Home Staging is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the home selling process.
Something that home stagers and real estate agents hear every day...
"There's no budget for home staging. "
"We can't afford to stage our home. "
Unfortunately most people perceive staging as expensive...far more expensive than it actually is.
The reason people think it's so expensive is because they think staging is the rental or purchase of a whole house full of furniture and accessories.
They have seen the TV shows where a crew comes in and knocks down walls and rips out plumbing, replaces tile and counters and cabinets, and adds hardwood flooring throughout.
What most sellers and many real estate agents still don't understand is that not all Home Staging includes the purchase or rental of new furnishings. It also doesn't usually involve any major renovation.
Home Staging is a general term with many levels of service.
Home staging services range from simple consultations to full home makeovers. The level of service provided depends on the condition of the home and the sellers' budget.
Think of Home Staging as PREPARATION. It's really just the act of getting your house ready....making it look it's best so it's appealing to potential buyers. It's removing excess stuff and making sure that everything that remains looks neat and orderly. It's cleaning until everything shines. It's replacing anything that looks dated or worn so your home appears to be well maintained.
You can afford to clean your house.
You can afford to wash all the windows.
You can afford to organize your closets and cabinets.
You can afford to donate the items you no longer use or need.
You can afford to rake the yard and trim the overgrown shrubs.
It's all home staging, whether you do it yourself to save money, or you pay a professional to do it for you.
The most affordable staging service is a Home Staging Consultation...paying someone to provide advice on how to do it yourself.
A Home Staging Consultation averages $150 - $350 and includes room-by-room advice and tips on preparing your home for sale. Anything the stager sees that could influence buyers is addressed. At the end of two hours you have a detailed to-do list and a plan of action for presenting the best possible product to potential buyers.
The bottom line is
Home Staging is simply preparation.
You cannot afford NOT to prepare your home for sale!
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