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I keep hearing references to staging a home when it goes on the market and have been wondering about the approximate cost.
We're probably going to be putting our home on the market immediately after moving to our new one (we don't want to be living in the house while it's being shown). Because we'll be taking only certain rooms of furniture and not others, some rooms will have furniture and some will be empty. It occurred to me that it might be a good idea to have the empty rooms 'staged' but we don't know anyone who has done this or how much it costs.
The rooms that will be empty will be the living room, the sitting room, the master bedroom, and the library. The rooms that will still have furniture will be the family room, the dining room, and the two other bedrooms. The part of the kitchen that has the table, etc, will be partly furnished: the hutch will still be there but we will probably be taking the table and chairs. There's also an exercise room which will be empty but we don't want to present it as anything else but what it is (it's unheated so we don't want to give the impression that it's a bedroom).
The empty rooms are fairly large (17x18, 18x20, 16x18, and 13x16) and so wouldn't look right with just one large piece of furniture in it. But would it be very expensive to stage the house properly? And does the cost of staging depend not only on what is rented but how long the items remain there?
We have been planning on simply showing the house 'as is', in other words with some rooms empty and some not, and making sure people know that any furniture they see in the house is for sale -- either immediately or along with the house if they buy it. DH feels that is the best way and I agreed with him until reading some posts here about staging.
Any information on how staging works/costs would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks for the nod, Shelly!
Blue Sky: Visit HGTV.com. They have a wonderful page on staging.
I'm no expert but, in most cases, you don't need to stage every room. Stage the ones that still have furniture. Can one of the two other bedrooms be moved into the master? Or can you combine some of the furniture to make a good looking master? Try to use what you have.
Also, at least one bathroom with towels, soap, etc.
Fresh flowers in the living areas, fresh fruit in a bowl in the kitchen. Neither can be left to die/rot. Stay away from scented candles. Many people are allergic.
Set the table in the dining room with a centerpiece, some nice placemats, china, etc. Make sure it's clean. I know that sounds condescending but I viewed a home where the dust was an inch thick. Big turn-off!
Staging some homes requires a professional. The more expensive the home, the more a professional may be required. Depends on your "audience".
However, I've staged an almost completely vacant home with an old barcalounger, table, lamp and book in the living room and a tea set and linens in the dining room. The house had been on the market for a long time. As soon as I "staged" it, received an offer higher than the Seller agreed to take.
Do you already have an Agent in Boston? If not, I know a good one.
I've also hired a cleaning service when we had to sell a house not lived in, bugs,dust,grass and just time build up in a house were all you have is people walking through.... It keeps it fresh and clean not to mention you have someone else with eyes on your house.
I'm no expert but, in most cases, you don't need to stage every room. Stage the ones that still have furniture. Can one of the two other bedrooms be moved into the master? Or can you combine some of the furniture to make a good looking master?
Thanks so much for your reply. I think maybe I am confusing 'staging' with just 'empty room vs. room with furniture'? I know we wouldn't want to bother with 'staging' a room that already has furniture, because those already look fine just as they are. We aren't into clutter, and since the entire house was redecorated about 5 years ago, nothing looks out of date.
The rooms that will be empty, will be completely empty which is why I thought it might look odd to have some rooms furnished while others are bare.
One of the two other bedrooms has some very large pieces that I hope the buyer will decide to purchase along with the house because they will be a bear to get down the stairway! It was our son's room and all the pieces match. They were far too big for him to take with him when he moved out to an apartment, but because he comes to visit us occasionally we kept it all. The pieces are very ultra-modern (unlike the rest of the house) and would look very out of place if split up and put into any of the other rooms.
I thought that 'staging' was more like just bringing in appropriate rental furniture but now I see that I was mistaken about that.
We do have a realtor who will handle our listing here; he is a good friend of my DH's.
One of the two other bedrooms has some very large pieces that I hope the buyer will decide to purchase along with the house because they will be a bear to get down the stairway!
