The Staging Equation….5 Factors to Solve that will help Sell Your House

The Staging Equation……Top 5 Factors that help sell your house!

We know the statistics of staged homes….they sell 50-80% faster than non-staged homes, and typically for 7-10% more than an unstaged home. But what happens if a staged home doesn’t sell at all?

As much as professional staging does help in a quicker sale and typically for more money, there is no guarantee that it will sell at all. Just because a home is staged, that doesn’t mean they all will sell. There are so many other factors that go into the staging equation, things beyond your control as a stager that need to be taken into consideration.

1.  The location of the house. That is beyond anyone’s control. If the location is less than ideal (busy road, deteriorating neighborhood, etc.) that cant’ be changed. Typically the price of the house, or the adjustment of the price of the home would reflect or compensate for that.

2.  The condition of the home. As much as a stager can make recommendations as far as paint color, layout, updates, etc. there could be some issues beyond the upgrades recommended. If the kitchen and bathrooms are dated and the homeowner can’t/won’t spend money to upgrade those room, that is something a buyer would need to adjust for or be prepared to pay for. If there is structural damage that is reflected in cracks in the walls, slanting floors, staging can make a room look and feel better, but the bottom line is it doesn’t change some serious issues a buyer needs to consider.

3.  Room layout and flow of the house. Usually with older homes, some rooms may feel small and chopped up. There might not be the best natural flow in navigating the house. Well staging can make a room look bigger when done properly with the right scale of furniture and the best layout, but it doesn’t change the orientation of the room, nor the flow of the house.

4.  Marketing of the house. Staging is one of the best marketing tools a homeowner can invest in. Even if the house is staged beautifully, it won’t make a difference if you don’t get people through the front door. The level of marketing to give the house the exposure it needs to generate interest, needs to be a priority. The house will only sell when buyers are interested in seeing it.

5.  Pricing: When a home that is professionally staged looks current and updated, some homeowners are tempted to ask for “more” considering they’ve made an investment in the house and they feel now will appeal to a higher price bracket. This can be a double edge sword. It is more important to base the price of the home on the comparable and current market conditions rather than an emotional decision based on the current aesthetics. If a home is overpriced, no matter how appealing it may look staged, it still needs to be priced at the current selling price point for the area and house.

Cosmetically most things can be changed depending on the investment a homeowner wants to make. There are things beyond the stager’s control and area of expertise that they have. Having a well staged house is just a part of the equation. There are many more things that play an equal part in this equation.   Staging is still one of the best investments that a homeowner can make sell their home in the shortest amount of time and for the highest profit. Each part of the equation is equally as important as the next!