Staging. If you turn on HGTV or talk to anyone who actively stalks neighborhood listings online (you know you do!), it's a hot topic that generates various opinions — from being expensive and overrated to a must in this market.
As an interior decorator and real estate agent, I have clearly seen the value of staging for sellers but also know that the process can be challenging for homeowners. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few tips for those selling their home on how to approach the topic when the time comes to list:
Property Staged with Owner's Furniture & Accessories
- Staging vs. Interior Design: While it is not uncommon for interior designers and/or decorators to run staging businesses, interior design is not the same thing as staging. Staging focuses primarily on the visual aspects of spaces, while interior design (well, good interior design) focuses on the function just as much, if not more.
- Staging Is Expensive: While staging an empty house is not inexpensive, market research has proven time and time again that staging has a positive correlation with the contract price and length of time before contract. It is important to look at staging as an investment and not simply an expense because, if done well, you will recoup and make money because of it.
- It's All or Nothing: While you certainly will have more work to do if you are starting with an empty house, staging doesn't always mean fully furnishing every living space. For properties with more than two bedrooms, I sometimes recommend selective staging. You want to focus your efforts on the most important spaces to most buyers (living room, kitchen, master bedroom, etc.) and then add on other spaces as need and budget allows. For example, you may want to stage a smaller or potentially awkward space to illustrate how it can function, say as an office or nursery.
- No Need to Stage If I'm Living Here: If you are living in a house while it's on the market, that's an even bigger reason to stage your spaces. One of the services I offer my clients (and other Realtors) is working with their existing furniture and accessories to highlight their home and appeal to the most potential buyers. Decluttering and depersonalizing spaces is the first step in any staging plan.
- It's Personal: Selling a home is an emotional process, and it's important to realize the moment you decide you are selling that the home is no longer yours. As an agent, my goal is to help you meet yours — whether that's a high offer, quick close or any other number of terms. When you separate yourself from the property and realize the recommendations made and actions taken are necessary to reach your goals, you can appreciate (or at least tolerate) creating and living in a show home temporarily.
Leave Room for Buyers to See What a Space Could Be
If you are thinking about selling your home, you have many choices when it comes to hiring a Realtor. Beyond setting the appropriate list price, marketing (which includes staging) is the most important factor in optimizing your outcome. Make sure your agent is an expert in real estate as well as all aspects of marketing (design, social media, digital advertising, etc.) and you'll be on your way to the closing table. And, of course, if you need that breadth and depth of experience in the DC metro area, you know where to find me!
Amber Harris is the owner of At Home DC and a licensed real estate agent with Keller Williams Capital Properties working with clients in DC, Maryland and Virginia.