What Does House Staging Cost? A Guide For Everything You Need to Know Before You Stage Your Home

What does house staging cost? Here is everything you need to know about staging as you prepare your home for the market!

Staging a Home: The Basics and Where to Start

Many people considering selling their homes will wonder if home staging is necessary. If you are considering selling your home, you may start by maximizing your space and storage by decluttering your home and removing the items you don't want or need. 

As you start this process, it will be vital for you to understand that removing any unnecessary or bulky items will need to be put away in storage or donated or sold. One of the easiest things you can do as you prepare to stage your home is to minimize the number of belongings lingering around your house. This will give the illusion that space, precisely storage space, is abundant. 

You want to show your potential buyers that there is unlimited space to grow into. Remember, if a buyer sees that your closets are stuffed to the brim, it could deter them from buying your house because they will most likely think that storage is an issue and may be concerned that they won't have enough space for their things when they move in. So, start organizing those closets and think minimal. 

Part of this process should include removing any personalized items, including family photos, framed awards, or anything with your name on it. Remember you want to sell your home to someone who can envision themselves in your home. Remove any items that will tell the story of who you are. Now is the time to tell them your home is meant for them. 

Why is Home Staging Important? Is It Necessary?

For many of our readers, is home staging essential? We want to take you into the advantages of home staging and why it makes such a difference. 

Here are statistics sourced by the National Association of Realtors (NAR):

• 96% of buyer's agents say that home staging affects some buyers' view of the home.
• 81% of buyers say home staging makes visualizing the space as their own easier.
• 46% of buyers are likelier to walk through a home they have viewed online.
• Realtors who work with buyers say most buyers are willing to offer more money for a home that has been staged compared to a similar non-staged home.
• 62% of the time, the seller's agent will pay for the staging of your home as part of their services. 
• According to a survey from the Real Estate Staging Association, sellers who invest about 1% of the sale price in hiring a professional stager saw a 7% return on investment.

What is Staging?

Staging is a process that starts with decluttering, as we mentioned at the beginning of this article. We will get into what happens after decluttering and depersonalizing your space. 

We want to accentuate all of the features of your home. You may have great taste, and for many lucky sellers, you may get away with adding more neutral accessories and decor without breaking the bank. 

For many sellers, it is helpful to focus on specific areas of the home that are the most focused on by buyers. The most significant focal points will be the living room, kitchen, dining room, main bedroom, bonus or office spaces, and bathrooms. So, while you are making a list of which rooms to prioritize, we recommend focusing on these main areas of the home to lead you to the most successful results.

If hiring a professional, you'll have time to understand what will be involved during your first home consultation. This is the first initial contact you will have with your professional home stager, who will take notes and photos of the inventory of your house.

Most home stagers will be preparing a home preparation report for you. They will likely send that to you after you consult with specific areas of improvement they intend to execute. When you hire professionals, they typically charge an initial fee to evaluate your home and devise a punch list of things to do as you prepare your home for the market. 

Common recommendations will include the following:

• Fresh coat of paint.
• Thorough cleaning and touchups.
• Making minor repairs to anything that is broken or not functioning correctly.
• Landscaping and adding fresh plants and natural elements into your home, if lacking in this area.
• Decluttering and removing all personalized decor.
• Removing bulky items or furniture. 
• Putting items in storage.
• Swapping out decor and adding in more neutral decor items. 
• Make sure the air filters are clean, replacing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Replacing light fixtures and ensuring all bulbs are working. 
• Cleaning the carpets and replacing flooring.
• Refreshing small spaces like the bathroom by swapping out your countertop materials and hardware.

Cost of Home Staging

While you are still weighing your options for staging your home, rest assured that you have so many options. Looking to your trusted real estate agent to help guide you through this process would be best. Often, seasoned agents have been through this before and can go through your home and make recommendations. Other times, sellers choose to do it themselves, with successful results. 

The bottom line is time and money. If you want to save time, spending a little more money will save you time and stress by hiring the pros to come in and handle it for you.

Whichever direction you choose to go, we have outlined what each option would look like.

DIY 

If you have great taste and organizational skills, this could be a straightforward task for you to accomplish. Simple changes may be all your house needs to prepare for the market and is often the most cost-effective for home staging. Tasks like repainting your walls with a fresh and neutral coat of paint, rearranging your furniture, and adding new throw pillows and fresh towels to your bathroom may be all you need to sell your house.

