Home staging is an idea that gets tossed around a lot in the world of real estate. Some experts say it can increase the value of your home and others say it makes no difference at all. We've taken a look at pros and cons to help you decide if staging your home is worth the investment.
One thing most agree on is home staging will not significantly increase the selling price of your home. Especially in a market like Bozeman where home prices are already on the high end. It can however, have a big impact on the amount of time your home sits on the market. Home buyers are savvy and many can see past the superficial extras home staging adds, however it does create a great first impression. It helps the home to stand out against all the others that buyers may be looking at. It is a fact that a furnished home shows better than an empty one, so staging becomes more important for new construction or model homes. Because it sets a more favorable impression, it tends to go under contract sooner. This ultimately is more money in the sellers pocket even if it's not from an increase in the home price.
The are different levels of home staging. Some go all the way with furnishings, art work, new light fixtures and decor to give the home a fully staged look. On the other end it can be simply cleaning up some clutter, rearranging a few items and maybe adding a new piece or two. Perhaps a fresh coat of paint and a professional carpet cleaning. These are all surface solutions, which staging is all about. If real renovations are needed, buyers will see through nice decor to the problems.
With that being said, home staging offers some advantages. It gives the seller an opportunity to turn what might be perceived as a negative into a positive. The best way to think about home staging is as one more tool in the marketing plan to sell your home. A staged home looks better in photographs. Take a look below and you can see how much nicer a staged home looks.
While all the above photos look nice, the staged ones tell more of a story and can help a homebuyer visualize actually living there. Better photos then make all the marketing more impressive from flyers to social media posts. All of this goes back to the home making a good initial impression and a shorter amount of time on the market.
The takeaway is that home staging can definitely work to the sellers advantage, especially in a strong real estate market like Bozeman. If staging is something you don't plan on investing in, taking a few steps on your own before putting your home on the market can add similar benefits. For some tips on getting your home ready to sell, click here.
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