Home Staging is Worth It, No Matter What the Market Looks Like

Cynthia Chavoustie

Whether the market is hot or cold, home staging is worth it. It will keep your home hot and attractive to buyers. Plus it will make it more likely to sell faster and for top dollar than if it was not staged.

Studies and experts alike agree that home staging is worth it, no matter what the market looks like.

While it’s true that in a seller’s market homes go quickly no matter what, the the housing market is slowly cooling. So, if you want to get top dollar for your home, home staging is worth the minor investment.

Additionally, if you want your home to stand out and receive the most and highest offers possible. Basically, you want buyers to fall in love with the home.

How does staging capture buyers’ hearts for a successful, top-dollar sale? Read on…

Help Buyers Emotionally Connect With the Home

Home Staging is all about presenting the house as a warm, move-in ready home that ideally home buyers can visualize themselves in.

Update your décor with popular, on-trend style. Specifically, updates in living rooms, main bedrooms, and kitchens definitely make a positive impression. If homebuyers can start to see what it would look like to live in that home, they are likely to be more committed. They will also like be more willing to place a high offer. Moreover, if they can see themselves in the home, they are less likely to change their minds last minute or ask for a ton of concessions.

According to The National Association of Realtors®‘s 2021 Profile of Home Staging, 82% of buyers’ agents said home staging helped their clients visualize the property as their home.

Home Staging is Worth It.

Home Staging is Worth it Because it Increases Perceived Value of the Home

Staging can minimize the negatives and accentuate the positives of a property. Basically, it will help your home make the best impression possible.

Start by decluttering and depersonalizing so the buyers don’t see it as “your” house with all the personal effects.
Add a coat of neutral wall color to brighten the space
Remove dated window treatments and coverings
Strategically arranging furniture
Remove bulky pieces

These simple updates will help buyers see the home’s unique features and increase the perceived value.

> 25% of buyers are willing to overlook outright property faults if a home is staged, according to NAR's 2021 Profile of Home Staging. Staging is worth it.

It’s no surprise that a cold, empty property will not get the same attention as one filled with stylish, warm furnishings and accessories. Home staging instantly creates a more inviting room. Additionally, homebuyers can get an idea of what kind of furniture would fit in the space.

Staging Creates Attractive Online Images that Draw Attention

Furthermore, you may only have one chance to catch the eye of homebuyers scrolling through hundreds of pictures online. Nearly all—99%—of millennial home buyers start their search online, according to NAR’s data. Even in a hot market, staging a property to look amazing in photos will draw more buyers to see the home in person and even submit an offer.

Statistics Show Staging Is Worth the Investment

Lastly, staging is an investment which helps maximize the rate of return on the sale of the property. Cost to stage a vacant home can vary, typically less than or around $5000 and usually less than the first price reduction!

With an average investment of 1% of the sale price into staging, about 75% of sellers saw an ROI of 5% to 15% over asking price, according to data from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).

A recent survey from the International Association of Home Staging Professionals shows that staging helps sell homes three to 30x faster than the non-staged competition. Further, staging can help increase the sale price by up to 20% on average.

For those who decide not to stage, the average price reduction on a home was 5 to 20 times more than what it would have cost to stage the home. Not to mention the higher selling price they probably would have received as well.

All things considered, you can see that there is a strong argument that staging is worth the investment (which in perspective is a small one at that).

Need help determining how much your house could sell for?

Contact us today for a free home consultation. Sell with us and we will stage your home for FREE!

Why NOW Is The Time To Sell Your Home

The U.S. Housing Supply is at an "All-Time Low" meaning, your home is in high demand.

But it’s not going to be like this for too much longer.

People who have been waiting to sell their house, mostly due to the uncertainty that COVID-19 caused in the economy and our personal lives, are getting ready to put their homes up for sale.

Predictions for home sales in 2022 vary but all agree that they are going to increase as people become more comfortable.

Which means that SOON there will be more homes on the market and thus more competition if you want to sell your home.

Currently, if you own a home, you will likely have several offers from homebuyers struggling to find a home. Multiple offers, bidding wars and going over list price is still a thing.

In the U.S., practically every industry is struggling with supply chain distributions. The housing market is as well.

Right now we are experiencing a lull (hopefully a long lull) of COVID-19 cases and more people are feeling comfortable looking at homes and moving. Other factors that are causing more people to search for homes include:

Millennials are looking for bigger homes for their growing families.

Boomers and empty nesters are looking to downsize or move somewhere more desirable and conducive for a retirement lifestyle.

Others who now work more remotely, need more space and are taking advantage of not having to consider their commute as a factor in where they live.

All this = homebuyers galore.

But it won’t be like this for long…

Summer is coming.

