If there’s one thing we know for sure about staging in residential real estate, it’s this: It works. By now, with all the statistics collected over the years, we can confidently say that whether the home is vacant or occupied during the selling process, staging a property for sale offers an excellent return on investment and any seller who is not having their home professionally staged (or at minimum, having a go at doing it themselves) is leaving money on the table.
A seller could lose out on many tens of thousands of dollars or more, just because they didn’t realize the difference that a few relatively inexpensive visual improvements could make. Unfortunately, this still happens surprisingly often.
There are so many angles from which to argue the value of staging when selling a home, but for now, let’s look at it from the perspective of a home buyer.
When a person or family is looking for a home to buy, what are they really looking for? Well, depending on their particular life path at the moment, they could be:
· A young person in the market for their very first small (entry level) home.
· A growing family, looking to find a bigger space for their children to grow up in.
· A retired couple, looking to downsize into a condo or smaller house, offering them more freedom for travel.
· City dwellers who are looking for that perfect lake house or buyers moving into the city from a more rural setting.
· A recently separated person who is moving into a new home (and new life) away from their former spouse.
1. When they come in to view your home for sale, they’re not just looking at a building. They’re hoping to find a new space where they can imagine themselves happily building a new life.
2. Your home is not the only home that they will be viewing.
What do they imagine themselves doing in the home?
· Designing a sweet little nursery for the new baby on the way, now that they have that extra bedroom.
· Trying their hand at gardening, now that they have a front yard and entrance.
· Maybe getting a puppy, now that they have a fenced-in backyard.
· Inviting family and friends over for a BBQ in the summer and a swim because maybe now they have a pool that they can share.
· Inviting family and friends over for special celebrations, dinner parties, Super Bowl, etc.
· Cooking.
· Doing homework with the kids at the kitchen table.
· Resting.
· Maybe working in the home office.
· Having a place of their own to create the space and lifestyle that they have always dreamed of.
· Healing.
· Calm and at ease in the space.
· Spacious: that the home has enough
room for everyone in it and all of their activities.
· Creative: that they can imagine adding their personal touches and style, making the house feel like their own.
· That buying this home would be a step in the right direction for them. That it would be an improvement on the living situation that they are planning to leave behind.
· “WOW, THIS COULD REALLY WORK”
· That this home is a “step down” from where they were living before.
· That they would not be comfortable
inviting anyone over to this home
· That there is a massive amount of labour and money required to improve the appearance of the home, before they could enjoy living in it.
· It’s cluttered and chaotic, not a restful place and they want to leave the showing immediately
. “NO WAY!”
How is staging your home addressing the emotional needs of buyers and helping them to decide they would love it to be THEIR home?
Staging, including minor repairs and updates, de-cluttering, painting, proper furniture placement and décor can transform even a very modest home into a stylish oasis that will make a strong and lasting positive impression on home buyers minds (and hearts).
Staging (done well) can absolutely turn a “NO WAY!” home into a “WOW, THIS COULD REALLY WORK” home for your buyers.
The right paint choices and minor improvements can assure buyers that there really isn’t that much immediate work to do in the house – they can just move in and any changes that they may like to make can perhaps happen more gradually.
The right furniture and placement can help them visualize how they might arrange their furnishings when they move in.
The right minor curb appeal improvements can assure buyers that this home is a place that they can look forward to coming home to.
Creating a serine bedroom and bathroom oasis with staging, leaves buyers with the impression that this is a place of rest and rejuvenation for them.
As we know, buying a home is the largest financial decision that most of us will make. It’s also one of the most highly emotionally charged decisions. So you want to have your home presented to buyers in a way that will garner the best possible outcome for them and for you, so that both parties can start this new living chapter in the best possible way.
That means more money in your pocket for a home your buyers will love. That means staging.
We recommend hiring a professional stager. Not because we think you can’t do it, but because it’s a ton of work and we (stagers) have it down to a science. We live for staging and have all the resources and expertise to make it all come together beautifully.
As always, best wishes for a quick and successful sale!
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