Is Home Staging Worth the Investment?

In today’s economy, property owners are listing their homes for less than what they purchased and have invested into it.  What was once thought of as a solid investment has turned out for some to be a losing game. As a home owner or experienced real estate agent, you need an edge over your competition. First impressions are so vital to selling real estate these days that you need to showcase your listing to its highest potential.

Putting your house up for sale is emotional.  It has been the place you and your family have called home.  It has been your sanctuary where you have created memories and shared holidays together. Even though you are ready to move on, it can still be difficult to detach yourself from your home. Home Stagers can make this transition easier for you.

Home staging was once thought of as depersonalizing, cleaning and decluttering.  Although those are important parts of the process, there is so much more involved.  The idea behind home staging is to make the house more appealing to a broader range of potential buyers.  You want to bring out the positive features of the home by showcasing the focal points, making the rooms appear larger and highlighting the potential that each room has to offer. The goal should be to market your home so that new buyers can envision themselves building a new life for their family. 

Some sellers consider home staging as just another expense that is reducing their bottom line, which it is quite the opposite. Statistics show homes sell much faster, sometimes more than three times faster than unstaged homes. With the costs of carrying a mortgage, taxes and utilities, wouldn’t you rather put that money towards something else? 

On a recent appearance on the Nate Berkus Show, Barbara Corcoran, a real estate mogul, said “Home staging is no longer optional in this real estate market.  It’s what will make the difference in whether your home sells or not.”  She later added that home staging can add a minimum of 5% to 7% to the home’s sales worth.

In another report, according to StagedHomes.com, “the average unstaged listing sits on the market for 145 days while a professionally staged listing is a mere 29 days.”

The world we live in today, driven on technology and instant gratification, has an effect on the way potential home buyers look for homes.  According to the National Association of Realtors, 90% of buyers look on the Internet to review photos of property listings before even considering visiting the property. In order for your home to stand out from the rest, it is extremely important to have professional photos posted online of your property. 

BUT before you have any photos taken, the most important step is to make sure that the interior and exterior of the property is showcased to its highest potential which is why staging is so important.  If you have taken these two steps, you will have created an edge to entice home buyers to take the next and most important step which is to visit your property.

The bottom line is that home staging is a critical tool that every seller and real estate agent should utilize. It takes money to make money so start making money today.

If you have any questions we welcome your calls. We are located in the Huntington and Manhasset areas but we serve all of Long Island.

Refined DeZign

Mary Ann Porreca 516-639-6179

Jolene Todaro 516-659-4516

Website: www.RefinedDeZign.com

E-mail:  contactus@RefinedDeZign.com