Does staging a house help you sell for more money? Read on for professional and DIY home staging tips.
Imagine transforming your Utah home into a buyer's dream, selling it faster and for more money. Staging a home can make that dream a reality. This powerful marketing strategy has taken the real estate world by storm, and this blog post guide you on the art (more like science) of staging a home. From understanding the importance of staging to avoiding common mistakes, I'll provide expert tips and insights to make your house pop online and in person to interested home buyers.
Short Summary
- Home staging has become a key component of selling homes, leading to faster sales and higher home sale prices.
- Professional stagers can maximize appeal, while DIY home staging offers cost savings and customization options.
- To ensure success, focus on decluttering, using neutral decor, and highlighting key features. Avoid common mistakes such as over-personalization or inadequate lighting.
The Importance of Utah Home Staging
Staging a Utah home before listing on the local multiple listing service (MLS) with a licensed agent is an essential marketing tool for selling homes in today's competitive real estate market. Real estate agents and professional stagers alike have embraced this trend, offering home staging tips and services that cater to sellers at every price point.
According to the National Association of Realtors, staged homes sell faster and for higher prices than their unstaged houses. The reason behind this success is simple: home staging helps buyers imagine the property as their future home, creating an emotional connection that can ultimately seal the deal.
Faster Utah Home Sale
The impact of home staging on the speed of selling a home is quite remarkable. Research suggests that staged homes can sell significantly faster than unstaged homes. Home staging increases the number of online listing views, which converts to more in-person home tours. Staged homes show better than unstaged homes creating a higher perceived value, which results in a higher sale price. That only makes sense. The more people look at your house, the higher the sale price should be. Demand equals higher prices.
In short, a well-staged home is a magnet for interested buyers, saving both buyers and sellers time and money.
Higher Utah Sale Price
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Home staging doesn't just accelerate the selling process, it boosts the final sale price. The National Association of Realtors stats suggest, staged homes sell for up to 1% to 5% more than unstaged homes.
Let's break down the financial benefits of staging your Utah home.
For example, if you pay $2,900 ($150 consultation + $800 staging fee + three months of staging at $650/month = $2,900) to stage your house but earn an extra $10,000, then you've earned $7,100 from staging your house.
Based on the numbers above, let's assume your home sells for 2% more than your unstaged neighbor, and you sell for $500,000. $500,000 x 2% = $10,000 - $2,900 = $7,100 profit.
Home Buyer Appeal
A nicely staged home can make all the difference regarding homebuyer appeal. By making the home appear more luxurious, neat, and cozy, home staging raises buyer interest and helps buyers picture themselves living in the house. This emotional connection is key to a successful sale and often results in a quicker sale.
Pro Tip: Home buyers make emotional purchasing decisions and justify much higher offers when they envision their family living in a home. Staging makes it easier for buyers to get emotionally attached to a house.
Essential techniques for enhancing buyer appeal include decluttering, using neutral decor, and highlighting key features such as built-in shelving, fireplaces, and outdoor living spaces.
Professional vs. DIY Home Staging
Let's face it. Utah is a DIY state. As a full-time discount real estate agent in Utah for nearly two decades, I've seen DIY staging disaster after DIY staging disaster. Admittedly, a small percentage of homeowners are amazing at interior design (staging). If that's you, congratulations! If not, please hire a professional home stager.
When it comes to home staging, there are three main options:
- Doing it yourself (DIY)
- Ask a real estate agent
- Hire a professional staging company.
There are pros and cons to each staging approach.
- Budget
- Time constraints
- Personal preferences
In this section, I'll explore the pros and cons of professional and DIY home staging to help you determine which approach meets your needs.
Hiring a Professional Utah Home Stager
Hiring a professional home staging company can be a valuable investment (staging isn't cheap) in selling your home. These experts can evaluate your home's marketability, offer consultations on increasing its appeal to prospective buyers, and use their decor, artwork, and furniture inventory to stage your home. Professional stagers can also help with suggestions for decluttering and maximizing space, making your home appear more spacious and inviting.
The typical cost of staging a home for sale in Utah is under $2,000. The actual cost will depend on the extent of staging required and the time needed. While the cost may be higher than DIY home staging, the expertise and resources provided by a professional stager can greatly enhance your home's appeal and potentially lead to a faster sale and higher sale price.
