Staging is all the rave on cable TV these days. While it is great to educate the public on what changes they may need to make to their home more sellable in the current market, this also leads many to believe that they know how to stage their home themselves. While entertaining, and somewhat educational, these shows do not give buyers the whole picture.

 

Painting, decluttering and putting away photos is not "staging!" Ok, yes, I admit we do these things when we stage. They are baby steps on the pathway. Understanding buyer psychology is key. We need to understand why we make the changes in order to properly make them.

 

When we stage homes we prioritize what needs to be done, what should be done, and what would add that finishing touch to maximize the overall look & feel of lifestyle in a home. For the benefits of clients, agents should focus on selling the property & stagers should help homeowners prepare the home. Homeowners need to understand that these shows are about entertaining the watcher - one of the biggest secrets that sell is hiring a full time professional home-stager.

 

Staging can add value to a properly priced home by creating warmth & drama, creating a lifestyle image for buyers, showing size, scale & furniture placement & creating an emotional bond with potential buyers. Studies show that buyers will pay more for this. Owner occupied homes tend to sell for more than vacant homes & sell more quickly. Staged homes sell for more money and more quickly than un-staged properties. Even if your home will sell quickly, most of the time the money spent on staging will yield results significantly exceeding what you invested. (National homegain study shows 176% return on investment)

 

Agents should educate sellers that staging is not an expense but rather an investment. Often these same sellers will admit that if selling a car, they would have it detailed. Why should the same not be true of staging (detailing of the home?)

 

There is one last point I would like to make on this issue. As an agent, I would like you to ponder this question: If you were a buyers agent & you viewed a property that had been on the market for 6 months or longer, what type of offer would you recommend your client to make? Most of the time when I asked this question I get the answer, "low ball." So why is it that so many agents will recommend to their clients that they stage ONLY AFTER the house has been on the market for 6 months or more! While staging can help sell homes that have been on the market for extended periods of time, the money you saved not staging those first 6 months, you have now lost in equity & offers. Don't take a chance. Since staging is an investment that typically rates returns in excess of 175%, why not stage first?