Top Dollar: Tips On DIY Home Staging
Part interior design and part home marketing, staging a home can cost thousands of dollars with a professional. Here are the best tips from real estate professionals for staging a home.
When to use a professional stager
The answer is: it depends on your return on investment
If you hire a staging professional, your bill can run upward of $5,000. Of course, some real estate agents set the seller up with a stager for a free consultation, and then the seller pays for what they see fit.
Kathryn Sotelo, a Realtor for Keller Williams Realty Louisville East, does this and says she sees a large return on investment for her sellers.
“It’s amazing to see the results that happen when they are taking advice from a professional stager versus the opinion of a real estate agent,” Sotelo said. “I once listed a house where I couldn’t even see the baseboards anywhere in the entire house because every square inch was stacked with stuff.
“I could hardly believe my eyes when the photographs came in. I hadn’t been in it since the staging appointment, and the house looked amazing. Sold it in three days. I can’t recommend staging enough.”
However, if you’re the one footing the bill, you want to make sure that the price you’re paying for staging will make the seller a profit.
For a home that’s priced less than $100,000, though, Letts said it’s better to do some of the staging yourself.
Staging you can do yourself
With many homes, there are small things that you can do yourself to help the seller stage. Here are some of the best staging tips that provide the biggest return on investment, according to real estate agents:
Remove personal items
Such as family’s photos, wall hangings and personal items. Potential buyers need to see themselves in the home, and when there are pictures of the sellers, they sometimes feel like they’re invading someone else’s space. This makes it hard to want to buy a house.
De-clutter
Get a storage unit and start packing up boxes. Not only will this make moving easier for your client, but it will also free up space for a home to shine.
This might mean you have to remove certain items and put them into storage or simply moving things from top shelves to keep the open and clean look throughout the home.
Clean the home
After de-cluttering the home, it is wise to pay for a deep clean. A clean well-maintained home is the best.
Front entryway
There’s a saying about first impressions, and it has never been more true when it comes to home staging. A front entryway and porch are a potential buyer’s first impression of the home, and the most important part of staging.
Realtor Tina Falk recommends sweeping up and ensuring there are no overhanging plants as well as making sure the house number is visible from the street.
“Remove any ‘no soliciting’ signs as the subconscious will read the word ‘no,’ and highly influence how welcome they feel,” she added.
Going above and beyond
Of course, not every home will need the same level of cleaning and de-cluttering, but it doesn’t hurt to try and go above and beyond for your client.
Derek Carey said that he offers everything he has to his clients to help stage their homes; he even goes as far as gardening and landscaping.
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