Should You Stage Your Home?(Tips & What Not to Do)
Staging your home means finding the perfect furnishings and decorations for your property to make it as attractive as possible. It’s one of the best ways to help you reach buyers who are looking for something with a certain aesthetic. So, should you stage your home?
You should stage your home if it makes sense for your situation. If you aim to give your space a more coherent feel to get a better offer, opt to stage it. If you plan on selling your home as-is, skip it. The average cost to stage a home in Charlotte, NC, is around $1,800 per month.
Keep reading to learn how home staging works, reasons to or to not stage your home, and how much the services cost!
Reasons to Stage Your Home
Are you thinking about staging your home?
There are many reasons to stage your home, but some of the most popular include to:
1. Give your home a coherent feel.
2. Allow for you to move furniture into a new home.
3. Grant buyers the ability to envision themselves in the space.
4. Get more money for your home.
With staging, you can get someone experienced with design to make your home shine (apologies for the rhyming).
Here are the details:
Reason #1: Give Your Home a Coherent Feel
Let’s face it- not everyone was born an interior designer. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but what looks good to you may not appeal to the pool of buyers interested in your home. Maybe you never cared for design aesthetics anyways!
The idea of staging your home is to make everything flow and poise your home’s natural beauty in the best way possible. When different parts of a home feel unified and create a coherent theme, it’s easier for buyers to imagine themselves living there.
In 2021, not all, but most buyers are into clean lines, neutral colors, and modern furniture or fixtures. We want to appeal to these buyers or at least give everyone a fairly blank slate to create their own dream space.
It also heavily depends on the city you live in. Statistically speaking, Charlotte, NC, is a young and vibrant city. Modern farmhouse, minimalist, and transitional are some of the most desired styles here. Does your home reflect this?
Eccentric decor is often a deterrent for some buyers because they can’t really picture the home any other way. Their imaginations run wild with all the work that needs to be done just to make the space feel “livable.” Don’t let this stand in the way of getting top dollar for your house!
Reason #2: Allow for You to Move Furniture into a New Home
Sometimes (especially around the holidays), you want to get all of your furniture into your new space right away so that your family can adjust to the move. This leaves your old home empty and drab.
Using a staging company can help fill the gaps. It will allow you to move out all of the things you own and still present your home in the best way possible. You also won’t have to worry about people walking through the house and touching your stuff.
Additionally, staging might be an opportunity to use or test out new furniture pieces before investing in them. If you’re looking for a new couch in your new home, try it out during the staging process first!
Reason #3: Grant Buyers the Ability to Envision Themselves in the Space
You have to admit- furniture, artwork, and window fixtures really help separate a good home from a great one.
Simple details are what make the home come alive to a buyer. You want people walking through the house not only to like it but also to feel themselves living there.
One of the best ways to stage a house is by placing furniture in the most attractive way possible. When people walk through a room, it’s typically what they remember about the space.
Reason #4: Get More Money for Your Home
Really the reason to stage your house all boils down to getting a buyer to offer you more money.
For example, say the staging services cost you $3,000 up front. That being said, if it attracts more interest, and you’re able to get $5,000 more than the asking price, it’s a positive ROI for you!
In 2021, most homes aren’t on the market long, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the carrying costs of staging your home for months on end.
Reasons to Not Stage Your Home
While there are so many positives, sometimes it isn’t always necessary to bring in a stager.
Reasons to not stage your home include:
1. Your furniture reflects the space well.
2. You want to sell the house with the furniture included.
3. The numbers don’t make sense.
These three reasons are a great example of why having an experienced real estate agent on your side will help you make the right decision.
Reason #1: Your Furniture Reflects the Space Well
If your furniture is a great fit for most people’s taste, there’s really no point in spending money to make changes.
With such a hot market, as long as your house is decluttered, priced correctly, and your agent presents it well, buyers will flock to your home. The decor won’t make much of a difference in this case.
Reason #2: You Want to Sell the House with the Furniture Included
Some people want a seamless move- that means buying as-is.
If you think your buyer may want to keep everything you’ve done with the place intact (and you’re open to it), there’s no need for staging.
In fact, you may be able to make more of a profit by including your furniture!
REASON #3: THE NUMBERS DON’T MAKE SENSE
Realistically, staging all boils down to the numbers and if buyers will appreciate it so you can get a healthy return on the money you’ve shelled out.
A great real estate agent will be able to crunch the numbers for you to see if opting to stage your home makes sense. If it doesn’t- they may advise against it.
Even though homes are going more quickly, I think it’s smart to plan for the worst-case scenario- see if it fits your budget, and go from there.
HOW DOES HOME STAGING WORK?
Home staging is a fairly easy process.
Here’s how it works:
1. Once you’ve decided to stage your home, your real estate agent will reach out to some of the staging companies they have relationships with.
2. Next, the companies will provide you with pricing and package options via a consultation.
3. Once you agree upon a plan, a timeline will be set to move out old furniture (if you haven’t already done so) and bring in the staging pieces.
Usually, this is a pretty quick turnaround and takes about 2-4 weeks to complete. If you’re thinking about putting your house up for sale in December, start this process in November.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO STAGE YOUR HOME IN CHARLOTTE, NC?
You have some options when it comes time to stage your home- a full staging or a partial staging.
Choose the right option that fits your needs. Here’s how the cost is broken down for an average, 1,800 sqft. home:
– Initial Consultation: (usually 1-2 hours, flat-rate) ~$375
– Decluttering: (flat-rate) ~$600
– Service Fees: (flat-rate) ~$900
– Staging Fee: (only charged month 1) ~$550 per room
– Furniture Rental: (charged monthly) ~$550 per room, per month
All of these numbers are calculated based on the square footage of your home, the number of rooms you plan to stage, and the area you live in.
The first (and hopefully only) month is always the most expensive because of the initiation fees at around $3,875. The average cost of a full staging after that in Charlotte, NC, is $1,800.
Your agent may be able to get you a discount if they have established relationships in the industry. However, the buyer is usually responsible for the full cost of staging unless otherwise negotiated.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Whether you should stage your home or not is case-specific.
There are some benefits and drawbacks of staging, but it ultimately depends on how much time and money you have in order to make the process worthwhile for yourself.
If you have any questions regarding staging your home or just want to talk to an agent about getting the selling process started- reach out to Daniels Real Estate Group! We’d be happy to help.
Leave a Reply