ROSA KARP ~ APRIL 2023
When real estate agents talk about staging your home, they’re referring to a method of preparing a property for sale on the real estate marketplace. Staging is designed to showcase a home’s best assets, impress buyers, and sell it quickly for the highest possible price.
Because not all sellers stage their homes—especially homes in lower price ranges—you’ll be at an advantage if you elect to take the extra step of staging your property. Here’s how.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Home staging refers to preparing your home to sell so it appeals to the most potential buyers who will pay the highest possible price.
Relative to the amount of time and money involved, staging may be one of the most lucrative projects you’ll ever undertake.
The living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and outdoor living spaces are all important areas to focus on when staging your home.
A few recommended home-staging tips are to declutter, clean, or replace your appliances so they look new; remove any personal items such as photos and monogrammed towels; and get rid of odors.
Good staging is “a form of visual merchandising that draws on some of the fundamentals of interior design,” says Gordon Roberts, a broker with Sotheby’s International Realty. “The object of staging is to flatter the property but not be too obvious about it, like being dressed without drawing particular attention to what you’re wearing.”
Good staging lets the buyers imagine themselves in the home; shows off its good features and hides its flaws; turns weird spaces into usable spaces; creates a mood (stagers call it “emotional staging”); and makes the home look significantly better in photos.
When dealing with such a significant financial transaction as selling a home, you don’t want to settle for a lower selling price or a longer marketing period than you have to.
Relative to the amount of time and money involved, staging may be one of the most lucrative projects you ever undertake. Potential buyers aren’t just looking for a structure to inhabit—they’re also looking for a way to fulfill their dreams and improve their lifestyles. Staging can create a more emotional purchase for the buyer, which ultimately can generate more money for the seller.
Home staging is also beneficial because potential buyers don’t want to see work that needs to be done upon moving into the home. For every problem they see, they’ll deduct its cost from their offering price. If they see too many problems, they may pass completely on buying the home.
Staging a home makes it more appealing visually and allows potential homebuyers to envision how the home might look once they move into it, making it look more move-in ready. Having furnishings and wall hangings in place is often more inviting than empty rooms and blank walls.
In a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 47% of buyer’s agents said that staging positively affected most buyers’ opinions of a home. The report also found that 82% of buyers’ agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home, which can help the home sell faster. According to the report, staging the living room was found to be very important to 46% of buyers, followed by the master bedroom at 43%, and the kitchen at 35%.
If you are looking to Sell your Home, we are here to help! 
Many full-service Realtors today will take care of staging your home, and many may hire a professional stager to assist in the process. They will find and procure the appropriate furnishings and accessories to keep the home looking good while you’re moved out and showing the property. The cost to the stage may be split between the homeowner and the Realtor’s expected commission, but expect to pay 1% to 3% of the home’s selling price on staging.
New trends have homeowners opting for do-it-yourself home staging (as opposed to hiring a professional stager) and limiting the number of buyers who come into the home for in-person showings. Yet staging remains an important tool because a well-staged home looks better in photographs—and most buyers are looking for homes online. Be prepared to pay for things like painting, storage organizers, furniture and rental furnishings, floral arrangements, and cleaning supplies.
According to the 2021 NAR report, the most common rooms that are staged are the living room (90%), kitchen (80%), owner’s bedroom (78%), and dining room (69%). Of course, time and money determine the level of staging that is practical for your home. Try to employ the following techniques in as many rooms of the house as you can afford and have time for.
If you are looking to Sell your Home, we are here to help! 
The Bottom Line
Even if you have plenty of cash, don’t put too much money into the staging process. You want to emphasize the home’s best features but keep in mind that what sells the home and what makes the home usable for the buyer are not necessarily the same thing. Overall, to get the most bang for your buck, your home-staging efforts should be designed to appeal to the widest possible range of buyers. The more people willing to submit purchase offers for your home, the higher the selling price will be.