Should you invest $3,000 or more to stage your home with furniture, artwork and accessories?

It depends on your selling strategy, condition of your home, your budget and tolerance for risk.  Obviously, if you already have neutral newer furniture, artwork and accessories, then there is probably no need to rent these things from a professional stager.  Typically, the more you invest before you list your home for sale, the higher price you can fetch from a buyer all other things being equal.  I would compare staging your home to going on a job interview.  You may have all the skills and experience for the job, but if you wear a white t-shirt/jeans/sneakers versus a suit/tie/dress shoes, then someone else may get the job.  Now, I realize this is an oversimplified comparison and it depends on the type of job you're interviewing for, but hopefully you understand what I'm getting at.  Staging a home with furniture, artwork and accessories doesn't make the home itself better in terms of attributes, location or condition, but it can show to prospective buyers the potential of a home assuming tasteful and thoughtfully placed furnishings.  Showing buyers a home's maximum potential by having it professionally staged will help buyers get excited about your home and typically this translates to receiving the highest possible offer prices all other things being equal.  Typically when a seller and buyer are negotiating on price, they don't haggle in amounts of $1,000 or $3,000...typically haggling is in amounts of $5,000 to $10,000 increments (there are always exceptions).  So, if paying $3,000 for staging helps you get $5,000, $10,000 or more because the buyer is excited about the home, the staging fee is not an expense, it is a an investment with a return on your investment.  Keep in mind there are no guarantees on return on your investment.  The real estate business is driven by people and many people make home purchase decisions based on how the home makes them feel (emotions) more than anything else.  See before and after staging slide shows below...if you were an interested and able buyer viewing these homes, would the staging get you more excited about the home and motivate you to possibly offer a higher offer price than you would have if it wasn't staged?  Be honest...

More Staging Examples

Below are additional pictures of homes that were staged:

If you have any questions about this article or you'd like to discuss selling your home, please call me at (800) 477-0075 x 4 or complete online inquiry form, click here.  Thank you! - Kevin Nakano, Nakano Realty

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