What Is Staging?

What is Home Staging and How Does it Help Sell Your Home?

Staging is the process of highlighting a property’s best features by using lifestyle selling techniques while targeting a specific market.

The goal of staging is to capture the buyers’ hearts and minds by helping them to visualize themselves in your home with the quality of lifestyle that they aspire to.

Staged homes typically sell faster and at a higher price than their un-staged counterparts.

The First Impression is Very Important!

Most buyers use the internet as a primary tool in their property search. Therefore the images of homes they see online actually provide their first impression. The importance of these images to a seller cannot be understated!

Staging’s Role with the First Impression

Hopefully a potential buyer gets excited enough about what s/he sees online that they make an appointment with their agent to see your home firsthand. That’s when the fun begins!

Any agent can confirm what Jan Van Horne at the ideal Realty in Eden Prairie, Minnesota once said, “Typically, a potential buyer has made up their mind ten seconds after they step in the front door. They were already forming an opinion as they pulled into your driveway!” That really doesn’t leave too much room for fault.

Having your home professionally staged can help to ensure both buyers and agents are favorably impressed the first time they see your home. The quicker buyers can visualize themselves living comfortably in your home, the more offers you’ll receive. And the more competitive offers you get, the higher the offers will be! It’s as simple as that.

What’s Staging Worth?

The good news is that staging your home means more money in your pocket whether the market is hot or not. In highly competitive markets where bidding wars are commonplace, professional staging can result in price increases of 10% to 12%.

In a moderate market, staging can lift selling prices from 2% to 10%. When the market is sluggish, staging helps homeowners gain exposure and shorten the time to sell.

After comparing the bottom-line difference of staged vs. not, staging nearly always proves to be money well spent and a wise investment.

At the End of the Day

Your home or property is a product in the real estate market; it must gain an edge over the competition and give value to buyers in order to be sold successfully. Home staging helps potential buyers understand that your home is an great match for their needs and an excellent value in the marketplace.