Did you know one thing that many successful real estate experts swear by? It’s the power of home staging! Real estate agents have seen the benefits of staging in terms of finding the best buyers, selling fast, and making a profitable close.
In this post, we’ll share with you why real estate experts recommend staging when selling a home. Whether you’re hiring a realtor or choosing FSBO (for sale by owner), the tips below will surely give your property an edge in the competitive LA market.
Why real estate experts recommend home staging
Real estate staging can be the secret sauce you need to appeal to potential buyers’ appetite. Here’s why real estate specialists have this service on their to-do list whenever they are hired to sell a home:
1. It’s the best way to make a good first impression.
Real estate home staging helps realtors and homeowners make the best impression on buyers. Instead of showing an empty house, realtors partner with staging companies like HolmeStage to present the property in the best possible light.
This includes setting up functional furniture, decoration, lighting, and more to give the space a more home-like feel. Also, it will help buyers visualize the potential of each room and how their own belongings can fit into the space.
In addition, staging helps buyers create an emotional connection with your listed property. This will make your home memorable and make them more likely to pick it up after looking through several listings.
2. It will highlight your home’s best features.
Realtors know that home staging real estate properties will make its best features stand out. For example, we can make your picturesque windows or built-in shelves the focal point since many buyers love these features when looking for a new home.
At the same time, staging can also highlight the main selling points of property. It can be your newly remodeled kitchen, spacious dining room, or luxurious master bedroom.
Take note that homebuyers look for two main elements: functionality and aesthetics. With professional staging, you can balance these two to help you sell your property faster, just like it did with many realtors we’ve worked with.
3. It will redirect the attention away from your home’s liabilities.
Truth be told: not every corner of your home will be desirable to buyers. This is truer for old properties with outdated features, which may turn off younger homebuyers who prefer a modern property.
While home staging can’t fix these concerns, it can redirect attention away from the less desirable aspects of your property. For example, having accent furniture can obscure imperfections on your wall or flooring. This will give buyers a good impression of your property despite the minor issues that accompany it.
Another good example is small bedrooms. The right choice of bedding and wall colors will create an illusion of depth, which will make it feel more breathable to potential buyers.
4. It makes your home look better in photos.
Professional photos are crucial when putting up an online listing. You want to showcase your home’s features in the best light, and home staging can do just that.
Instead of posting photos of bare rooms, our home staging services can make them look functional and welcoming in photos. This is crucial because, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), about 83% of homebuyers say photos are a major factor when choosing which property to tour.
Aside from that, 90% of millennials, the biggest homebuyer age group, start their property search online. With that said, you simply can’t let your listing get past their eyes due to uninviting and amateur photos that negatively impact your listing’s reputation.
5. It lets you target the right buyer group.
Speaking of age groups, real estate staging is effective if you want to sell your home to a specific group.
For example, if you want to sell your home to a young family, then our home staging company will focus on creating child-friendly and family-centered layouts. This includes setting up a playroom, study nook, or dining room with a large table.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to sell luxury homes, you’d want to have equally posh furniture pieces, décor, and artwork in your home.
The good news is that you don’t have to purchase all of these luxury pieces out-of-pocket. At HolmeStage, you can rent all of them for the duration of your property’s stay in the market, so you can land a profitable close without digging deep into your savings.
6. It will help you get more ROI on your property.
Do you want to sell your home above the average asking price? You have a better chance of doing so with professional home staging.
In general, staged homes have higher perceived value compared to their non-staged counterparts. This means that homebuyers see your property to be more valuable than others due to their visual, emotional, and psychological perception of the space.
All these will help you negotiate a higher price when closing a property. At the same time, higher perceived value will make buyers more willing to spend beyond their initial budget. For you, this means a higher return on investment, which makes professional home staging worth every dime.
In fact, the NAR found that 20% of agents said that staging increased the dollar value of homes between 1% to 5% compared to non-staged properties.
7. It will help you close faster on your property.
Every realtor has two goals: to get the most ROI and to close the property as fast as possible. Both are possible with the right staging strategy.
Let’s take some of the properties we’ve staged, for example. We were asked to stage a modern luxury home in West Hills, CA, which the agent sold in just 6 days! Not only that, but they closed the property with $20,000 more than the asking price.
Aside from that, we’ve staged many properties in Woodland Hills, Simi Valley, Canoga Park, Beverly Hills, and more, which were sold in a matter of days. All of them closed above the asking price for as much as $74,000 more.
So, if you’re planning to sell your home fast, home staging might be one solution you need. If you want to know more about our staging services, feel free to contact us at HolmeStage!
Mistakes to avoid when staging homes for real estate
If you’re getting ready to sell and stage your house, make sure you’re not committing these rookie mistakes:
1. Forgetting about curb appeal
Note that your home’s exterior is as important as the interior. So, after staging indoors, make sure that you also have a plan for your outdoor spaces. After all, this is the first area that prospective buyers will see even before they step into your door.
Try driving by your house and seeing how it looks from afar. This will give you an idea of what buyers will see and what you need to improve during the staging process.
2. Using the garage as a dump zone
If you think homebuyers will not ask to see the garage, well, think again. The last thing you want to happen is opening a garage door to a mound of dusty boxes and clutter that will turn off a potential buyer.
If you want to remove items from your home for staging, we recommend renting a storage unit. This way, you can confidently show potential buyers every corner of your home.
3. Failing the sniff test
So, your home looks nicely staged, but how does it smell? Many homeowners fail the ‘sniff test’, which could be a deal-breaker, especially for very picky homebuyers.
Overall, you wouldn’t want any bad smells that could make buyers think there’s something wrong with your home. They may suspect plumbing issues, molds, or other nasty things that would cost a lot to fix.
Despite that, don’t go overboard with air fresheners. Buyers might think you’re trying to mask something with your Glade plug-ins in every room. Instead, you can maximize ventilation and mild scented candles to add a nice whiff to your house.
Let HolmeStage give your home maximum impact on potential buyers!
Instead of leaving your home selling to chance, you can partner with the best home staging Los Angeles has to offer! Here at HolmeStage, we’ve staged 800+ properties in the Greater LA area in the past 11 years. Many of these properties were sold in as fast as 15, 11, 10, and even 6 days!
If you want to close your property fast and get a better ROI, simply contact us at HolmeStage. Let’s talk about how we can transform your house into a buyer’s dream home!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is virtual staging in real estate?
Virtual staging involves taking photos of the property and digitally adding the furniture and decorations using computer software. Some may refer to it as “Photoshopped” staging, but it’s often cost-efficient for property owners on a tight budget.
However, the biggest downside is that virtual staging is only good in photos. You risk disappointing a potential buyer if they step inside the house and find that the furnishings are not what they’ve seen in the pictures.
What is real estate staging?
Real estate staging is the process of enhancing a home’s appearance in preparation for showings or open houses. This allows realtors to attract many buyers and close the property as soon as possible.
Do real estate agents stage outdated homes?
Yes, in fact, older homes will benefit greatly from real estate home staging. It adds a modern touch that will help appeal to more buyers, even younger ones.
