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Were working with a very highly rated real estate agent to help us sell our single family home which will sell for about $550,000. After signing the paper work she made another appointment with us to bring by a home stager. I have never sold a home before and assumed this home stager was an employee of the real estate company but at the meeting we found the stager was a private consultant with a relationship with the real estate company. The stager toured our home and made some notes and said she would get back to us in a few days.
A few days later she sent us an email with an estimate of about $2300 to stage our home.
I don't doubt that home staging is a good idea but that is a lot of money that we can use to rent furniture, plants, flowers and update our home through decluttering, and painting etc.
What do you think can we figure out to stage our home ourselves through all the books on the topic or should we hire the stager. The real estate market in our town is now almost a sellers market due to lack of inventory.
Were working with a very highly rated real estate agent to help us sell our single family home which will sell for about $550,000. After signing the paper work she made another appointment with us to bring by a home stager. I have never sold a home before and assumed this home stager was an employee of the real estate company but at the meeting we found the stager was a private consultant with a relationship with the real estate company. The stager toured our home and made some notes and said she would get back to us in a few days.
A few days later she sent us an email with an estimate of about $2300 to stage our home.
I don't doubt that home staging is a good idea but that is a lot of money that we can use to rent furniture, plants, flowers and update our home through decluttering, and painting etc.
What do you think can we figure out to stage our home ourselves through all the books on the topic or should we hire the stager. The real estate market in our town is now almost a sellers market due to lack of inventory.
You should be able to find a good stager who will consult with you and give you a written detailed summary of suggestions for $75--$200.
Staging can make the show much better and you may more than recoup the expense.
Builders spend many thousands of dollars designing and staging their homes. If it didn't help them sell homes, they would not invest that money.
However, along with the staging, you should have professional photographs. Expensive staging with amateur photos don't mix.
I don't think your Realtor is "pushing" you. Rather s/he is trying to help you get the house sold, and is offering a service of someone s/he is comfortable with.
Home staging is a huge waste of time and money when you can do it yourself. All they are going to do is tell you to get rid of the clutter and clean like there is no tomorrow and try NOT to "live" in your house, bunch of hooey in my opinion. People live in their homes, there are going to be things around that are not in place and in my opinion unless you live like swine in the mud pit I would not want a home that has no warmth from those who live there.
Sure, for $2300 you can make a lot of improvements yourself. A stager is for people who dont want to be bothered with doing any work. A service. If you think you have the time and can do it yourself, do it. If its a sellers market, you should have no trouble selling it, staging or not.
I love my stager. She does a consult with every client and it costs $100. She will make a detailed list of things for them to do. If she wants light fixtures changed out or walls painted she will put the colors and items right in the report. It is very rare that I have a seller that has their home in market ready condition. While decluttering is really important, most people don't have nice art and decor since they actually live in their homes. I will typically rent accessories from her (called accessory staging) to compliment the owner's own furniture. This has been the most affordable way to do it and costs only about $60 a month. It is part of my service. Your home has to look warm.
Depending on what the agent is charging you, on that price of a home they should be helping to pay for staging. I'd give up open houses and newspaper ads if it meant the agent could help pay for staging as part of their service to you.
I STRONGLY encourage you to use the stager, unless you naturally have a good eye for decor and color. It really is an art to make it look good. Most people miss color undertones and often make mistakes in their updates.
I wasn't encouraged to hire a stager when I sold mine 4-5 years ago. My agent gave me tips on what to do and it sold fairly quickly in a market that was rapidly slowing. I'd had professional landscaping a couple years before and that helped with curb appeal. We'd also maintained and updated it over the years. However, I'm not a very good decorator. I decluttered a lot, painted, etc and kept it presentable.
My brother is a serial buyer/seller. They sold one last winter in a bad market in <60 days at near asking price. They've never use a stager, though his wife likes to decorate and is good at it.
That said, I just bought a condo and staging does matter. It was hard to look past dirty old carpets, clutter and dated worn cabinets in a few of the condos I looked at, knowing I'd need to spend money and time to get them clean. Honestly, it was hard to believe a couple of them thought they were ready to show. I bought one that was staged beautifully, though the owners did it themselves. Bottom line...if you have any talent at decorating, I think you'll be fine. I can't say enough about making sure it's truly clean.
Sure, for $2300 you can make a lot of improvements yourself. A stager is for people who dont want to be bothered with doing any work. A service. If you think you have the time and can do it yourself, do it. If its a sellers market, you should have no trouble selling it, staging or not.
Ditto - The cost for a stager covers their expertise, rental of furniture and props, and the moving of stuff to and from your house. And you still need to clean, declutter, and paint, and fix yourself.
For the $2,300 - go buy new bedding, towels, furniture, and props. It's amazing how great a house can look with just a few changes. And the bonus is that you get to keep everything.
A good real estate agent can provide solid staging knowledge without charging you.
I love my stager. She does a consult with every client and it costs $100. She will make a detailed list of things for them to do. If she wants light fixtures changed out or walls painted she will put the colors and items right in the report. It is very rare that I have a seller that has their home in market ready condition. While decluttering is really important, most people don't have nice art and decor since they actually live in their homes. I will typically rent accessories from her (called accessory staging) to compliment the owner's own furniture. This has been the most affordable way to do it and costs only about $60 a month. It is part of my service. Your home has to look warm.
Depending on what the agent is charging you, on that price of a home they should be helping to pay for staging. I'd give up open houses and newspaper ads if it meant the agent could help pay for staging as part of their service to you.
I STRONGLY encourage you to use the stager, unless you naturally have a good eye for decor and color. It really is an art to make it look good. Most people miss color undertones and often make mistakes in their updates.
I honestly want to come buy an investment property in your town just so I can use your services...I can't think of a thread where you have not had the best advice...
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