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.”
Melinda Massie, who owns a home-organizing firm in Fort Worth, Texas, says that 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.
Home staging is not the same as decorating. Decorating is about personal style, while staging makes your home appealing to the largest pool of buyers.
Why Home Staging Is Important
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.1
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 offing prices. If they see too many problems, they may pass completely on buying the home.
Benefits of Home Staging
Staging a home makes it more appealing visually and allows potential homebuyers to envision how the home might look once they move in to 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.
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%.
