Should I Stage my Home in Baltimore City Before Selling?
It is time to sell your home in Baltimore City and you’re going through a lot in order to make that happen. One question we are asked a lot is should I stage my home in Baltimore City before selling? Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to that question. Today, with the help of Lucky Home Buyers, realty consultants in Towson, MD, we are going to take an in-depth look.
What is a staged home?
Staging a home includes preparing a residence for sale in the housing market. A staged home entices buyers with a move in ready look. And as we’ve already seen, a staged home will sell faster and for more than a home that isn’t staged.
Most staging techniques are primarily focused on the appearance of the home for sale. They transform the home into a more welcoming environment for potential buyers. Most staged homes include art, paintings, lights, plants and rugs to give the property for sale a more attractive look.
How much more do staged homes sell for?
According to the National Association of Realtors, for every $100 invested in staging your home, the potential return is $400. That’s a 4x return for doing a few simple things! When selling something as expensive as a home, this is well worth your time.
“U.S. research states that home staging can reduce a listing’s time on the market by one third to half, and could fetch as much as six percent to 20 percent more than an empty home or a home not properly staged,” an article by nwi.com states.
Advantages to a staged home
Selling a staged home may be easier because you can set the stage for what buyers see. Buyers walk in and see the comfortable furniture, pretty decorations, and general hominess, and feel like they could sit down and relax in the home. The more they can see themselves in the house, the more likely they are to buy it.
Another significant benefit of staging is that it can make listing pictures look more appealing. The listing photos you use are usually the first glimpse potential buyers get of your home, so you naturally want to make sure they look as great as they can. If staging the house can make the pictures better, the advantages are apparent.
(Remember, nothing makes up for bad real estate photos. One of the most important things you can do as a seller is make sure the photos of your house are professional. They sell your home more than anything else you do.)
There are some companies now that offer virtual staging, where they will add furniture electronically to your photos.
The jury is still out on that. While the photos may look great online, the buyer could get to the house and feel disappointed seeing an empty home.
The last significant benefit of staging is that it lets you show the usefulness of strangely shaped rooms. If you have a room that is small or oddly shaped, staging lets you show it is still a room that has value.
While you may not have enough money for a full-fledged staging, there are always things you can do on your own to make your house more attractive to buyers. Most real estate agents would agree these are fundamental tips that will make for a faster sale.
Disadvantages to a staged home
The two disadvantages of staging a home are time and money. A staged home takes time to get right. It may take days for the home stager to bring in everything necessary to stage the home, and still more time to organize it correctly.
The removal of the staging materials also takes time, sometimes longer than you want to wait.
Staging a home also costs money. Depending on what is involved, it can cost several thousand dollars to stage a large home with lovely and appealing décor. You may not want to spend so much to stage, or you may not have that much lying around. Of course, home stagers will try to use what you have available, but often that is not enough to do the job right.
Do you want to be paying thousands of dollars a month to have your home staged? Is it necessary? Could that money be put elsewhere that would have a much more significant impact? These are the questions to ask your local real estate agent.
About Lucky Home Buyers
At Lucky Home Buyers, we have over 25 years of experience providing win-win solutions to help homeowners get out of their sticky situations. Issues such as foreclosure, owning a burdensome property, probate, or anything else, we focus on providing you with a compassionate solution to your situation so you can continue to do the things you love.