While almost every real estate seller recognizes the value of property enhancement, the goals of home staging sometimes get muddled and forgotten during the execution process. This can lead to disappointing aesthetic results and ineffective staging outcomes. Therefore, it is vital to fully understand the objectives of home staging before spending one dollar on the actual process. This is especially important for sellers who are planning on performing DIY property enhancement without hiring a professional stager.
This dialog details the purpose of home staging in a way that can not be misconstrued. The essay teaches property sellers how to focus on the goals of residential staging in order to save money and get their real estate sold quickly and for the most money possible.
Primary Goals of Home Staging
The main objective of real estate staging is to impart an atmosphere of universal appeal to the saleable property, both inside and out. This is the very best way to get the home sold in the most efficient and profitable manner. After all, if more people love the home, then more people will want to buy it. Given the laws of supply and demand, one unique item that is desired by many people will not last long on the open market.
Another primary goal of property staging is to make buyers concentrate on the positive attributes of the property, while simultaneously distracting them from less desirable characteristics. In essence, good staging will have prospective buyers so busy noticing the great things about your home, that they will not consciously recognize the negative factors that plague virtually every saleable parcel of real property.
Finally, the last primary objective of home staging is to improve the perceived size, functionality and value of the property.
Secondary Goals of Home Staging
Less importantly, there are also secondary purposes associated with staging real estate for a quick sale. These secondary beneficial factors include:
Staging helps the seller prepare for an upcoming move, by forcing them to remove many personal possessions to storage and begin packing before the home is even officially on the market.
Excellent staging will do more than enhance the home; it will also help to differentiate the property from its competitors, even if these parcels of real estate are also expertly staged.
Staging is a great way to optimize the beauty of other marketing efforts, such as photographs, videos, virtual tours and actual showings. This is why staging should be completed before even listing the house for sale.
Staging will increase the asking price for the home. Inviting a real estate agent into a perfectly staged residence is the best way to get them to list the property for the highest value right from the beginning of the sales process.
Staging is a great way to help prospective buyers discover the usefulness of any room in the home. Many spaces lack a defined identity and will have potential buyers puzzled at the functionality of the area. Staging provides a persona to any section of the home and is perfect for defining difficult regions of the floorplan.
Achieving the Goals of Home Staging
So now that you know what property enhancement is designed to do, you must keep these goals in mind as you go about designing and implementing your staging plan. I see many sellers get off to a good start, but then lose their way as they proceed with their vision of home staging. In order to prevent deviating from the ideal path, here are some important considerations to keep in mind every step of the way:
Hire a professional stager when possible and be sure that this person or company can provide you with excellent service and a flawless outcome. Get a referral from a local real estate expert if you are not sure who to hire for the job.
If you are attempting do-it-yourself staging, be sure to learn everything you can in order to increase your chances of succeeding. This website has dozens of free articles geared towards helping you, while my book is the definitive and universally recognized guide to DIY staging.
One of the biggest mistakes is that sellers begin to model their homes after their own preferences, instead of targeting the proper buyer demographic. This undermines the entire reasoning for staging. Keep your tastes out of the equation. Staging is not meant to delight you. It is meant to get your home sold.
Finally, another common error is the fear of spending money on staging. Statistics show property enhancement to be a safe investment. In fact, dollar for dollar, there is no more effective form of real estate marketing available. Sure, no one wants to spend $2000 on a house they are planning on selling. However, if that $2000 investment will net a return of $20,000, which it often can and will, then the seller would have to be foolish to pass up the earnings opportunity.