DIY Home Staging
DIY home staging is a good option for homeowners who prefer a more hands-on approach or are on a tighter budget. This method involves rearranging furniture, decluttering, adding new decor, repainting, cleaning, and ensuring the exterior is presentable.
DIY staging is simple but not easy.
Pro Tip: Remove all family photos, put anything you don't use monthly into storage, remove everything off countertops, cabinets, and nightstands, and deep clean your home.
While the cost savings and ability to tailor the look to the homeowner's style are significant advantages, there are drawbacks to DIY home staging. The lack of expertise and access to a broad range of decor and furniture can make creating a cohesive and appealing look difficult.
Despite these challenges, with some research and creativity, DIY home staging can still yield impressive results and help your home stand out.
Utah Home Staging Tips
Having explored the importance of home staging and the professional vs. DIY debate, it's time to dive into the essential techniques for successful staging. These techniques are the foundation of any effective staging strategy, whether working with a professional stager or going the DIY route.
In this section, we'll discuss decluttering, using neutral decor, and highlighting key features – the core techniques required for transforming your home into an irresistible haven for potential buyers.
Decluttering Your Utah Home
Don't take this lightly. Decluttering is my number one suggestion for staging a home to sell fast. It removes unnecessary items from the home, creating a more open and inviting atmosphere. A clutter-free home allows potential buyers to focus on the noteworthy aspects of the home rather than being distracted by personal items and clutter.
Pro Tip: Photos of your family vacation to Disneyland distract home buyers. Remove all family photos from the walls.
Renting a storage unit effectively stores items out of sight and ensures your home is ready for the pickiest buyers.
Neutral Decor
I'm all for individuality, but this is not the time to fly your freak flag. Wild colors and decor is distracting to home buyers. Their attention is diverted to your unique style instead of envisioning their family living in your home.
Neutral colors and classic styles are recommended for staging, as they allow buyers to see the potential of the space. A neutral space creates a blank canvas for buyers to picture their style and decoration in the home.
Highlighting Key Home Features
Highlighting your home's best features, such as built-in shelving, fireplaces, and outdoor living spaces, can make it stand out from similar Utah homes for sale. To emphasize these features, consider rearranging furniture, adding lighting, and incorporating accessories that draw the eye to the feature.
Focusing on your home's best features makes it more appealing to qualified buyers and increases the likelihood of increasing the home's selling price.
Room-by-Room Home Staging Guide
Now that we've covered the essential staging techniques let's delve into how to stage each room in your house. A well-staged home should flow seamlessly from one room to another, with each space showcasing its unique features and potential.
In this room-by-room guide, I'll offer professional staging tips for your living room, kitchen, and master bedroom, ensuring that every inch of your home is optimized for buyer appeal.
Staging The Living Room
The living room is the gathering place for family and friends, so getting the staging right is crucial. To create an inviting atmosphere, embrace symmetry using coordinated furniture sets, and create a focal point with your seating arrangement. Consider removing family portraits and knick-knacks and adding fresh flowers or house plants.
Make sure your living room is well-lit, with wall-mounted lighting and table lamps placed strategically to create a warm ambiance.
Staging The Kitchen
A well-staged kitchen can be a major selling point for potential buyers. Start by removing any clutter from countertops and updating cabinet hardware if necessary. If your kitchen appears dated, consider giving the cabinets a fresh coat of paint to modernize the space without breaking the bank. Add a few high-end accessories, such as a stylish fruit bowl or decorative dishes, to give the kitchen a polished and sophisticated look.
Pro Tip: Kitchen counter space is among the most important home buyer criteria. Keep counters clear of anything you don't use daily.
Staging The Bedrooms
Staging bedrooms is all about creating a tranquil and inviting space where potential buyers can envision themselves relaxing after a long day. Opt for wall-mounted lighting instead of table lamps to save space, and add floating shelves for a modern touch.
In the master bedroom, consider adding seating to create a cozy reading nook or lounge area. Remember to depersonalize the space by removing personal items and using neutral colors for bedding and decor.
Curb Appeal and Outdoor Staging
While the interior of your home is crucial for attracting potential buyers, don't neglect the exterior. Curb appeal and outdoor staging can make your property stand out and create a lasting first impression. Good or bad.
This section I'll discuss landscaping, outdoor living spaces, and front entryway staging to ensure your home's exterior and interior show.
