Selling a home is a process—its end goal being to get the property off the market as soon as possible. There are many strategies that can be used to reach that goal and staging is one of them. Staging entails hiring a professional designer to decorate the property to be on sale with the purpose of accentuating the home’s features. The cost of staging generally varies from state to state.
So, does staging really help sell faster? The answer is yes, and there’s data to prove it. A 2013 study by RESA found that 170 staged properties on sale for $300,000 to $499,000 sold on average of 22 days compared to 125 days on the market of un-staged homes. However, this is not always the case. At times, the speed of the sale it also depends on the market. For instance, a staged home can be sold as quickly as an un-staged home in high demand neighborhoods. However, for sales that requires more of a convincing push, staging can make a difference. We can understand this difference by understanding how buyers think as they’re making an investment decision.
Competitive advantage in digital advertising
It’s highly likely that the first interaction a potential client will have the home will be online. For that reason, it’s imperative to capture their attention from the get-go and a staged home has that effect. Because it’s a professionally curated space, clients can aspire to live in a beautiful space—they can see themselves there! This type of connection is the first step to pulling them to making a physical visit.
Potential clients can visualize themselves in the space and see the home’s potential
Having furniture and décor in place helps clients see the home from a practical stand-point. They can discern the different rooms and their décor and give them ideas on how they can be used.
It also gives an opportunity to see the possibility of how they would orient their lifestyle in the space! Entertaining in the modern kitchen, enjoying a family movie on the comfortable sofa, tucking in the kids in the twin beds. All this creates a connection between the buyer and the home and drives them to make a purchase decision.
Accentuates space available
A staged home makes it looks bigger. Clients generally don’t have the eye to envision how furniture will fit into empty space—will it be too big, will it be too small? Staging helps them see that even with furniture in the space, the home still have plenty of negative space for navigation.
Because it helps the client visualize the space and envision themselves in it, staging can shape the buyer’s decision. It helps them interact with the home and see its potential more so than an empty space. Once a client has established a connection with the property, they’re likely to make an offer.
