Has the time come to sell your home? The goal for most sellers is a quick sale for top dollar. There are several strategies that can make this more achievable. Partner with an experienced and knowledgeable seller’s Realtor®. Price your home right. Develop a great marketing strategy to attract buyers. Use a professional photographer for your listing images. But what about home staging? This can be a significant expense, and maybe you think your beloved home already feels welcoming and cozy. So the question is… Is home staging worth the cost and effort?
If you are looking for advice to sell your home quickly for the best possible price, The Eklund Group is an expert real estate team with extensive experience selling all types of homes in Calgary and area. Contact our Realtors® for skilled and knowledgeable insight specific to achieving top dollar for your home sale. Call 1-403-863-7434.
What Exactly Is Home Staging?
Almost every home seller will make the effort to present their house well when they list it. They will do a deep clean, declutter, and put the good towels out in the powder room. So how exactly is home staging different? Home staging is about helping buyers envision themselves building a life in the home. It is about highlighting the property’s unique features and minimizing features that might present a challenge. This can be done with furnishings and decor, and sometimes with minor or even more significant renovations. Home staging is a strategy to prepare your home for sale by making it appealing to the widest range of homebuyers.
The Benefits Of Home Staging
Make Your Home Stand Out
According to a report by the BMO Financial Group on “The Psychology Of House Hunting”, homebuyers visit an average of 10 homes before buying. In a seller’s market, that number can be even higher as houses sell before buyers can even make a move. Making an impression on buyers with a cohesive staging design will help your listing stand out among its competitors. This can be especially helpful if your home is quite similar to other listings, such as condos in the same building or single-family homes in a planned development.
Help Buyers See The Vision
The same study also notes that 80% of prospective buyers will decide within moments of stepping into a home for sale whether it is the right home for them. This is all about the vibe that buyers get as they enter the space. It is about creating the opportunity for potential buyers to feel an emotional connection to your home. A functional floor plan can help a buyer see how the space can be used. But well-thought-out design can help a buyer imagine how they will live in the space. And professional staging can provide an aspirational vision for a buyer to see how much better their life could be if they choose this house for their home base.
Get A New Perspective
When you have lived in a home for a long time, you can become “house-blind” to certain things. Maybe the cheery shade of yellow in your dining room always makes you smile, but today’s buyers are leaning more towards neutrals and “greige” (grey-beige). Perhaps you love the gigantic, jetted whirlpool in your primary ensuite bathroom and you just aren't aware that potential buyers may find that icky. It is possible that you love the oversized, overstuffed sectional in your family room because it means everyone can be comfy and cozy for family movie night, and that you don’t realize it makes your spacious room feel crowded and small. A home stager can view your home with a fresh perspective and offer insight into your home design to ensure that buyers see all your home could be.
The Bottom Line On Home Staging
Staging your home could result in a faster sale. Home staging experts estimate that the average home spends 35% to 50% less time on the market when it is professionally staged. Home staging could also increase the selling price of your home from 6%-20% more than a non-staged home. Home staging is particularly beneficial for home types that are very similar to their competition and for luxury properties where the buyer is seeking an elevated and aspirational lifestyle.
But home staging is not always necessary. It is an upfront cost when selling your home and it doesn't always make sense to spend that money. If the target buyer for your home is likely to do a complete renovation, if homes in your style, neighbourhood, and price range are selling quickly and basically sight-unseen, or if your home is already professionally decorated, home staging is not likely to make a big difference to the timeline and selling price of your home.
The best way to determine if home staging will help you increase the sale price of your home and help it sell faster is to seek the advice of a skilled and knowledgeable Realtor®. The professional team at The Tanya Eklund Group can help you understand current market conditions and comparable homes for sale, and determine whether the most effective strategy to help you achieve your goals for selling includes home staging. When you are ready to explore the process of listing and selling your home in Calgary or the surrounding area, connect with our team by calling 1-403-863-7434 or through our online contact form and let’s get your home sold together.
