Home Staging

Home staging can be an important tool for a seller and a helpful resource for a buyer. Here we outline what home staging is and how it can benefit you as a buyer or a seller.

What is Home Staging: Home staging is essentially preparing a home for a potential buyer. This can include decluttering and removing items to simplify a room, adding more contemporary pieces of furniture, or painting in neutral colors. Home staging can include digital staging, where photos are adjusted to show a renovated room or what an empty space would look like with furniture. Home staging can also be done in reality, where a seller’s furniture is removed and contemporary simple pieces are added.

How does Staging my Home Help: Staging a home offers a cleaner slate for your house in the hopes of appealing to more buyers. It asks a seller to remove some of their personal items and the personality of their home in favor of a simplified and current look. Some buyers have a hard time seeing the potential of a home because they cannot see past the colors of a kitchen or the seller’s furniture. Staging helps to alleviate this problem by allowing buyers to better picture themselves and their items in a space.

Do I need to Stage my House: The need to stage your house can depend on the speed of the market. If it is a hot market, it will be less necessary to stage your home. The need to stage can also depend on the condition of a home and a seller’s style. If a home is unable to sell, staging can also be a tool to breathe new life into a listing by helping buyers see the potential.

Staging can be important for both buyers and sellers. In general, staging reduces the time on the market and increases the purchase price. Many companies offer programs that help sellers to stage their homes (everything from cleaning and decluttering to minor renovations) for no upfront cost. Talk with your agent to understand the benefit of staging and see if it is a necessary step in your home sale process.