Should you stage your home before listing it?

If you are preparing to sell your home, you likely want to take any steps you can to ensure you attract the right buyer as soon as possible. Selling your home can be a stressful process, and most people want to complete a home sale quickly. With that in mind, should you stage your home before listing it to increase your odds of success? In general, staging your home offers huge benefits and is typically a worthwhile investment. Here are some points to consider if you are debating whether or not to stage your home.

What does home staging entail?

Staging a home is all about enhancing the space to appeal to the biggest number of potential buyers. The goal is to present your home as a place where any buyer could fall in love and want to make the space their own. It’s not necessarily about pure perfection, but rather highlighting the top qualities of your house that will hold people’s interest. 

Depending on the space, staging a home could include a wide variety of items. Typically, you will want to keep your home neutral, while still maintaining a sense of warmth. Bringing in modern decor and furniture will help your home look updated and fresh. You should also take on any minor cosmetic upgrades that can increase the desirability of your home. This might include freshly painted baseboards, new overhead lighting, or bringing in modern appliances. The goal of staging is to help people imagine themselves living in the home. The best way to do this is to keep your home looking clean and stylish, but not too personalized.

The potential impacts of staging your home

If you choose to stage your home, there are several potential benefits. Most people who view your home see it online for the first time, rather than in person. Typically, a positive online viewing is what prompts people to tour the home. This means a buyer’s first impression of your house is likely based off pictures, which makes staging an important part of the process. A staged home will generally photograph best. This means your listing will attract more attention, more viewers, and hopefully more offers!

Another important advantage of a staged home is that it allows buyers to envision the space as their own. Creating a simple but pleasant atmosphere makes it easy for someone to enter a home and imagine what they would do with it. It is much harder for a buyer to do this if the walls are painted bright colours and there are pieces of personalized decor everywhere. Taking the extra step to depersonalize your home and give it a clean slate will work wonders when people are viewing it.

Finally, a staged home will often sell quicker than a home that has not been staged. As a seller, this means your experience in the market is more likely to be smooth and stress-free. If you’re dreaming of finding the perfect buyer as soon as possible, staging your home is a good place to start.

Is it necessary to stage your home?

Of course, it’s not mandatory to stage your home. In some cases, it is not always essential or realistic. For example, if market conditions heavily favour sellers, high demand might mean you do not need to stage your home in order to sell it. Sometimes, buyers are extra determined to secure a property, and staging your home is actually not necessary.

Another case when staging may not be needed is if your home is already in near-perfect shape. Maybe you have recently completed home renovations, or your taste in decor is neutral and minimalistic as it is. You might not need to spend the money on professional staging in this case.

Finally, sometimes paying for professional staging is not a realistic option for a seller. Depending on the extent of the work, staging can cost thousands of dollars. Although the return on investment is often worth it in the long run, some people do not want to spend that much extra money during the process.

How to stage your home on your own

If you would like to stage your home, but don’t want to pay for a professional, you can take a DIY approach. You want to be careful here to ensure you don’t overdo it, but there are ways to effectively prepare your home for viewers yourself.

Your first step will be to deep clean your house. Buyers want to walk into a space that feels fresh and tidy. This means making your floors and windows sparkle, and overall ensuring your home is spotless. As you clean your home, you should also focus on decluttering and depersonalizing it. Put away family photographs and personal items, and try to reduce the amount of excess decor or furniture on display.

In terms of setting up your home, focus on creating a neutral and simple space. Use soft colours and furniture you can easily match. This allows you to appeal to the largest number of buyers. Update your towels and linens to give your home a fresh feeling, and consider adding in a few plants. You want to make small but meaningful changes that will help you attract the right viewers!

While staging your home is not necessarily essential, it will often give you a strong boost and increase your success in the market. Even if you choose not to hire a professional, taking the steps to make small changes yourself can have a huge impact. If you are preparing to purchase a new home and have any questions about the process, now is the time to reach out to your mortgage broker! We can work with you to ensure you secure the right mortgage product for your future house.

If you have any questions about your mortgage, give us a call at Centum Home Lenders! You can reach us at 506-854-6847, or get in touch with us here.