A good marketing plan is one of the most critical steps to take when you get ready to list your home for sale. This includes listing your property, cleaning up and readying your home, holding open houses, and welcoming buyers to tour your property.
Preparing and marketing a home is a critical part of this process. One of the decisions you’ll need to make is investing in staging for your home. What is home staging, and what are the pros and cons of this practice when planning a household relocation?
What is Staging, and What Does it Entail?
Staging a home is prepping it for a potential buyer to let them view the house in a generic yet attractive manner. This empowers them to envision the space as their own. It involves:
- Redecorating
- Moving or replacing furniture
- Decluttering
- Removing personal items (photos, mementos, and knick-knacks)
- Doing a deep clean
- Adding in “niceties,” such as mirrors or artwork
- Cleaning up your yard and garden areas
You can do this as a DIY project, but many invest in a professional stager. The services offered may vary, so if you’re considering staging, ask lots of questions.
Benefits of Staging Your Home
Sellers often find the money spent on staging is well worth the investment and essentially pays for itself. Some benefits include:
- Removes the burden of preparing the home for sale
- Enjoy faster selling times, allowing you to move on more quickly
- Receive higher bids to buy the home
- Entice more buyers to come to view your property
- Stagers do all interior and exterior areas of your property
People typically have a high emotional attachment to their homes. Working with a neutral third party makes it possible to view your interior and exterior spaces objectively to reshape them so they’ll attract buyers.
Drawbacks of Staging Your Home
Most professional real estate agents endorse staging because it yields a strong ROI (return on investment) and sells the house faster. However, this doesn’t mean the practice doesn’t have some drawbacks. Points you’ll want to consider:
- The cost of professional staging can be pricey, $300 to $600 on average for an initial design consult and then $500 to $600 per month for each staged room
- You may need to rent furniture in addition to other costs
- Stagers may require a minimum number of months to utilize their services (e.g., a three-month contract)
- DIY staging can also add up quickly (and depending on skill level, may not yield good results)
- If you’re in a hurry to sell, staging may interfere with your timeline
You’ll want to consider your budget, financial resources, time, and other factors to decide if the benefits of staging are worth the trade-offs.
Ready to Get Started to Plan Your Move
You may need to move fast depending on the current real estate market. To prepare for when the time comes to move, it’s a good idea to get a few moving estimates and check availability with different companies so you know all your options.Ready to start planning your move? Contact us today! We’re happy to answer any questions and provide a free quote.