One of the major considerations when putting up homes for sale is marketability, and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) recommends that sellers seriously think about home staging before putting them up for sale on the real estate market.
According to a 2023 NAR report, more than 80% of buyer’s agents believe that staging helps potential buyers imagine themselves living in the home. Paired with professional photography, staging also boosts a property’s online marketing and expands its reach to a wider audience. Lastly and most enticingly, sellers could even end up compensating for the staging costs with the correct execution and a little bit of luck.
Let’s discuss three benefits of having your home staged to help you decide if the benefits outweigh the costs.
1. Staging helps potential buyers envision themselves in the home
Empty spaces make prospective buyers and their agents do the mental work of visualizing which areas fit what purpose. Not every buyer has a clear vision of what they want. By filling out bedrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms with appropriate furnishing, home staging subtly provides a mental template buyers can work with. This can go a long way when they decide if they want to live in a home or not.
If a home is occupied by the seller’s furniture, having the house staged still improves the place’s overall cleanliness and appearance. Staging companies more than likely have cleaner goods and furniture to replace the seller’s personal items. One can expect a spruced-up, more professional version of the home’s interior with better utilization of space and less clutter.
Staging can also demonstrate how move-in-ready a home is. By being given an impression of order, buyers can infer the functionality of a well-staged home. A clean bathroom can come across as requiring less maintenance. An intact ceiling suggests an absence of water damage from the second-floor pipes.
2. Staging paired with professional photography can boost digital marketing and attract more buyers from beyond the locality
An indirect benefit to hiring the services of a stager is that they can also help with the property’s online listing. According to the NAR, virtually every homebuyer in 2023 looks for homes on the internet. This is no surprise as it’s a more efficient use of time and resources. It’s impractical for buyers from another state to physically visit a place looking for homes without looking at online listings. Thus, it’s not a stretch to say that home sellers must have an online listing.
Visuals and first impressions are at a premium in the digital marketing landscape, but a beautifully staged home might not necessarily look as good on the screen without the help of a professional. These are further considerations to be made. However, having a well-staged, photogenic home with an online listing increases the chances of finding the right buyer.
3. Staging can raise the sale price
Not only can staging entice buyers, but it can also improve the value of property by as much as 10%. A 2023 survey by the NAR says that one in five buyers’ agents believe that having a home staged translates to a 1% to 5% increase in dollar value. In the same survey, one in seven think the added value is between 6% to 10%. A seller can therefore make up for the staging costs spent to make their property more attractive on the market.
The nationwide average for having a home staged is roughly $1,800 and ranges from $782 to $2,812, according to HomeAdvisor. Aside from the costs, knowing the portfolios of staging companies available to you also helps in these decisions. Remember though, that staging lacks an official licensing body or exam. Practically anyone can peddle as a stager, so the most reliable way to find a good one is by referrals and word of mouth. Seek recommendations from sellers you might know, read reviews of staging companies within your area, and ask your agent; they usually have professional connections with stagers.
Real estate agents can also provide recommendations based on their other listings and they will have probably seen the best pieces of work, especially in areas like Palm Beach County. For sellers of real estate near Ibis Luxury Country Club, you can browse similar listings to see which staging options best suit your capacities. Ultimately, the decision to stage a home hinges on the budget, time, and competition.
To help you sell your property in The Club at Ibis, don’t forget to give The Telchin Group LLC a call. A top-tier real estate brokerage, The Telchin Group specializes in buying and selling properties in this exclusive community.
Give The Telchin Group a call at 561.301.0249 or contact us here to sell your home in Ibis, West Palm Beach, FL as quickly as possible.