People are always asking me “Do we really need to stage? Our place looks pretty good”. The simple answer is absolutely. Imagine if you were car shopping….but at your local mall parking lot. Now imagine picking a car you like from the outside, thinking it’s beautiful, just the right size, good for your needs…. only to feel uncomfortable the moment you sat in the driver’s seat after seeing all the owner’s personal belongings around. You’d want a discount on that car or more realistically move on to the next one.
I understand it’s hard to put money into a property you are selling. Think of it as an investment.
For the Buyers, purchasing a home is not only their largest purchase and investment, but it’s also a very emotional decision. As a Seller, the goal is to appeal to as many buyers as possible and ideally get multiple contracts = get the best price and terms.
80% of buyers in the current market will see a new listing with 10 DAYS of listing! These buyers may not like the current inventory, so they wait for new homes to hit the market. It’s critical to grab these buyers’ interest right away. Unless they can walk in and envision themselves hosting parties, entertaining in the back yard, cooking in the kitchen, maybe taking a bath; they will write it off and wait for the next home. But if they love it…
“Show me the Money!” 
Picture by www.blcopywriting.com
The longer a property sits on the market, the lower the sales price tends to be. Think about when you go to a hotel, you feel comfortable just plopping on the bed, like you are home.
With staging, you want to create that welcome, blissful feeling in each room of the property, so they are ready to BUY! If it doesn’t sell in the first 2-3 weeks, be prepared to get a lower price. With a great staging job, it will help increase your chances of getting 2+ contracts in first week, and likely more than your asking price.
That’s right. More than asking price.
So you or your Realtor thinks they can stage themselves? There’s much more than just going to Target and buying some trinkets and pillows – there’s color psychology, placement, where to draw your eyes, style, how it will look in photos, etc. Leave it to the trained experts!
But will it pay off? YES. Properties that are professionally staged SELL for quicker and higher NET value. How much? It depends. My personal opinion is that staging investment can return 150%-400%+ of that staging fee (assuming you have the right Realtor and the right Stager).
I recommend investing in your property, get that better return, and minimizing the stress of having your property sit on the market.
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