Staging The Landscaping
Great landscaping can add tremendous value to your home and should be kept neat and tidy to maximize curb appeal. Regular lawn maintenance, such as mowing and edging, is essential, as is incorporating potted plants and colorful flowers to make your outdoor space pop. Well-maintained landscaping demonstrates pride of ownership and can make a strong impression on potential buyers.
WARNING: My pro tip below is gross, but Utah real estate agents will agree with me.
Pro Tip: Clean up your dog's poop. I shouldn't need to point this out, but unfortunately, pet owners tend to overlook this for some reason. Yucky!
Staging The Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor living areas should be staged with furniture and accessories to create an inviting atmosphere where potential buyers can imagine themselves relaxing or entertaining guests. Clean and arrange the outdoor living space with furniture, and consider adding colorful throw pillows or blankets for warmth and style.
Utah has beautiful mountains. If your yard has any mountain views, highlight these views by creating a destination spot like a fire pit or a simple seating area to draw home buyers to this area of the yard. Views sell homes!
Keep the space clutter-free and ensure any outdoor lighting is functional and well-placed.
Staging The Front Entryway
Your home's entryway is the first thing buyers see when they tour your home, so it's essential to make a good first impression. Stage the entryway with simple items like a clean welcome mat, freshly potted plants, and paint or clean the front door.
Ensure the entry is clean and free of clutter, and consider updating any outdated or damaged hardware, such as door handles or house numbers. A well-staged front entryway can set the tone for the rest of the home and entice buyers to explore further.
Utah Home Staging Mistakes to Avoid
The home staging process can sometimes go wrong even with the best intentions. To ensure your staging efforts are successful and your property stands out to buyers, avoiding these common mistakes that can detract from your home's appeal is important.
In this section, we'll discuss over-personalization, neglecting to light, and ignoring odors – three pitfalls that can hinder your staging efforts and jeopardize your property's sale.
Use our Utah discount real estate agents to buy a house, and we'll rebate up to half of our commission back to you.Discount agents save you money!
Over-personalization
Over-personalizing your home can make it difficult for potential buyers to envision themselves living there. While showcasing your home's unique features and style is important, avoid filling it with personal items and overly bold decor that may not appeal to a broader audience.
Instead, opt for neutral colors and decor that allow future buyers to imagine how they could easily personalize the space.
Neglecting Lighting
Lighting is often overlooked in home staging, but it's a crucial element that can make or break the ambiance of a space. Natural light should be maximized by removing heavy curtains and cleaning windows, while artificial lighting can highlight key features and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Pro Tip: Home buyers focus heavily on how much natural lighting a home offers. Open all curtains and blinds before taking property photos, hosting an open house, and before every home buyer showing.
Don't underestimate the impact of good lighting on your home's overall appeal – it can make a world of difference to home buyers.
Ignoring Odors
Unpleasant odors can be a major buyer turnoff and should be addressed in your staging efforts. Use air fresheners, candles, and baking soda to eliminate unpleasant smells and ensure your home is well-ventilated to prevent odors from returning.
Pro Tip: Go easy on the air freshener. When buyers are overwhelmed by the scent of air fresheners, they become suspicious the seller is trying to hide pet odor or mildew.
Creating a clean, fresh-smelling environment makes your home more inviting and appealing to buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to stage your Utah home?
The best way to stage a home is to make sure the home is move-in ready. You do that by simply decluttering, investing in storage, cleaning and maintaining the property, painting with light-enhancing neutral colors, and organizing room layouts to make them look bigger.
Professional home stagers also recommend focusing on fresh accents and defining rooms to create inviting and attractive spaces.
How Much Does Home Staging Cost?
Staging costs vary greatly on the type of home you're selling. Super luxurious homes cost tens of thousands of dollars to stage. Fortunately for the rest of us, staging a house will cost $350 per month plus an initial set-up fee.
What Is virtual home staging?
Virtual staging uses graphics to add interior design furniture, plants, and even fire in a fireplace. Virtual staging is becoming more popular due to lower costs than traditional Utah staging companies.
In conclusion, Utah home staging will help you sell your house in less time and for more money. You can transform your home into a buyer's dream by understanding the importance of home staging, choosing between professional or DIY staging, mastering essential techniques, and avoiding common mistakes.
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