By Michael Teng March 14, 2019
When you’re ready to put your home on the market, you’ll want to create a space that’s visually appealing to buyers. If they can imagine themselves living in your home, they’ll be more likely to consider buying it. But is staging worth the money?
Helps Buyers Visualize
A new report out today from the National Association of REALTORS® shows 83% of buyers’ agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home.
Homes Sell Faster
According to the Association’s 2019 Profile of Home Staging report, 53% of sellers’ agents said staging slightly reduces the time a home spends on the market.
Attracts Higher Offers
A well-staged home can also fetch higher offers from buyers. Twenty-five percent of buyers’ agents said their clients made offers that were 1 to 5 percent higher for a staged home. Twelve percent said for staged homes, buyers made offers that were 6 to 10 percent higher.
Popular Rooms to Stage
The most common rooms that were staged included the living room (93 percent), kitchen (84 percent), master bedroom (78 percent), and the dining room (72 percent).
Paying For Staging
The seller pays before listing the home 18 percent of the time, according to the report. Sellers’ agents in will personally provide funds to stage the home in 26 percent of cases, and in 17 percent of occasions, agents will offer home staging services.
Decluttering
In addition to staging, agents recommended sellers take these important actions: Ninety-five percent recommend decluttering the home, 89 percent recommend an entire home cleaning and 83 percent recommend removing pets from the home during showings.
Hire A “declutterer” to Help You
If you have a short attention span or don’t have the time or energy to go through your “stuff,” you can hire local professionals who specialize in decluttering and organizing basements, closets and home offices.
Less Is More
The current trend is for sleek and simple lines. For many of us, myself included, we’ve collected and have kept a tremendous amount of “stuff” over the years. Clean off your bookshelves and countertops and select only a couple of items for display. The less “stuff” you have out, the bigger the space looks. . Plus, the easier it will be for buyers to picture themselves living in your house.
Some people have “big” furniture such as couches with large curved arms or huge dining room chairs meant for homes with nine-foot ceilings. “Big” furniture can make a room look and feel small Sometimes rearranging furniture can make a room feel larger.. Other times, it might be better to just put pieces in storage while your home is on the market.
Don’t Forget About Curb Appeal
First impressions are everything. If the outside of your house isn’t appealing, you probably won’t attract as many buyers to come through the front door.
Here’s what you can do to get attract more buyers to come inside:
- Power-wash your house and walkways.
- Clean your windows
- Make sure your house number is easy to read.
- Mow the lawn.
- Trim overgrown greenery.
- Plant flowers.
- Put a welcome mat and potted plants on your front stoop.
- If you have a porch, include outdoor furniture.
