MCCORD REALTOR

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What is home staging and why do people do it?

William McCord



What is home staging and why do people do it?

As a real estate licensee in MD and DC I see homes that are staged and homes that are not staged all the time. Some people ask the question if they should do it or not. I am going to talk about what staging is and the positives and negatives to staging your listing.

What is home staging?

Home staging is designing the look of a property for a short term to help your home sell. Think of it like a living, breathing marketing piece. Professionals costs money and it usually has a fairly high price tag starting at $2,000+ (based on the company you use).

  • 3 typical types of staging (Priced highest to lowest, in most cases)

    • Complete staging = Every room of the house

    • Partial staging = Select rooms in the house

    • Virtual staging = Furniture added to your photos and not actually in the home

Why do people do it?

  • Shows potential buyers what it could look like if the home is currently vacant 

  • Shows what’s capable in the space

  • Makes the home more attractive and spikes people’s interest

Where to start?

  • DIY

    • Follow my lead

      • I have a guide to prepare your house that lays out what you can do room by room to prepare your home for photos

      • These are a lot of things I advise sellers to do before staging their home as well

  • Call the pros

    • Figure out if you want complete, partial or virtual staging

    • Your agent should be able to talk you through virtual staging options available

      • Virtual staging is typically charged per photo

    • Consultations cost money with a staging company ($400+ typically)

    • Most contracts with a staging company have term limits (i.e. 60 day contract)

    • Staging can run you into the $6K price point based on location, property size & term of contract with the staging company.

  • Declutter = Get rid of stuff that’s not needed or wanted

    • Clean off flat surfaces

    • Throw away “stuff”

  • Clean = There’s Nothing like new furniture in a dirty old house

  • “Get out!” = Remove personal items = family pics, religious items, etc

Positives & Not-So Positives

Positives 

  • Shows potential buyers what it could look like if the home is currently vacant 

  • Shows what’s capable in the space

  • Makes the home more attractive and spikes people’s interest

Not-So Positive

  • Cost associated

  • Staging company contract and term