Written by Realpro53, I'm a real estate agent not a home stager. Therefore, I know how important it is to discuss staging your home before you list it for sale. I don't do the work but I see firsthand the difference it makes both in length of selling time and price.
Why do some sellers balk at staging their home? They think it's too expensive, they think it's too much work, they like their decorating, and they don't understand the value.
Expensive? No nearly as much as your first price reduction!
Work? Mostly cleaning and decluttering which you would have to do anyway since you're moving.
Decorating? Liking your decorating is understandable. Look at it this way - interior design is for living in your home, staging is for selling your home.
They are distinctly different.
Value? How much does it really do for me?
5 reasons you should stage your home:
Get the Highest Price for Your Home. A well-staged home is aesthetically pleasing. Everything looks inviting, comfortable, and simple. It elicits a strong emotion from buyers: desire.
Your Home Will Sell Faster - The Association of Property Scene Designers states that staged homes sell for 43% more quickly than unstaged homes. 'Nuf said.
Staging Helps with Procrastination - yes, your stager will want many of your keepsakes and collector items put away. This is called decluttering and depersonalizing. You will have to tackle this at some point. Get it done early, store boxes in the basement, a POD, or rent a storage unit for a few months.
Staging Will Teach you a Few Things. Maybe you never had a decorator and you've done it all yourself. Those floral curtains in the bedroom, the layout of the pictures over the living room sofa, the furniture placement in the family room or the overlarge chair in the den. It all works for you which is great - but a stager might just show you "better" which is something you can take with you to your new home.
You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression - is a favorite line with stagers and real estate agents. If you don't stage before you list, guess what? You've lost time and money - the two things that are all but promised if you stage your home before listing it for sale
Your buyers get more than a good feeling when they walk into a home that has been properly staged. It's not fake, it's more than just place mats and wine glasses on the dining room table. Staged homes sell FASTER and for more MONEY!