Hiring a home staging service is one sure way to get excellent results when listing your property for sale. These specialty companies are also commonly called full service home staging businesses. Full service staging consists of professional property enhancement specialists who will design and execute their ideas using purchased or rented furniture, artwork and accessories to optimize the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Of all the common options for staging a property, this one is typically far more expensive than the other 2 choices, which include DIY staging or hiring a home staging consultant. However, the results are usually also incredible and worth every penny spent.
This guide examines full service staging companies and details how they can sometimes prepare your home for the competitive real estate market better than any other aesthetic enhancement option.
Home Staging Service Considerations
Many consumers love the results offered by professional home stagers, but find the processes involved in the decorating and maintenance of the design to be a real chore for their families. Some people are also intimidated by the budget requests of professional stagers, which may reach $10,000 or more for certain properties.
This is why it is crucial to hire a home stager who will consider your needs, as well as be able to create a vision of peace and tranquility in your house. Make sure that your stager can design a plan which will make real differences in your house, while respecting your budget. Also, make sure that you and your family will be able to live with the changes which need to be made, since the home may be on the market for some time; especially in a slow buyers market.
Home Staging Service Benefits
The best part about full service home staging is that the professionals will do everything for you. They will charge you more, but at least you will not have to tackle any projects yourself. However, even with the most comprehensive staging efforts, you and your family will still have to maintain the look and feel of the home at showroom quality, so that prospective buyers will always get the full benefit of the improved décor when they come to view the home.
Bringing in all new, or mostly new, furnishings is a great way to really make drastic changes to the house and control the final aesthetic down to every tiny detail. Of course, this precision costs money and full service staging is usually much more costly than DIY or consultant-guided home marketing.
While it is possible to hire a full service stager in some areas for as little as $1000, it is wise to budget far more, especially in major real estate markets, where staging costs can average $5000 or more plus recurring furnishing rental fees.
Home Staging Service Recommendations
I recommend full service staging for high-end properties that really do require a completely professional touch. I also recommend full service staging for home owners who do not live in their residences or young adults who can easily acclimate to the changes brought about by the stagers.
Families, especially with young children and pets, often have some serious concerns when using full service staging companies, since the demands of the design plan and the realities of family life are often on a collision course. In these instances, a more realistic solution would be to work more in the DIY realm, maybe hiring a staging consultant to assist in the planning and preparation. Remember, if anything happens to damage all that rented furniture, art and accessories, you may be liable for the full replacement cost, which is never cheap.