Is house staging worth it?Everything you need to know

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Is house staging worth it?Everything you need to know

Staging a property can be helpful if you want to sell your home quickly and for the best price possible, both of which are goals that staging can help you achieve.

🌐 This post forms a part of my DIY House Staging Guide to sell you house faster and for top dollar: 💡The Ultimate Guide to stage your home for sale[ The Ultimate DIY House Staging to sell Guide]

To put it another way, “setting the stage” refers to the process of preparing a house for sale by making it appealing to prospective buyers. 

It include redecorating, moving the furniture, cleaning, and engaging in other aesthetic methods to portray the house in the most favourable light possible. 

The house should be designed in such a way that it is appealing to the greatest number of possible buyers.

So Is House staging worth it?

Yes, In my own Experience it is worth it. We recently sold our house and before selling our Realtor asked us to stage the house of Images for Ads. 
We had 2 options firstly to go hire a pro stager or DIY house staging. We choose DIY( I must say this was indeed a Great Experience learning about staging) and  did an awesome Job( Plus saves  Pro House stager Fee, That’s cool right! !!) and our house sold in a week for Top dollar.

Having said this, I do not want my readers to trust on just my single experience. So, I wanted to find all the stats about House staging and I was determined to find out more about this.  I snuck away for more than Ten hours of office time over the course of the week to conduct covert research on this subject.

It’s not that I was trying to get something done without their knowledge.

I merely wanted to maintain an objective stance with my study. Unbiased. Low-key. Nobody else was aware except for both of us.

However, numerous research have been conducted in the United States to investigate how house staging influences the movement of real estate listings on the market. .. I found that some of the results were really interesting to look into.

Stats as per NAR 

• 92% of Raltors found home staging to be beneficial for better sell price
• 83% of real Realtors said that a staged home sells quicker than an un-staged home
• over 50% of Realtors said that staging increases a home’s value anywhere from 1%-15%

Do staged homes actually draw more web views than unstaged homes?

As I indicated up above, the terms “more online views” and “high click-through-ratio” were the ones that real estate brokers used the most frequently when referring to staged properties in their listings.

Is that anything that actually takes place, though? I found out that zillow.com displays the amount of page views for each listing, which was ideal for my strategy because it allowed me to track how many people were interested in each property.

I chose two homes that appeared to be quite comparable to one another, both of which were located in the same neighbourhood and had been put up for sale precisely a week prior.

The one and only distinction was that the property X had been  staged( be it professionally done or DIYed by the property owners) whereas the property Y had just been photographed as it is( It looked so much non staged)This resulted in soiled carpeting, worn out furniture (part of which was hidden behind draperies), and a plethora of personal belongings strewn about the place.

Before I continue… I do not intend to seem overly dramatic. In all honesty, I do not. However, when I compared the two numbers of page visits….

Property B (unstaged): Just under 500 views

Property A (staged): Just above 2000 views

That is more than four times the number of people who have viewed the listing, which should logically translate to four times as many phone calls, four times as many emails, and four times as many walk-ins.

Why is that Home staging works

According to research conducted by Homelight and the National Association of Realtors:

• 31% of buyers reported that preparing their property resulted in a higher offer price when purchasing a home.
• Staging your home can increase the speed at which it sells by 6-10%.
• Only 4% of buyers were unmoved by the staging of the property.
• A total of 47% of buyer’s agents surveyed stated that they believe home staging to be beneficial to the house-buying process.
• Realtors are almost unanimous in their belief that home staging has a beneficial impact on the purchasing decision of potential buyers.

Some more stats!

Statistics on house staging performed by professionals
Studies on housing statistics, commercial research, and state area data relating to housing and commercial real estate are published by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on an annual basis. 

These reports cover both residential and commercial real estate. The following is an excerpt from a profile that was published in 2021 about house staging. Spotless Agency, Bankrate, and Investopedia are a few further examples of data providers.

