How Professional Staging Improves Home Offers

You know firsthand how warm and comfortable the home you’re selling can be. Items such as family pictures on shelves, comfy couches and an accent piece of furniture breathe some life into the space and give your room a sense of personality. You’ve spent night after night in this home and have made memories here. Now, it’s time to pass that on to the next person or family. When you’re preparing to show your home to prospective buyers, professional staging can round out the look and feel of the home, giving the space a more homey touch. Consider working with a local, trusted realtor to get the most competitive offer for your house. 

Add Value to Your Home’s Offers

Studies by the National Association of Realtors show that professionally staging a home greatly improves the offers sellers receive on their home. When buyers can visualize themselves in the home, they are more willing to spend more on the property. In the study from NAR, 23% of buyers’ agents reported that offers were written anywhere between 1% and 5% higher for staged homes than similar, though unstaged, homes. Unsurprisingly, the data on the flip side was nearly identical, with 23% of sellers’ agents reporting 1% – 5% more on offers for their staged homes versus their unstaged listings. Some agents even reported a 6 – 10% increase in dollar value for staged listings. No agents in the study said staging a home had a negative impact on the sale. 

Not only do staged homes sell for more, but they also sell more quickly. More than 31% of realtors reported selling professionally staged homes much more quickly than homes that were not staged. Home sellers see numerous benefits of staging their home.

Staging Benefits the Buyer

Buyers also benefit from professional home staging, and in turn that brings more value to the seller. When touring a home with furniture throughout, potential buyers gain a valuable insight into how the space can be used, especially if there are areas of the home with unique floor plans or unusual quirks. Buyers also are reminded that they are touring a home, not just an empty space. When a home is staged, they can better visualize how their own furniture and lives may fit into this space. As home buying becomes more of a virtual endeavor, seeing how rooms look with furniture also gives buyers a better sense of how big the space is and what it looks like more realistically.

Professional staging can give potential buyers a nudge of sorts, giving them ideas on how to use the house. Both buyer and seller agents agree that seeing excessive open space during a home tour can be overwhelming to a buyer, who may see too many – or not enough – possibilities in the space. Additionally, the house can come across as cold and uninviting if the sellers have already emptied their belongings out without staging the home professionally. Adding some staged furniture helps create a homey ambiance, showing the buyer how the space could be used. 

How to Stage Your Space

Adding some aesthetic elements to your home is an easy process. If you’re preparing your home to sell, you only need to choose a few rooms to stage, rather than the whole house. According to HomeAdvisor, staging a home can cost between $741 – $2,664, depending on where you live, how many rooms you stage and how it is staged. By working with your realtor, you can determine which rooms would benefit from staging the most. Typically, buyers like to see how living rooms and kitchens look. Staging the main bedroom or a home office is also a good idea if you want to really make your listing stand out. 

Make sure the house is deep cleaned before the professionals come to stage. Washing down the baseboards, deep cleaning the carpets and getting rid of any strange smells is critical to putting your home’s best foot forward and getting the best offer. 

Stage and Sell Your Home with Dane Jensen

The housing market fluctuates dramatically. Regardless of whether we are in a seller’s market or buyer’s market, staging your home before selling is an excellent way of getting the top value for your listing. The benefits of staging your home are numerous, and as a trusted realtor in the Twin Cities area, I will work alongside you throughout the entire process to get the most competitive offer for you. 

If you’re considering selling your property in Minnesota, contact Dane Jensen – Compass Wayzata to collaborate on a home selling strategy, including staging your space. Every person and home is different, so let’s connect to discover what is best for you and how you can get the best offer. Together, we can get you home.