Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money possible by attracting the most amount of potential buyers. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest amount of buyers by transforming it into a welcoming, appealing, and attractive product for sale. Staging often raises the value of a property by way of reducing the home's flaws, depersonalizing, de-cluttering, cleaning, improving condition items, and landscaping. For vacant homes, rental furniture is used to create a living space the buyer could "see" themselves in. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws.

History

Since the 1970s, real estate professionals have used staging as a marketing tool but not until the 1990s did staging became a separate endeavor adopted by professional designers, decorators and stagers and home based career seekers. More recently, the trend of do-it-yourself home staging has become widely popular, as many staging books have been published on the subject.

Staging is viewed by some as a necessary step taken prior to selling a home, and many real estate professionals and home sellers alike hire a professional home stager or home staging company to stage their homes prior to sale. Statistics show that it makes a dramatic difference on the amount of days a property is on the market and how much it sells for.

Research has shown that a home stager can reduce a listing's time on the market by half and can result in an increase of 10-15% in the selling price versus an empty home.

Techniques

Many techniques are used to stage a property. De-cluttering, de-personalizing, updating old or unattractive fixtures, painting, furniture rearrangement, rental furniture and accessorizing are just some of the changes used to make a home more inviting to potential buyers.

Since a typical home buyer decides if they are attracted to a home or not in the first 8 seconds of seeing it, curb appeal is generally viewed as a vital aspect of the staging process. Therefore, curb appeal, the practice of improving a home’s exterior appeal, is used alongside interior improvements.

It has been shown that homes containing furniture and accessories sell more quickly than vacant homes, because the potential buyers realize what can actually be done with the place. They may realize that the room is actually a lot larger than it would look without furnishings. Rental of furniture and decorative accessories are common solutions used by a home stager when selling brand new properties that have never been occupied, or those where homeowners have already vacated the property.

Spaciousness and light often determine the success of a staged home. Typically, the larger a room appears, the better it will seem to homebuyers. Dark, tight spaces create a poor impression and may prevent the home from selling. Furniture layouts should create an impression of openness and comfort. Non-essential items should be removed to minimize crowding and clutter. Opening curtains and blinds to let in natural light and turning on interior and exterior lights at nighttime are also common staging techniques.

One school of thought suggests that wall treatments and flooring are most appealing when presented in neutral colors and subtle patterns. Paint colors should be neutral whenever possible, as bright or bold colors and strong patterns detract from the universal appeal of a space. This rule, however, does not always hold true, particularly in the luxury home market, where unique fixtures and bold finishes — such as stained concrete flooring, deeply colored textured paints and artisan fixtures — are often considered highly desirable.
Religious items, personal photos, awards, certificates and cultural items are often removed to downplay the presence of current homeowners. This helps potential homebuyers to not only feel more at ease during viewings, but allows them to focus on the property itself while also imagining their own belongings in the space.

Staged Homes Sell Faster – Statistics reflect that staged homes sell 30 to 50% faster in most areas.  Remember that its also true that the longer a home is on the market the more likely it is that there will be a sales reduction.  This thought has already crossed the buyer’s mind and they are looking to find out why … What’s wrong with this house? 

Good First Impression – The first impression a home makes is more often than not the one the buyers walk away with.   

It Doesn’t Take Long – It’s a well proven fact that buyers usually make up their mind in less than a minute on whether they want a home or not.  With that in mind its critical that the outside of your home gets the same attention as the inside.  If a buyer likes the home they are going to validate or reject that fact within the next 20 minutes.  That 20 minutes is directly affected by the effort that went into staging (or not staging) the home. 

Take Away The Guess Work - Staged homes help the buyers see themselves in it by appearing to be ready to move in.  Buyers place a great deal of importance on this factor in light of all the other “work” that has to be accomplished in moving into a new home.  A well staged home says … I’m ready for you!

Paint The Full Picture – The vast majority of buyers cannot visualize what a home can be.  They only see what is in front of them and if its cluttered, dirty and outdated that’s all they see.  Of if they can see what it can become the seller is going to be penalized in their mind for the work and cost it will take to get it into what they visualize it to be.

Beat The Competition – Staged homes just sell faster and for more money.  Besides, agents love to show beautifully staged homes so you get more exposure. Staged homes have a competitive advantage over other homes that are not staged.

It Appraises Better - Appraisers see the home in a more positive light and are more likely to appraise the home higher than a similar one that is not staged.

The world of real estate is ever changing and never seems to remain constant for more than a brief period.  But one thing has always been a constant – the home that is priced well and shows well generally sells well.  No matter what the market conditions, how your home shows has a tremendous impact on the end result.

A key element in the selling scenario is how well a home for sale has been staged.  The art of home staging has come into its own and has become “the” buzz word in the industry.  But what does staging involve?  What should be staged?  How much should be done?  How much is too much? How is it done to get the best results?  All these questions and more should be on the mind of today’s sellers.  The last question is always … Where can I find the answers?

The answer is the professional real estate agent that has taken the time and effort to become an Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS).  Agents with the AHS designation have a full understanding to the staging process and are fully equipped to answer those questions.  Not only that, they have the tools to help you develop, budget and implement an effective staging plan.  Their goal is to achieve your two most important objectives: 1) Sell your home for the best possible price and 2) Sell your home quickly.

Real estate professionals are expert facilitators of the real estate transaction – from beginning to end.  Those agents that have earned the AHS Designation recognize the impact that staging can have on the sale of a home and have prepared themselves to provide that value added service for their clients.  Who better to work through the issues of staging with you than the one that is assuming responsibility for the marketing of your home?  Equipped with the knowledge and skills to ensure that your home is fully prepared to show itself in the best possible light, the AHS real estate professional will ensure you have an edge on the market.

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