This week’s Q&A column is written by Rebecca McCullough of McEnearney Associates Realtors®, the leading real estate firm in Alexandria. To learn more about this article and relevant Alexandria market news, contact Rebecca at 571-384-0941 or email [email protected]. You may also submit your questions to McEnearney Associates via email for response in future columns.
Question: Is staging a home worth it?
Answer: At some point in every listing appointment, the topic of staging comes up. Should I stage? Is it worth the money? In a word, absolutely!
There are countless articles and statistics that talk about the return on investment for each staging dollar. This is twofold. First, professional stagers know how to lay out a home to maximize the impression through photographs that will bring buyers in from online searches.
Secondly, the wow factor when you walk into the home. A well-staged home is often sold before the buyer leaves the main floor. First impressions can mean everything!
So, What is Staging?
Staging is the process of preparing a home for sale. There are many levels and elements to staging. It can be as simple as decluttering. Or it may mean full professional staging. There is also painting and remodeling. Does the home need a little touch-up paint or a new kitchen? Obviously, homes vary greatly depending on the condition and the means and goals of the sellers.
First things first. As Realtors, we would like every seller to understand when discussing staging. We are terrified we are going to offend you and we have no desire to do so. This will likely be the most uncomfortable, difficult conversation we will have with you. We are not looking forward to telling you that gorgeous expensive antiques need to go. It’s not personal. We simply know, homes that are staged with fresh paint, house appropriate neutral furnishings, and carefully arranged accessories sell faster and for more money. Blame HGTV if you would like. But it’s true.
At What Point Should I Call a Stager?
Often stagers are brought in while the ink is still wet on the listing agreement to determine if painting, updating, purging, or adding furniture would be recommended. Sometimes, it’s just a consultation. The stagers will walk through your home and make recommendations on colors, furniture placement and what needs to be removed or potentially added.
Sometimes the home furnishings will be used, but they may bring in some accessories, including pillows, lighting, art, or seasonal items like pumpkins in the fall to enhance the home.
Finally, it may be a full stage. The house will be empty, and the stagers will bring everything in and stage the rooms they feel will offer the greatest impact to the sale of the home.
The first two options are relatively inexpensive. The third quickly gets more expensive and it’s easy to understand why. They are basically moving a houseful of goods in and out. Think about what you are paying your movers, and you’ll understand why staging can be expensive.
If you are using your own items, agents will recommend you remove all personal, religious, and political items from the home. The idea is to let the buyer imagine how they will live in the home, not how the seller currently lives in the home, and you don’t want to offend a potential buyer. Once I unknowingly showed a vegan couple a home with countless animal heads mounted on the wall. No surprise, they didn’t buy it.
Does the Home Need Any Updating?
Of course, new kitchens and baths sell houses quickly, but that’s not in everyone’s budget. Simple things like paint, fresh towels, clean filters, working light bulbs, and weeded gardens can have a big impact. Maybe the bathrooms are very dated, but in good condition. Can the vanity be painted with new hardware? How about new faucets?
Next, what else should be put away? After living in a home for a long time, it’s incredible how much we can collect. Movers will store your things for you for a small sum or free, even if you use them to move. Purging extra furniture and seasonal items to open up the rooms is very beneficial. Closets half full look a lot more appealing and spacious than those crammed from top to bottom. This may be the hardest part of the process. But by the time you have finished purging, packing and storing, the next part of the move will be easy!
Essentially, all the work of staging is to create fantastic photographs. This is especially true in today’s virtual world. Buyers are doing a lot of their searching online. How a home is perceived through pictures online will determine if a buyer chooses to schedule a showing.
It is important to look at the pictures to ensure they are capturing what we want the buyer to look at. For instance, should the dining room table be set? It should be if you are selling dishes and napkins. However, we are selling homes. We want them to see the wainscoting, the moldings, the beautiful windows. If the eye is being drawn to the table, we are selling the wrong thing.
However, the reverse is true as well. If we want the viewer not to see something, for example, the dated tile countertop, more pieces will go onto the counter to draw your eye away.
In conclusion, staging is a honed skill that takes time, experience, and talent to execute. By professionally staging a home, the seller is creating a fantasy of what living in the home could look like based on the potential that is being brought to light. We want the decor to enhance the home but not be the main feature. Staging is not decorating. It’s more like marketing. We want the customer to buy what we are selling, which is not the decor, it’s the house!
Rebecca McCullough has built a successful real estate business in Alexandria and Northern Virginia by providing excellent service to her clients. If you would like more information on selling or buying in today’s complex market, contact Rebecca today at 571-384-0941 or visit her website, RebeccaMcCullough.com.
If you would like a question answered in our weekly column or to set up an appointment with one of our associates, please email: [email protected] or call 703-549-9292.
McEnearney Associates Realtors®, 109 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. www.McEnearney.com Equal Housing Opportunity. #WeAreAlexandria
