Does Home Staging Help Sell It?

 Good morning Inna. there are a lot of advantages to staging. And I do have to agree that a properly staged property makes it look bigger and brighter.

Some great information here on home staging, thanks for sharing.

One question - WHY would sellers pay for staging after the home is sold? That really makes no sense to me. 

Wouldn't it be nice if agents would get together to compile this information - not just on how much more a buyer might pay, but on how quickly staged home sell compared to non-staged homes. 

So... what if the house doesn't sell? What if the sellers are otherwise uncooperative or don't keep it up after the staging is done? Then who gets stuck with the staging bill? 

I expect the cost varies from place to place - maybe their numbers are from a less expensive part of the country. 

Interesting graphic, and yes it can be a little confusing.  I am sure there is some benefit to staging, but of course it like everything needs to be a calculated decision that will work for some sellers and not for others.

Excellent post inna. It would be nice if NAR conducted a survey a survey about staging results. Many Pennsylvanians remain somewhat conservative in their thoughts about staging increasing value. 

I think that if I were an agent in that market, I would NOT volunteer to pay for the staging. 

I should post about an experience I had with this last fall.

I was the 3rd agent on a listing, which had been on the market for 9 months, which is unheard of.  The 1st agent was overpriced, but did lower the price to reasonable, though was unable to sell. The 2nd agent had the listing for a few months, essentially at the same price. This was a vacant condo.

I came in as the 3rd agent (surely a smart move?).  My insisting the condo be staged was met with realistic sellers who agreed to use my recommended stager.  The price did not change. We sold the home in less than 1 week.  Sure, I marketed like I usually do to create buzz, but staging was surely part of the solution.

Hi Inna -- the infographic is attractive but some of the numbers provided by CAR and NAR need some explanation.  

Inna - you worded it perfectly. Location +emotion is the right combination. I believe staging is also to show the use of space, as many people do ot see it

I know I like to show staged homes and they are more welcoming and pleasing to the eye. I have one investor that stages her flip houses and they always sell fast with great feedback.

Inna - I think anyone living in a home for a while can not see what a stager would see.  I have seen numerous examples where staging made all the difference in the world.

Inna - As long as you are "reimbursed" with a faster sale and perhaps a larger commission due to a higher selling price, I suppose it's worth the time you spend. 

I never hired stagger in my life, but I can see the difference in the houses that I visit with buyers. House that is prepared is always more 'likable'  than vacant or messy one. 

Hi Inna,

In this case I referenced above, it was a 2 bedroom vacant condo for approx $1500 to do, and approx $100/month.  That's less than 1 mortgage payment for the sellers.  That didn't involve any painting or cleaning. The home had been cleaned with the prior agent(s) and while we looked at the cost of repainting a purple room, it seemed to be a better use of money to stage a little bit more and not redo the paint color.