensive as lowering your asking price by 10% to 40%.
Can I list my house and then stage it to save time?
You can only make a first impression once. In the interest of minimizing the
time your property is on the market, it is best to stage your home first, and
before photographs are taken. Ideally, you should contact Clever Girl Interiors
4 to 6 weeks before you want to put the property on the market. If your home
has been on the market with no offers for some time however, home staging
would be a very smart option to investigate
Why can't I just stage the house myself?
Most homeowners cannot objectively view the home they have lived in for
more than a year. If they can't view it objectively, they cannot stage
successfully. Our homes are very private and personal to us, it is where we
live and seek solitude. It is currently decorated (“staged”) to make us
comfortable and allow us to live in a relaxed atmosphere. You will not always
be able to identify its flaws. If you are not able to view something objectively
then you are not going to be able to package and market it effectively. Clever
Girl Interiors puts on its “Buyers' Eyes” and can effectively get your home
ready for an immediate offer. Using a certified professional home staging
company is where you will get your greatest return on investment.
The housing market is good and my house
doesn’t need to be staged to sell…
You’re right. Every house will sell…it’s a matter of when and for how much.
Even if your house sells quickly in a good market, it doesn’t mean it sold for
the amount it would have sold for had it been professionally staged.
Remember, HSR Certified professionally staged homes sell on a conservative
average for10%+ more in a good market. If your home sold for 400K unstaged
it probably would have sold for 440K staged.