Should You Stage Your Home Before Listing? Pros, Cons and Costs Explained

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Hiring a professional home stager can make or break a sale – or can it? Every situation is different, and below we’ve broken down the pros and cons so you can make an informed decision about the best route to take when listing your home.

Professional stagers are experts at making the most of a home’s appearance. Ideally, they’ll choose current trends in furniture and decor to ensure that your home looks fresh and up to date. They’ll also create a neutral canvas so every space appeals to as many people as possible. Because they don’t have an emotional attachment to your belongings, they’ll remove any items that may be too personal or distracting that you may have had a hard time taking down. Additionally, a staged home can make a great first impression so every potential buyer walking through the door has a positive reaction right off the bat. If you’re having a difficult time clearing out all the personal belongings that have made your house a home, a professional stager may well be worth the money.

Generally, staged homes sell faster than their unstaged counterparts. In a competitive market, the faster the sale the better, because homes that don’t sell quickly may get a bad rap. Even if your home is in perfect condition, if potential buyers see that it has been sitting on the market for longer than the other homes in your area, it can negatively impact your sale. If you’re wondering if a stager is right for you, consider the cost of your home not selling in a reasonable amount of time vs the cost of hiring a professional.

Staging can make your home appear more polished which may lead to a higher asking price. When buyers walk into a staged home, they’ll immediately see the potential and envision themselves living in the space. When this happens, it increases the odds of a quick offer – optimally multiple offers and in a dream world, a bidding war! A home that has been staged projects one that has been well maintained, is ready to be moved into immediately and will require minimal upgrades. The cost of hiring a professional stager may well be offset by a more profitable sale price.

One of the biggest weapons in real estate marketing is listing photos. Gorgeous pictures will ensure that your home stands out among the hundreds of others online. If you need to get noticed, hiring a stager for your photos alone can make all the difference in the speed of your sale and a successful closing.

Every home has certain features that make it stand out from the rest. A talented stager will highlight the things that will be attractive to buyers such as a gorgeous view, a working fireplace, or the room that would be perfect for exercise equipment. Often, features such as these can get lost in a home where family life has taken place and your stager will ensure to make them shine again. The more your home stands out because of it’s unique atributes, the better the odds for a quick sale at an optimal price.

Does your home have oddly shaped rooms, minimal storage or a poorly situated kitchen? A professional stager can arrange furniture, showcase storage solutions and use their creativity to utilize each room to its fullest potential making challenging imperfections disappear. The point is not to cover up real problems but to offer ways in which buyers can work around less than ideal aspects of your home.

A home that is listed in a competitive market will absolutely benefit from professional staging. Many of the reasons listed above will ensure that your home doesn’t languish on the market while homes around you sell more quickly. A well staged home will stand out in the mind of buyers and will keep them coming back for second looks or to make an offer.

Ok, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – cost. Hiring a professional stager can be extremely expensive and may be cost prohibitive. The price obviously varies by location and project size but in NYC, staging can exceed $30,000. If your home is on the market for an extraordinary sum of money, you will make up the cost on the back end. But if you’re in a different price range, you may want to consider doing as much as you can on your own. Investing smaller sums on things like paint, a new area rug and clean fluffy towels will all make a good impression, and may be enough to grab the interest of potential buyers.

Additionally, you could spend your hard earned dollars on movers and a rental unit to get your home as uncluttered and streamlined as possible. Doing what we call a “halfway move” means taking out as much unnecessary furniture, home decor and personal items as possible to create the neutral space a professional stager would give you. Another good use of your money is to hire professional cleaners to deep clean every surface so windows, floors and countertops all sparkle and shine. If you’re able, this is another place you can cut costs, but don’t skimp because dirt is an absolute turn off.

And, of course, professional organizers are a great option if you want to make the improvements mentioned above, but don’t have the time or ability to do it on your own. Generally, they will be more affordable than stagers, have a network of professionals they can call on for assistance and can get your home looking it’s best with the furnishings you already own.

Keeping a home in pristine condition while it’s listed can be extremely overwhelming and is a reality of home sales. But having a staged home can take things to another level, particularly if you have kids and/or pets. In fact, some professional home stagers require that you move out during the process which can quickly and exponentially elevate your costs. While your home should be ready for last minute showings, the stress of maintaining staged furnishings may not be worth it. Think long and hard about whether your lifestyle is compatible with a staged home, even in the short term, before you commit to hiring a stager.

The process of hiring a professional stager and the time it will take them to get your home market-ready may not be feasible if you need to get your home listed asap. This is a double edged sword because if your home is staged, it may very sell faster but if you have to get it listed immediately, the staging process will deter you from doing so. It may be worth talking to your real estate agent to help you weigh the benefits of preparing your home on your own. If you need tips, we have several blog posts with actionable tips here, here and here.

As mentioned above, staging is great for providing solutions to imperfect areas in your home. But if your stager covers up real problems, it could come back to bite you, particularly when the home inspection takes place. It’s never a good idea to cover up legitimate issues because it may cost you time and money if the deal breaks down after weeks, or even months, of negotiations. The better strategy is to identify problems up front and handle them before any potential buyers get a look at your home.

Selling a home and moving are considered two of the most stressful events that take place in a lifetime. While staging may be a necessary evil, it can be an emotionally difficult experience for people who have deep attachments to their home. On the one hand, it can bring up feelings of loss and grief that big change can cause. And on the other hand, feelings of deep regret can be caused by seeing your home in all its glory, in a way that you were never able to achieve. This may be something you have to deal with, staged or not, so be prepared to live in a space that brings up emotional turmoil and reach out for help if needed.

Many buyers have a hard time imagining themselves in a home during a walk through. If your spaces are highly curated and look more like a showroom than a place where a family could settle in, it may be a deterrent to some. The possibility of a home being overstaged is a legitimate concern and, in spite of the money you have spent, may do more harm than good. Make sure you and your broker have a say in the end result if this is a concern.

If you’re lucky enough to be in a seller’s market, staging may be completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. If inventory is low and demand is high, your home may sell quickly and for top dollar regardless of whether or not it is staged. Do your research and have an honest conversation with your real estate agent to determine whether or not you can be successful without investing in a professional stager.

Weighing the pros and cons of staging your home before listing will help you make the right decision. It can be a costly investment, both financially and emotionally, so evaluating your specific needs and goals should be forefront in your mind. Whatever decision you ultimately make, you can move forward with confidence knowing you considered every angle.

If you need assistance preparing your home for the market, we have over a decade of experience working with stagers, movers, cleaners and junk luggers. Contact us today if you have questions or concerns – we’d be thrilled to help you navigate this difficult and complex process.