It is a common trend that more houses come on the market in the late Spring and early Summer as schools wind down and families have more time to prepare for a move. More houses on the market is great news for buyers but as a seller, that means more competition.

So when is the best time to put your house on the market? Now. Why?

Right now there is not as much competition.
Right now mortgage rates are still relatively low.
Right now there aren’t as many homes for sale.

So, if you don’t have to wait until Summer or late Spring, now is the best time to sell your home.

Hate the thought of long drawn out showing periods, updating or fixing up your home to get ready for sale?

According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from The National Association of Realtors (NAR),

“79% of homes sold in January 2022 were on the market for less than a month.”

If you are thinking of selling your home, you really shouldn’t wait. You as a seller are always on the better end of the deal when demand is high and supply is low. And that’s exactly what the market is like in most metropolitan areas of Colorado right now.

But again things do not stay the same for long.

The window is closing for selling your home at higher price point.

Remember not only will more existing homes come on the market but more new construction homes will be completed as more time goes by, adding to your competition.

Take Action:

If you have a home to sell, give us a call, send a text or email.

We’d be happy to go over your options with you, see how much your home could sell for right now and get your house listed as soon as possible!

5 Expert Tips to Sell Your Home Quick & For Top Dollar

by Cynthia Chavoustie

It’s true, the Denver Metro area south to Castle Rock (and pretty much nationwide) is still in a seller’s market which is music to sellers’ ears.

But it doesn’t mean you can just put a for sale sign in your yard and get the offer you want as quickly as you want.

Here are 5 Tips to Sell Your Home Quick & For Top Dollar

1. Do Some Prep Work

Once your house is listed for sale, the “Days on Market” timer starts ticking. So when you list your house, make sure your house is ready to show and sell because the longer your home sits, the more buyers will start to wonder if something’s wrong with it and they will start to wonder if they can get away with a low offer.

If you really want to impress homebuyers, consider getting a pre listing home inspection. If you get a home inspection done first, you’re not likely to be surprised with a list of repairs that the buyers’ inspection comes up with and you won’t be under the gun to fix things fast before closing. Having a pre listing inspection puts you in control, giving you time to get things fixed and shop around for the best price. Additionally, it takes away another opportunity to lower their offer price.

You may not have to take as much time prepping as in the past (homebuyers are a little more accepting currently of minor home improvements, etc…) but be sure to take the time to make the house look presentable. It will pay off with multiple high offers, leading to a quick sale and happy you.

Some simple way to prep your home for sale include:

Get ahead of repair requests with a pre listing inspection.
Minimize personal items and store unneeded furniture and clothes.
Neutralize any odors to make sure the home smells fresh and inviting.

2. Focus on Curb Appeal

This goes along with number 1 and if you really don’t have time for any other prep of your house, at minimum focus on curb appeal. Many buyers will literally turn around and not even come in your house if the it looks awful on the outside. So take some time to clean up and improve the appearance of your house on the outside. Top real estate agents agree that improving curb appeal is the #1 thing a homeowner can do to boost their marketability and add dollar value to the sale of their home.

Some Basic Yard Care that can make a Big Difference:

Keep the lawn mowed
Pull and kill any weeds
Powerwash dirt, grime, and cobwebs from the entrance
Trim your trees and shrubs
Add fresh mulch to landscaping
Consider a fresh coat of paint on the front door

3. Staging

Home staging is the practice for showing off a home in its best light with furniture and decor that fits the space in order to spark buyers’ imaginations and help them see themselves in the space (not visualize you still in it).

Your prep work of cleaning and decluttering will get your house in the right condition to stage it. Home stagers can be hired to fill in the rest. They often have furniture they store and use for this specific purpose or they may help you find the best way to arrange your current furniture and décor to best attract buyers. At this point, it’s all about getting buyers to see themselves in the home and be motivated to put in an offer. Top realtors agree staging will always increase the sale price of the home.

4. Choose a real estate agent who is worthy of your business

There always seems to be an agent in the family or an acquaintance from church that dabbles in real estate and while it seems ideal to work with someone you know and like, if you really care about selling your home for top dollar and in the least amount of time with the least amount of headaches and work on your part, it’s best to go with someone who is experienced and will work hard to sell your home.

Think about it, your friends and family didn’t really do anything to earn your business, you’re thinking of going with them only because you know them and if they’re doing it for a lower commission, they likely don’t have a huge incentive to put in the long hours of marketing or searching for your next home.

Research potential agents, their background, their team, read reviews, and interview a few to see who may be the right match for you.

An agent will be your partner in this very emotional process and you want one who is trustworthy, who understands your wants/needs and is experienced in handling these types of important transactions.

We are that type of agent.

You can count on our agents to walk through this process with you, give you the advice you need, be by your side at every step from pre-listing to close (and beyond!)