If you think any of these statements are true, you could be losing money when selling your home.
Home staging is expensive.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to stage successfully. On average, you should expect to spend about 1% of the value of your home on staging. So if you’re home is worth $200,000, you will probably spend about $2000. If you’re home is in good shape, you could spend considerable less. After staging, you will easily be able to add that much to the asking price, and usually 2-3 times or more. When clients are hesitant about the cost, I often tell them this. The cost of staging is usually significantly less than the cost of the first price reduction. Think about it. It’s not common for a home to be listed and never have any reductions in price. How much is a typical price reduction? Often, it’s at least $5,000, but usually $10,000. And don’t forget that many homes experience more than once price reduction before being sold.
A simple desk and chair can define a spare room as an office.
Home staging is the same as decorating.
While there are some similarities, for the most part these two things are vastly different. When we decorate a home, we add our personality and create a space that appeals to our family. Our homes tell our family’s story to friends and relatives who visit. When we stage, we are taking the personality out of the space. We don’t want potential buyers to walk in and be able to learn everything they can about our family’s lives. Your home should be inviting and welcoming, but the majority of visitors should feel like they could live there.
This kitchen is bright and airy with minimal items on the countertops.
It’s better to take a chance at selling first without staging.
This is a huge mistake, with big consequences. Even worse, the damage can’t be undone. Once your home is listed in less than ideal condition, or at a price that is not reflective of what the home is truly worth, it becomes stigmatized. I’ve seen real estate agents show these homes to clients to illustrate what not to do, or to use as a comparison with another home to convince buyers why they are getting a better deal with another property. You can stage, relist, and market all you want, and it will still be “that overpriced house that needs work.” And even if you can convince someone to take a second look, they are not going to trust you. They’ll think, well, the home is worth the price they are asking now, but they were taking advantage of us before they made updates. How do I know this home is truly worth this price? And you can’t raise the price after staging—that never goes over well in the market!
Staging is just the latest trend in real estate, and next year will be something different.
If you think about it, staging has been around for decades. We just never had a name for it. Anytime we sell anything we make sure it’s in the best possible condition. We highlight the positives features and try to show it in the best light. The same is true when we sell our homes. Over the last 10 years, staging has really been thrown into the spotlight and has really grown. There is much more information available and we are learning more tips and tricks every day.
Staging just doesn’t work—plain and simple.
Statistics support the fact that staged homes do sell quicker and for more money. Here are just a few resources:
· National Association of Realtors
· Real Estate Staging Association
Selling a home is stressful enough. Give yourself the best chance for success by investing the time and money to stage your home before listing.
No comments :
Post a Comment