Home Staging Helps Buyers Envision a Happy Home

Buyers looking for a warm, cozy home full of possibilities can be left cold when they tour a sad, lifeless vacant house. They will struggle to appreciate the size and scale of rooms without furniture, artwork or rugs. To visualize Aunt Dora’s antique Shaker desk on a bare tile floor. To notice that there’s a dining room next to the living room in a house with a spacious open floor plan. This is why vacant staging can really boost the appeal, and sale, of a home. It helps buyers make an emotional connection with the listing and envision how they would live there. And it often speeds up the closing and raises the sales price.

About 81% of buyer’s agents said staging helped their clients visualize the property as a future home, according to a 2023 report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Roughly 20% of all agents said strong staging increased the dollar value offered by 1% to 5% compared to unstaged homes. This is especially true in photos and videos online, where most buyers now start searching for homes. Vacant rooms don't show well in photos or videos. Images of empty homes tend to feel cold and impersonal and make it nearly impossible to perceive space, volume and orientation.

This has led to the popularity of virtual staging, a digital method of adding to-scale furniture and décor to make images of vacant homes come to life. Of course, virtual staging doesn’t help when a prospect comes to town for an in-person tour.

Here are some important issues to consider when staging a vacant home:

• Emphasize the home’s best attributes so prospects can envision their own personal style in the house and see themselves living happily there.
• First impressions matter: Focus attention on what the buyers see when they first step in the front door.
• The living room, family room, dining area and bedroom suite are the most important rooms to stage, according to NAR.
• Choose neutral colors and a handful of essential elements with simple, clean lines to appeal to a wider audience.
• Make the most of natural light to make rooms feel spacious and welcoming.
• Use furniture and décor to give each room a purpose, such as a desk and computer for an office.
• Thoroughly clean and maintain the property inside and out so it looks well cared for.
• Consider adding security to protect the unoccupied house.

Professional home staging costs vary greatly depending on home size, location and type of property, but it typically ranges from $800 to $3,000, according to HomeAdvisor. Home staging is different from interior design. It uses furniture and decor to indicate floor plans and highlight the home’s most appealing features. For example, a dining room set can distinguish a dining room from a living room in a house with an open floor plan. And mirrors and other reflective surfaces can play up a home’s abundance of natural lighting.

To save money, consider getting a consultation, or home staging walkthrough with tips to boost the potential of each room, instead of full-service staging. Virtual staging for photos and videos is much less expensive. However, it does require transparency: Online home listings should disclose when there’s virtual staging and include both staged and unstaged photos.

Don’t overlook minor home repairs, which could lead prospects to see the property as poorly maintained. Curb appeal is also important. Make sure the outside of the home is as appealing as the inside.

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It’s important to work with a real estate agent who is familiar with the local housing market, current home trends and professional home stagers. They will know the landscaping, design styles and interior features that local buyers prefer.

The Lisa Barton Team of Ponte Vedra Beach collaborates with experts in both virtual and traditional staging. Her team works with several professional staging companies offering a variety of furniture styles and price points to help listings look good in-person and online.

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Sources:
Profile of Home Staging – NAR data – 2023 report (study of about 1,900 realtors responded to
an online survey)
https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/profile-of-home-staging
https://stuccco.com/blog/sell-vacant-house
https://www.austinpropertymanagement.com/blog/de3642de-d2bf-4a77-96d8-
b26d0678435a/staging-magic-what-to-remove-for-a-fast-home-rental#
https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/home-design-and-decor/hire-a-decorator-for-staging-a-home/

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