When planning to sell your home, one term will come up early and often. These days, it seems that everyone is singing the praises of staging a house to sell before putting it on the market. The concept isn’t new, however.
An interior designer by the name of Barbara Schwartz first coined the phrase back in 1972, and the name has stuck ever since. As a technique, the idea of preparing a house to appeal to prospective buyers is as old as the real estate industry itself.
This breakthrough technique sounds great on paper, but what does it really mean? In this post, we’ll answer your questions as we highlight a few of our top insights on how to prepare your home for sale.
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The Foundation of a Successful Home Sale
Selling a house begins with thorough preparation, and every detail plays its part. Cleaning and decluttering create a blank slate to work from in addition to uncovering any areas of improvement.
Your mission is to impress potential buyers at every opportunity, from that all-important first impression to passing their in-depth scrutiny of each room. Staging is one final piece of a well-thought-out strategy.
It can be as simple as rethinking your furniture placement and swapping out some decor items. Or it can involve a total and complete overhaul, with new paint, enhanced lighting, landscaping, and renovations. How far you go with it depends on your goals and the condition of your home as it stands already.
Staging a property that needs major repairs can be a bit of a band-aid solution. It might help to gloss over any imperfections, but it won’t hide them from a serious, discerning buyer.
On the other hand, if you’ve taken the time and effort to maintain your home, staging can enhance its appeal and result in beautiful showings.
Looking for even more tips on how to prepare your house for sale in Kingston? The posts below will give you some valuable insight:
- How to Sell a House in Kingston
- Myth Vs. Fact: What to Know Before Selling Your Home
- When Is the Best Time to Sell a House?
Does Staging Help Sell a House?
When customized to your property with your prospective buyers in mind, staging often results in a faster sale, sometimes even a higher selling price.
The key is to choose a real estate team that understands houses on a deeper level, not just what the “colour of the year” is, but right down to the structure and quality of the construction.
Effective staging effortlessly combines flow and design in a way that seems built-in to the very foundation of the home. Note: Keep in mind that the effect is very different when you are designing a house to sell. Your own preferences go on the back burner, and the story becomes all about the buyer.
One of the first steps to selling your house is simply knowing its value in the current market. Find out by booking your complimentary home evaluation.
How and When to Begin Staging Your Home
Simple tips for selling your home that you can do yourself include thoroughly cleaning and decluttering to eliminate all unnecessary items. The fewer distractions, the better! This process often takes the most time, so it’s always a good idea to get an early start.
Decluttering is important, not just because your house appears neater and more organized. A clean space also appears brighter, maybe even bigger. As an added bonus, there are fewer places where dust can accumulate, which makes maintaining a tidy home less cumbersome. It is well worth the time and effort, both in terms of your outcome and peace of mind!
While you’re at it, you’ll also want to store your personal items out of sight. We want the buyer to picture living in your house and creating memories of their own. Your belongings only remind them that they are guests in someone else’s space.
For now, your photos from the cottage or your last tropical vacation must come down, and any trophies you or your family members have won should be stored away. In their place, consider hanging some beautiful, neutral artwork that anyone would love.
For more extensive staging, it’s best to consult with a professional. There are very real, personal techniques that appeal to different buyers based on the type and location of the property. A real estate service with staging expertise can guide you on what will yield the best return on your investment.
Understanding the current real estate market and knowing what your buyer is looking for will help you form a successful selling strategy. The posts below can help:
- A Homeowner’s Ultimate Guide to Kingston Real Estate
- 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a REALTOR®
- Buying a Home: 5 Tips to Get Started
Is Home Staging Worth It?
How much does it cost to stage a house, and what results can you expect from your efforts? Prices can range from a few hundred dollars for a light refresh to several thousand dollars for a total transformation. Once again, it depends on the scope of the project and the market in your area.
Consider the following scenarios.
Imagine staging adds 1% to your final selling price. 1% may seem like a tiny number, but not when you consider the high prices of real estate. It adds up to an additional $5,000 on a $500,000 sale. If you spent $2,000 on home staging services, that leaves you with $3,000 left over. That can go a long way to covering the cost of your new furniture or any upgrades you want to make!
What if staging doesn’t add any dollar value to your house? It’s unlikely to see zero return, but even if that’s the case, it’s still worth it because it helps your house sell faster. Getting the transaction over with means you can move on with your next steps. If your house sells in one month instead of two, that’s one month less of showings, negotiations, and having to keep your space pristine at all times.
Since more than 90% of all of our clients choose some level of staging, we can confidently say that the process pays off the vast majority of the time. If buyers step in and are immediately in awe, you are well on your way to receiving favourable offers.
Do you have more questions on how to stage your home for sale? Our Kingston real estate agents are here to guide you from start to finish. Reach out to us at caldwellco@royallepage.ca or call 613.449.6588 today.
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