Home Staging Boosts Selling Power

Most homeowners know it is important to keep a home clean, bright and free from clutter while it is on the market for sale. But sometimes, we say, taking the extra step to stage a home can make a difference in how a buyer values it and the price a seller might get for it, according to the National Association of REALTORS®(NAR) 2020 Profile of Home Staging.
 
We know how important it is to have a home in the best shape possible when showing it to prospective buyers and at a minimum, homeowners should conduct a thorough cleaning, haul out clutter, make sure the home is well-lit and fix any major aesthetic issues. Another option is staging a home, which we often suggest to sellers to help prospective buyers better visualize themselves in the home and could modestly increase the home’s value for both the buyer and seller.
 
The report, the first of its kind from NAR, found that 49 percent of surveyed REALTORS® who work with buyers believe staging usually has an effect on the buyer’s view of the home. Another 47 percent believe that staging only sometimes has an impact on a buyer’s view of the home only. Only 4 percent of Realtors® says staging has no impact on buyer perceptions.

REALTORS® on the buyer side believe that staging makes an impact in several ways; 81 percent says staging helps buyers visualize the property as a future home, while 46 percent says it makes prospective buyers more willing to walk through a home they saw online. Forty-five percent says a home decorated to a buyer’s tastes positively impacts its value; however, 10 percent of REALTORS® say a home decorated against a buyer’s tastes could negatively impact the home’s value.

We believe that staging increases a buyer’s perceived value of a home from 1 to 5 percent (according to 37 percent of REALTORS® representing sellers and 32 percent of REALTORS® representing buyers). The increase in value is closer to 6 to 10 percent says 22 percent of REALTORS® representing sellers and 16 percent of REALTORS® representing buyers.
While many factors play into what a home is worth and what buyers are willing to pay for it, staging is an excellent tool that can be used to give a home a little extra push for sellers