DOES STAGING A HOME REALLY ADD VALUE TO THE SALE?
For prospective buyers, visualization is key in determining if a house feels like home. RE/MAX agents weigh in on why staging could be a make-or-break factor in sellers receiving top dollar value.
Staging a home is often easiest when it’s already vacant, but that situation is rare. Most sellers are juggling their typical busy schedules while their house is on the market. And contrary to its clean appearance, a vacant home is not conducive for buyers to gauge the size of rooms or envision them filled with their own furniture.
Staging helps a home appear updated
Temporary in nature, staging helps modernize dated spaces, and also provides an opportunity to incorporate trendy and current home decor pieces.
In essence, paint color can change the feel – and transform the time period – of an entire home. When in doubt, experts advise opting for neutral wall colors like beiges, greys and whites, to create a blank canvas effect. For a streamlined appearance, one neutral color can run through all the rooms.
Investing in a few home décor swaps upfront can increase the home’s worth in the long run, and even potentially help the seller receive higher offers. Currently, popular improvements among sellers are upgraded light fixtures, new cabinet knobs, accessories with popular textures like rattan, and swapping wall-to-wall carpet for hardwood flooring or wood-like options.
Staging speaks to emotion
A house is a space of creative expression, customization and comfort. But when it’s on the market with tours coming through, it’s time to put the personalization aside and focus on what creates the most desirable template for prospective buyers. In addition to improving the overall appearance, staging is intended to enhance the emotional component of a property. An inviting living room could be a promising place to gather with loved ones, a freshly mowed backyard could be room for children or pets to play, and a set dining table could be the perfect place for holiday entertaining.