Staging can help you sell your house more quickly

Buyers see a better looking product when sellers utilize home staging

The housing market of the last five years has seen explosive growth and unprecedented prices. If you live on either coast and have sold a house in the last few years, you probably saw a number of buyers aggressively offering ever-increasing bids for your property. Aside from a few markets, such as Phoenix or St. George, Utah, the market has slowed down recently. This is due to the perception that prices are too high as well as rising interest rates. 

In the current market, houses are sitting vacant longer, sellers are having to accept lower prices, and people are becoming frustrated. One solution that may help you sell your house more quickly is staging. Staging is the process of hiring a professional who will examine your home and make recommendations as to how you might “spruce it up” in order to sell it more quickly. At its most basic, a home stager will meet with you, examine your property and then offer some suggestions as to what you should do. These suggestions might include painting the interior or exterior, doing a bit of landscaping, or replacing outdated Harvest Gold appliances.

At its most extreme, staging is far more elaborate. A home that is vacant is much harder to sell than one that is occupied. Many shoppers have difficulty trying to imagine what a vacant home will look like once it is furnished. A staging company usually maintains an inventory of furniture and decorative items that can make a vacant house look like a showcase. Such houses usually sell quickly, as they are furnished but do not have the clutter that often accompanies houses that are currently occupied. Instead, such houses resemble model homes.

Studies have shown that staged homes often sell in as little as half the time of those that do not have professional assistance or are left vacant. That being the case, the money spent to hire professionals to assess and improve the appearance of the home you have for sale are generally worth the time and money. Staging isn’t necessarily cheap, however. You can expect to pay perhaps several hundred dollars for an initial consultation. If you elect to have them furnish a vacant house, you will have to pay a monthly fee for their expertise and the use of their furnishings. Generally, the first month is more expensive than subsequent months. As with most professional services, the price of a home staging will vary depending upon where you live, how many companies service your area, and the state of your local real estate market.

If you live an an area where the real estate market has slowed down and you have a house that has been on the market for a while without selling, you might wish to consider calling a professional. While the industry is still fairly new, the results are in. You can sell your house much more quickly if you utilize the services of a professional stager.