Remember that first impressions are essential, so give yourself enough time to get your house looking fresh and new. When a new buyer enters your home, you want to evoke an emotional response. Make your home feel like home to anyone who walks up to your house by making it feel inviting. Evaluate the placement of your furniture.

Get rid of any obstacles that interfere with the home's natural flow. Walk through your home with a fresh set of eyes, or even invite your friends over to help you determine any awkward design choices you may need help recognizing since it's hard to be subjective in your home. 

Take advantage of the outdoor spaces. Many buyers are just as interested in the home's exterior as the interior. So, allow enough time to freshen up your outdoor spaces. Easy tasks that will make a huge impact include:

• Installing fresh mulch in your garden beds.
• Fertilize and manicure your lawn.
• Remove all of the weeds and dead debris.
• Clean your gutters.
• Powerwash your walkways and decks.
• Add pops of color with fresh flowers in your flower beds and pots. 
• Powerwash your siding and consider a fresh coat of paint if it's starting to look dull and drab.
• Spruce the outdoor living space by adding fresh cushions or pillows to your outdoor seating areas. 
• Store children's bikes and outdoor toys in an inconspicuous area.
• Clean your windows and doors and make them look sparkling. 

Your Real Estate Agent

Many seasoned real estate agents who have sold hundreds or thousands of homes have enough experience to help prepare your home for the market without spending thousands of dollars on a professional staging service. If you know your real estate agent has a lot of experience listing homes for sale, you may ask them if they are willing to help point you in the right direction if the job seems overwhelming to accomplish on your own. 

They will often keep items on hand for staging purposes only that they will bring in for you to use for professional photos, and these items will remain there until your home has officially sold. Why spend the extra money on home decor if your agent has some perfect touches on hand for you to utilize? 

Real Estate agents have walked through many homes and will often be able to identify which design choices in your home can stay and which should go. During your initial visit with your agent, you could take notes of their recommendations.

The initial consult will often involve your agent guiding you on which items can stay and which ones should go, so be sure to listen and take notes so they know what works and what doesn't. Trust your real estate agent and complete all the homework they assign you; ultimately, it will all be worth it. 

Professional Stagers

Professional stagers have one purpose: to make your home look as appealing as possible to a potential buyer. While doing a lot of the staging and clean-up yourself with the help of some friends will save money, hiring the professionals will be sure to give you the best results, which, when done correctly, should leave you with more money in the bank, it could even land you in a case where your home is in a multiple-offer situation. 

Your Real Estate agent will often be connected to several trusted Home Stagers they have worked with multiple times before. It is important to remember that while you may want to find someone on your own, you should always trust the professionals in your corner to guide you; remember they have done this many times before, and they know who will do a great job to prepare your home for the market. 

The average cost to stage your home will be around $1,776. This amount can vary greatly depending on your needs. Some stagers are hired to stage a vacant house. Maybe you have already moved your things out and are into your new home.

With vacant homes, stagers will need to move furniture in. They will charge you for the materials and furniture you are renting from them to stage your home for professional photos and during showings while you wait for your buyer. 

The average cost to stage your home could be between $744 and $2855, depending on how much needs to be done and how much furniture and staging material is required. Depending on your options and selections, it could cost upwards of $4,000. 

Another factor to consider is the size of your home. Most likely, the larger your home is to stage, the more it will cost to stage, so that is something to keep in mind while shopping for a professional stager. 

Most stagers will have an average one to two-hour initial consultation, which will cost you anywhere between $150-$600. During this consultation, they will discuss your needs and goals and evaluate what needs to be done to achieve your achieved goal.

Home Staging: Final Thoughts

We hope you have found this article helpful as you consider staging your home for sale. Preparing your home for the market can be overwhelming, but, as you can see, it is not a step you should skip.

You want to sell your house for the most money possible, and staging your home should ensure that you will not only walk away with more money in your pocket but also ensure that your home will sell faster and will only sit on the market for a short time.

If you're considering selling your home and are looking for an experienced Real Estate Agent, be sure to contact us, and we would be happy to help you with all your real estate-related needs.