When deciding to sell your home, you’ll hear non-stop about all the perks of “staging.” It has been the latest rage for years now, but does it really make a difference? In this post, we’ll talk about what staging means and how you can use it as a tool to get the best possible results from selling your home.
Knowing the value of your home is essential before putting it on the market. Fortunately, you can book a free home evaluation right here.
First Off, What is Staging?
Consider the fact that everyone has different ideas of what a beautiful home looks like. You may despise wallpaper while your buyer loves it. You might think that splash of bold colour on the living room wall adds character, but the buyer may find it a complete turn off.
There are a thousand (or more) small details when designing the interior of your home. Put any two people in a room, and there will be endless arguments over what is tasteful and what looks tacky. No matter how large your budget may be and how much time you have, you can never please everyone when it comes to home decor.
In staging, the goal isn’t to appeal to everyone, but to design in a way that the buyer can see the potential for themselves.The goal is to appeal to the largest audience in order to sell your house for top dollar & as quickly as possible. This is achieved by decluttering, rearranging, adding or removing furniture and the strategic use of accent pieces.
We could talk all day about all the little things you can do to maximize your home sale! And you’ll find even more insights in the posts below:
- What Are the Best Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value?
- Home Inspections: Friend or Foe When Selling Your Home?
- Refining Your Offer Strategy When Selling First House
Presentation Matters From the Start
To better understand the importance of proper staging, put yourself in a buyer’s shoes for a moment. What do you do when you first start looking for a home? If you’re like most people, you hop online and start clicking through photos of houses to see what you like and don’t like. Based on these photos, you’ll decide whether to visit a house in person.
Photos of a staged home look much better online and in print. This means you are far more likely to visit a staged home than one that isn’t presented well.
You may think you don’t have to physically stage a home, why not just virtually stage the home. Virtually staging is inexpensive and easy so many realtors will tell you it is as good as physically staging your home. It may be better than doing nothing but there is one huge down fall to virtually staging. When buyers visit your property they are disappointed that it doesn’t look as good as it did in the photographs and are less likely to put an offer in on your home.
Some sellers may think, “It’s just paint and furniture. Who cares if it’s old and outdated? Surely people can look past it.” In most cases, they’re wrong. Only 10% of the population can look past furnishings and decor that they don’t like. If your house is not “show ready,” you could potentially be alienating 90% of buyers!
If selling your home fast is important to you, then you will find this fact interesting. According to the Real Estate Staging Association, professionally staged homes spend 73% less time on the market. That’s quite a difference!
Staging can be even more impactful on a vacant home. Did you know that an empty room actually looks smaller than one that is professionally furnished?
Whatever type of home you’re selling or when, we have a guide to take you step by step through the process. Download yours for free right here.
Quantifiable Results of Staging
It can be challenging to quantify how well staging works since every transaction has so many variables. In a hot market, your house would likely sell anyway. When things are slow, sellers sometimes wonder whether the extra investment of time and money is worth it.
That said, multiple studies show that staging works. Even if it doesn’t directly increase your final price, it can help you to sell faster. And a faster sale almost always means a higher price, so it’s all part of the cycle! Some experts have found that a home properly staged will sell for 10% more than one that isn’t!
Imagine what this might look like even on an entry-level home listed at $700,000. A 10% bump would mean an extra $70,000 in your pocket. On a million dollar home, you’re looking at up to $100,000 more.
In either case, that’s a lot of money that you wouldn’t have had otherwise! You could go on vacation or buy a car or put it towards your new house!
Aligning with a knowledgeable Guelph real estate agent makes all the difference in helping you achieve your goals, whether buying, selling, or investing. The posts below will help you make the right choice:
- Tough Questions to Ask Your Realtor® When Selling Your House
- How An Experienced Guelph Real Estate Team Can Help With Your Investments
How Much Does Staging Cost?
DIY staging costs little to nothing upfront, but may result in a lower sale price and more time spent on the market. And remember that this is also an investment of your time and effort. Every showing means you must strive to keep your house in pristine condition, and living in a staged home is not easy, especially if you have a busy home and work life.
On the other hand, professional staging can cost thousands of dollars – unless you work with the GoWylde Team! Our in-house accredited designer is available to all of our clients at absolutely no charge. We have staged over 1,000 homes, so we know what to do to make your home sell.
Need furniture or accessories? We have an 3,200 square foot warehouse with over $500,000 of high-quality pieces. We take care of everything, including placing the furniture, accessories and hanging the pictures. Once your house sells, we come back and take everything out. This is all done by a professional accredited designer and you don’t pay a cent!
Why would we do this? Because like you, we want your home to sell fast and for top dollar. This is one of the reasons why the GoWylde team sells more homes than anyone else in Guelph!
Want to know more about staging your home to get the best possible results from the current market? Our top Guelph real estate agents are happy to answer all of your questions. Reach out today to 519-826-7109 or email info@gowylde.ca to book your free consultation.
