You might have heard about home staging and wondered what it’s all about. There are even a few television reality shows that feature staging experts doing their magic on a particular house or condo.
So what exactly is it?
Home staging is simply setting up your home to maximize its appeal to potential buyers. It involves everything from cleaning and removing the clutter, to arranging the furniture and decorating. The concept was developed by Barb Schwarz, who has become a legend in the staging industry.
Think about some of the most attractive furniture showrooms you’ve visited. Remember that beautifully set table with the bottle of wine set perfectly in the middle? Did you notice the two wine glasses and place settings that made it look as if a couple were about to sit down for an enjoyable meal? That’s an example of staging.
Does staging work?
According to studies, it does. In fact, staging has been shown to help sell a home faster and for a good price. In some cases, effective staging has even increased the selling price.
Should you stage your home?
It’s definitely going to help make your property more appealing to buyers. When it comes to staging, you have a couple of choices: you can hire a professional stager, or you can stage your home on your own. A good REALTOR® can help by either recommending a stager or providing you with staging tips.
You can definitely do some or even all of the staging on your own. In fact, some of the simplest staging techniques are easy to implement. Putting fresh flowers in the kitchen is an example of staging. So is arranging furniture in a room so that it looks as bright and spacious as possible. But if you have a difficult space or you need to bring in or reorganize furniture, you may want to consider a professional.