What is Home Staging and Why Might You Need It?

Home staging is a popular term used today that indicates the process a person uses to get their home ready for sale.  You can stage your home yourself, if you like, or you can hire a professional home stager.  Either way, the goal is the same—to present your home in the best possible light in order to make a great sale!

Having your home staged offers the opportunity to make it comparable to other homes on the market—or to even stand out from them.  A staged home will be neat, uncluttered and allow a home buyer to visualize the space as his own.  A well-staged home will draw attention to the home’s unique features, rather than making the focus on furnishings and accessories.  A staged home takes the everyday normal home to a new level of freshness.  It becomes an inviting place, one that is interesting to potential buyers.

Good First Impressions

The first impression a home buyer gets is important.  Hiring a home stager to set the tone for your house can help boost a first impression.  A professional home stager has experience working with a broad variety of homes and will have ideas to implement that you might not have thought of.  A stager may also have props to loan or rent you that will add pizzazz to your home.

Saves You Money

Often, in an effort to improve their home’s look, homeowners will spend money on things that are unimportant to a buyer.  A big screen TV might be impressive, but a home buyer will look beyond it.  He’s concerned with what comes with the house.  Upgrading the showerheads in the bathrooms may seem like a good idea, but won’t likely become the selling feature of the home.  Replacing a rusty mailbox, however, might make a difference.

Costly additions such as hardwood flooring or new kitchen cabinetry may tempt a seller to list the house at an inflated price in order to earn back what he’s spent.  Unfortunately, doing so may price it out-of-reach of many buyers.  Changes of this nature must be carefully calculated.

A home stager can advise you on the right types of changes to make on your home.  Often there are cheaper cosmetic improvements that will perk up the look of your home.  Even re-arranging the furniture in some homes can make a huge difference.  A home stager may also have items such as new appliances, furnishings or accessories they will rent you, saving you from purchasing them.

Before making major changes to your home, why not consult with a professional home stager to get their opinion?  

You Decide

Your home is an important financial asset.  Of course you should have the final say on what changes are made to it and how much is spent on getting it ready for sale.  When you hire a home stager, have that important discussion together and make your wishes known.  Set timelines and a budget you’re happy with. 

In the end, the stager is on your side.  The goal is to sell your home as quickly as possible at a price that meets or exceeds your expectations. 

Having your own personal home stager can take a lot of pressure off you at what, in most cases, is a stressful time.  Why not look into the idea of hiring a professional home stager and see if it’s for you?