With easy access to real estate data on the Internet, it is easier for a seller to get market information without a Realtor. Now many Realtors provide the added-value service of staging, positioning homes for rapid sale at a premium price.
What does a home stager do?
Stagers are decorators who focus on preparing homes to bring out their best features and make them attractive to potential buyers. If your home is vacant, they may provide furnishings to stage it like a model home. If you are still living in your house, they will work with you to rearrange your furnishings and possibly add some of their own to optimize your home’s appeal.
The stager’s goal is to make your rooms look spacious, non-personal and ready for the next owner to move in. Stagers will try to make large spaces neutral and add color using smaller accessories.
What should I do before someone stages my home?
Before the stager arrives, you may want to:
- Remove photographs and other personal items. You want buyers to think about how they will use the home and not get distracted by details related to the current homeowner: you.
- Declutter your home. If you have collections of knickknacks, box them up. Keep just a few for the stager’s use.
- Clean your home thoroughly; be sure windows are clean and sparkling inside and out.
- Clear space in closets or the garage or rent a storage unit to collect items the stager removes.
Prepare yourself to accept the stager’s recommendations. She may add lighting and plants to make the home look brighter. She may use your things, but in very different spaces. Some stagers may even expect you to remove up to half your furniture to make rooms look bigger.
The stager usually does not address closets, garage or storage areas. However, you can follow his or her lead and thin belongings in these areas as well. Remember that buyers open closets and cabinets to judge space and investigate home cleanliness and order.
How much does home staging cost?
Staging is not free, however. Stagers calculate costs based on hours required for assessment and rearranging and fees for short-term use of furnishings provided. This may range from $200 for advice only to $4,000 for significant physical movement and several months’ rental of stager-provided furnishings. If the house hasn’t sold by the end of the staging contract, you may be able to rent the stager’s furnishings until you sell.
Realtors sometimes do the staging themselves or pay staging costs. After all, if the house doesn’t sell, the Realtor makes no commission. If staging helps it sell quickly, the Realtor earns a commission faster. Be sure to ask this question during preliminary discussion with the Realtor and write any staging agreement into the sales contract.
How do I live in a staged home?
Many stagers will admit that their finished product is meant to look good, not necessarily be easy to live with. Their motto: Don’t stage to live; stage to sell! Unless you already keep your home looking like a showroom, you may have to make adjustments.
Don’t let clutter build. Keep the whole house spotless. If your normal cleaning schedule allows some dust to settle, increase frequency so everything shines.
Minimize your footprint in the home so you don’t have multiple areas to restage after each use.
Take pictures of staged rooms. Make a point of bringing each room back to the staged appearance daily so the house is ready for any showings that may happen.
Shut drawers, put kitchen appliances out of sight, close toilet covers, plump pillows, put toiletry items away, discard newspapers and mail immediately and neatly arrange magazines. Hide dirty laundry in the washer, dirty dishes in the dishwasher and pet evidence outside.
Before you leave for the day or before any scheduled showings, scan each room to make sure everything looks just right. If the room could be a page from a beautiful home magazine, you have accomplished your goal.
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