• Before placing a home on the market, approximately 28 per cent of listing agents will stage it on the seller’s behalf.
• Forty per cent of purchasers make an appointment to view the home after seeing it arranged online.
• It was discovered that staging the living room is very significant to purchasers (46%), which is followed by staging the master bedroom (43%), and then staging the kitchen (35%).
• A total of 28% of seller’s agents reported that they staged their properties prior to placing them for sale.
• 46% of the 3,500 properties that were staged sold for 10% more than they would have fetched if they hadn’t been staged.
• Nearly all buyers start their search for a home online.
• When homeowners decide to have their houses staged by a professional before putting them up for sale, they may expect a return on investment of between 5 and 15 per cent.
• There is a 40% increase in the likelihood that the buyer will “go through the home they saw online.”

What do Realtors think about staging a house before selling it?”

The following question I posed to real estate agents was, “What do they think about staging a house before selling it?

Because the agents do not have a stake in the outcome of the race, this is something that has piqued my interest. If the home staging doesn’t turn out as planned, they won’t bother trying to “sell” their services to me. What is important to them is achieving the best possible price when they sell it.

Therefore, in order to get an answer to my questions, I looked up some of the most reputable real estate agents and asked the question, “…is house staging worth it?”

Following the completion of more than a dozen articles* on this subject, all of which were penned by a different agency, I did not feel the need to continue reading.

They were unanimous in their opinion that home staging is an investment that is well worth the money.

In point of fact, I found that both blogs shared quite a few commonalities. The phrases “initial impressions important,” “the wow factor is what sells,” and “more online views” appeared to be the ones that were used the most frequently.

Expenses related to home staging

Take a look at the complete studies that have been provided by Investopedia, Moving.com, and Bankrate for additional details.

• It is possible for home staging to add about.75% to the price of a house.
• It will cost you between $2,300 and $3,200, on average, to hire someone to stage your home for sale.
• A cost reduction of up to 97% can be achieved through the utilisation of virtual staging.
• For luxury listings, the price of virtual staging will range between $59 and $129 for each shot.
• A staging business can be hired for an average price of $400 per event.

What Does It Take to Stage a House, and How Much Does It Cost?

Home staging has a median price of $675.4 per square foot, as reported by the National Association of Realtors. 

However, these costs can vary quite a bit and are dependent on a number of different aspects, such as the size, location, and asking price of the home, the specific kind of staging services that you are looking for, and whether or not you require additional furniture, décor, or other items in order to stage your home successfully. 

Spending between 1 and 3 percent of your home’s market price on staging is what several real estate brokers recommend doing.

If you plan on staging your own property, you should think about the costs associated with things like the following:

1. New furniture and décor- I don’t really recommend new furnitures like sofa or couches if you are a budget however, you can spend on small decor items like some fresh flowers,  vases, ottoman ,side tables etc. If you need any new furniture or decorations, you might want to check out the selection at local thrift stores or consignment shops. 
2. Use a pro Cleaner to do through cleaning of your house at the 1/4 price a pro stager- this worked like a charm with us.
3. Paint and materials for home repairs ( This could be optional if you have regularly maintaining your house well enough)we dint need much of fresh wall painting because we had already done it twice for our house and some deep cleaning by a pro cleaner worked.
4. Decluttering is a must unless you are a regular thrower and organizer  like me ..ha ha ..When you declutter your home, you should invest in storage cabinets and organisers.
5. You should also consider concentrating your staging efforts on only a select few rooms, particularly those with a larger potential for impact, such as the main living area, the kitchen, and the master bedroom and Study room.

Is it Worth It to Stage Your Home for a better deal?

Yes , It is worth it.

Staging a home can add a substantial amount of selling appeal, which is important from a financial perspective. 

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), around one third of real estate brokers believe that staging causes buyers to give 1 to 5 percent more money for a home when compared to other properties that are comparable. 

Another 21 percent of agents believe that it contributed to an increase in the dollar worth of the home of between 6 and 10 percent. 5

To assess whether or not the expense of staging a home is justified, there are a few factors that should be taken into consideration, including the following:

• The cost of putting it on stage either you are hiring a professional or doing it on your own
• The potential increase in value that it could bring to your property.
• How fast you’d like to sell the house is an important consideration.
• The degree of competition that vendors face in the regional market.
• Is your House is on list in many websites

Staging your home could boost the likelihood that you’ll sell your house quickly, for the highest possible price, and in less time overall. 