Are the pieces more suited to a master bedroom? I wonder if left there (sounds too large for the room it's in) that may work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday
We do have a realtor who will handle our listing here; he is a good friend of my DH's.
I have mixed feelings about using friends. Out of 15 or more stories I've read where people listed with friends, all would never do it again and I'd found one that was happy, with another that said they were happy, but eventually, it looked like the agent wasn't doing the job; they do not speak any more.
How do you know the agent will meet your needs? IMO, to list a house these days, you need someone with at least 20 years experience, especially if you're in a market with a lot of inventory. The more experience the agent has the better.
IMO, you should google real estate agent questions. I have a lengthy list at another place and have seen some on yahoo real estate as well. Mine had a lot more questions. If you've never sold in this market, you may not think of some of the things on the list that may be needed to move a house.
I would interview 5 agents, making sure they are local and depending on where you are located, you may want a national chain. I know someone that researched their agent pretty well before signing but is now not happy. Turns out the agents web site is horrible, the search option is not functioning correctly, which is probably hurting her. That wouldn't be so bad if the agent paid for enhanced listings on realtor.com, but they don't. Since they aren't a national chain, you have to google the company and hope the site comes up.
I suggest you go to the main companies web sites (C21, ReMax, Caldwell Banker) and sign up like you are a buyer. In the price, you want a pretty good range on the minimum & maximum. Take our house. In my area, houses may start at $150 - with our house going under $250. For bedrooms I usually lowball by one, ours is 4, I use 3. For bathrooms I use 1.5 (we have 2). I then watch the houses that go up for sale to get a feel for my area.
When you are researching, one question you want to ask is if they use a stager. You can also ask if there is anything the agent sees that they would do. Some will give advice on staging since they know the area & what's for sale. There's also a forum I go to where the posters are very good at looking at photos and giving staging advice. Hiring a cleaning service could be a good idea unless you want to do it yourself. Clean houses usually, eventually sell. You also may want to get advice on whether you need to paint.
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Your agent, I'm sure will be more than happy and willing to advise you on the placement of any furniture and such that you leave in your home. Staging around here usually means getting rid of all clutter and unnecessary furniture so as not to look smaller than the home actually is. Plus the proper placement of pictures, knick knacks, etc. If you have pets, the removal of their belongings during showings if you are still living in the home. Air freshener helps also.
If there are children, then the removal of toys, etc. during showings. Same thing with all rooms. Removal or put out of sight, personal belongings.
Again, check with your Realtor. And good luck on the sale of your property.
I have mixed feelings about using friends. Out of 15 or more stories I've read where people listed with friends, all would never do it again and I'd found one that was happy, with another that said they were happy, but eventually, it looked like the agent wasn't doing the job; they do not speak any more.
How do you know the agent will meet your needs? IMO, to list a house these days, you need someone with at least 20 years experience, especially if you're in a market with a lot of inventory. The more experience the agent has the better.
I'm sorry, I should have explained the relationship better. We met this person first as a realtor -- he did a wonderful job for DH's co-worker when they bought their last house and also sold the one they previously had -- and then through further contact became friends. This was six or eight years ago, I believe. The realtor works for a Sotheby's affiliate and has been in the business almost all of his adult life. Another affiliate office will be working with us in the (out of state) location we will be moving to.
To be honest, we haven't mentioned to our realtor that we aren't planning to list our current house until after we actually move (since it will be sometime next year), which is why I didn't want to ask him this question directly at this point in the game.
Actually, BlueSky, I would recommend that you contact your Realtor now for advice. If he's as good as you say, he'll know your market and what you need to do to prepare your home in that market.
I have three Sellers who will be placing their homes on the market next year but we're working together now so they can prepare the home. That way they're not scrambling next year. We've gone through the interior and exterior, I've given them lists of things that need to be done. Things such as replacing some screens, painting, carpet cleaning, etc. This will also spread out the financial investment over several months.
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I know we wouldn't want to bother with 'staging' a room that already has furniture, because those already look fine just as they are. We aren't into clutter, and since the entire house was redecorated about 5 years ago, nothing looks out of date. 
