Why go through the trouble of staging your home when you’re selling? And what exactly is home staging? Home staging is when a professional, usually someone with a background in interior design, evaluates the look of a home from a buyer’s point of view. The home stager may rearrange furniture, remove items and suggest adding accents to the interior and exterior of the home. These accents may be small items, like colorful pillows, small lamps and place settings on the table. Sometimes, a stager might recommend including larger elements, like chairs on a deck so buyers can see themselves lingering to enjoy a beautiful view or exterior lighting to highlight a garden path that buyers might otherwise overlook.
Here are five reasons why you should stage your home:
- Bigger offers
According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2017 Profile of Home Staging, more than half of all sellers saw increased offer prices when they staged their homes. Twenty-one percent of sellers saw an increase of 6-10 percent, and 8 percent of sellers reported an increase of between 11-20 percent. Could you be among the sellers whose offers increased by a whopping 20 percent simply after some well-executed staging?
- Faster offers
Almost 40 percent of sellers’ agents reported that staging greatly decreased the amount of time on market. Time is money, and a better, faster offer allows you to move on to the next stage of your life without the drawn-out hassle of months of being ready for showings at a moment’s notice.
- Competitive advantage
Only 25 percent of sellers paid for their homes to be professionally staged. With only 1 in 4 sellers taking the time to get professional staging, you’ll have a competitive advantage that will set you apart from other homes in the area.
- Get more showings
Forty percent of buyers were more willing to visit a listing when they saw pictures of a staged home. Buyers need to visualize themselves walking in the door of a home before they can make an offer to purchase it. And with all of the other homes online, you need to stand out.
- Emotional impact
According to the profile, 77 percent of buyers said they could visualize themselves better in a staged home. When buyers can see themselves living in a house, they become emotionally attached to that property. Then, they’re more likely to bring softer counteroffers. Nobody wants to lose a house when they already see themselves sipping coffee on the deck or watching their children play in the backyard.
Some sellers report that after they staged their homes, it didn’t feel like home anymore – that even though it looked amazing, it didn’t have all the warm feelings it used to. This is actually a good thing! Go back and read No. 5. You want the buyer to have the emotional investment now. When you disassociate yourself and start seeing it as a house – not a home – you free yourself to work with your agent to critically evaluate offers and create counteroffers in your best financial interest. Jason Mudd’s expert-level knowledge of the Amelia Island real estate scene and his savvy negotiation skills will temper the stress of selling and guide you through the transaction to the best offer that meets your selling goals.
Contact us for your Fernandina Beach real estate needs.