Home staging is something that may be of great assistance to you whether you are working with a limited amount of time or are hoping to increase the amount of money you make from the sale. 

It is especially useful if your market is very competitive for sellers because doing so will ensure that your home is memorable, gorgeous, and differentiates itself from the other homes on the market.

Talking to a real estate agent in your area is a good idea if you’re ever concerned about whether or not staging your home is in your best interest. 

They are able to assist in the evaluation of your home and make suggestions based on the current market conditions and the preferences of local purchasers.

Home design trends in 2022

Staging your property can have a significant and favourable impact on the amount of time it spends on the market as well as the price at which it is ultimately sold. But because of the global epidemic, home staging design ideas have shifted.

Investigate the most recent tendencies if you want to make sure that your home stands out from the crowd.

• Start with decluttering and Move on to wall painting..If you’re planning on visually decorating your home, you might want to consider painting the walls a colour that photographs well. Paint colours that are neutral or lighter are recommended by 68% of realtors as the ones that show up best in the marketing video.

• Using the hardware with a simple design will help simplify your kitchen. In the past few years, there has been a rise in the popularity of minimalist trends, therefore you should make sure that your home appliances have smooth forms and clean lines.
• You can enliven a space with plants, and they may also provide a touch of personality to otherwise unoccupied areas of your home. It’s amazing what a difference a few plants can make.
• Before purchasing your house, prospective purchasers should be able to visualise themselves living and working there.
• In addition to physically staging your property, you may want to think about virtually arranging it as well. Because the COVID-19 epidemic is still active in many parts of the country, doing visits online may be a more convenient and secure alternative.

Concerning house staging, the most often asked questions are as follows:

What exactly is meant by the term “home staging”?

To provide as much clarity as possible, home staging is the process of preparing your property for the purpose of selling it. 

This process involves making your home appear as though it is occupied by people in order to make it simpler for prospective purchasers to imagine themselves living there.

Who is responsible for the payment for house staging?

A: The good news is that decision lies solely in the hands of the home’s seller. Either the seller, the real estate agent, or the real estate company’s concierge service can pay for it, or the real estate agent and the seller can share the cost. 

Another option is that all three parties can pay for it. In the vast majority of transactions, the costs are not taken into account until the closing stage.

How much does it typically cost to stage a home?

A: The typical amount of money spent on home staging in 2019 was $400. (National Association of Realtors) is abbreviated as NAR.

How much does it cost to get started in the home staging business?

A: In a nutshell, the answer is that it is dependent. If you already have a client base and are willing to give consulting services, the initial investment needed to launch a home staging firm might be as low as a few thousand dollars. 

On the other hand, if you own a home staging company that offers a full range of services and outfits empty houses with furniture and decorations worthy of a magazine, then you may be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars.

House staging FAQs

1. What is house staging?

• House staging is the process of preparing a home for sale by making it look as attractive as possible to potential buyers. This can include decluttering, rearranging furniture, and making minor repairs or updates.

2. Why is house staging important?

• House staging can help a home stand out in a crowded market, making it more appealing to potential buyers and potentially leading to a faster sale at a higher price. A well-staged home can also make a better impression during an open house or showing.

3. What are some common techniques used in house staging?

• Common techniques used in house staging include decluttering, rearranging furniture, and making minor repairs or updates. Stagers may also use neutral colors and decor to appeal to a wide range of buyers and make the home look more spacious.

4. How much does it cost to stage a house?

• The cost of staging a house can vary depending on the size of the home, the services provided, and the location. Some stagers may charge a flat fee, while others may charge by the hour.

5. Is it necessary to stage a house before putting it on the market?

• While it is not necessary to stage a house before putting it on the market, it can be beneficial in helping a home stand out and sell more quickly. A well-staged home can make a better impression during an open house or showing and can also increase the chances of getting a higher price.

References:

•  https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/reports/2015/2015-profile-of-home-staging-2015-01-27.pdf
• https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/migration_files/reports/2017/2017-profile-of-home-staging-07-06-2017.pdf
• https://www.nar.realtor/infographics/infographic-profile-of-home-staging-2017