Professional home staging vs. DIY self-staging: Which is right for selling your home?
Home staging can help generate a quick, profitable sale. Staging showcases your home’s best features and creates an inviting atmosphere for buyers.
Preparing to sell your home? If you’ve already done your research — or spoken to a realtor — you’ve probably heard about home staging. While the process may seem simple, transforming your house into a buyer’s dream home sometimes requires a trained eye.
What exactly is home staging? Think of it as giving your house a makeover before putting it on the market so it looks its absolute best to attract all kinds of potential buyers. Staging typically involves decluttering, cleaning, and rearranging furniture to showcase your home’s best features. It might also mean adding stylish touches like fresh flowers or new pillows to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
“Staging isn’t about designing a home to look lived in with cozy pictures, throws, or rugs,” said Nancy W. Ahlum, an award-winning associate broker for Carol C. Dorey Real Estate in Springtown, Penn. “Our approach is making the rooms look bigger and clean.”
Ultimately, the investment can pay off whether you hire a pro, work with your realtor, or take a DIY approach.
The ROI of staging your home
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), staged homes spend an average of just seven days on the market, compared to 83 days for non-staged homes. Furthermore, 85% of staged homes sell for 5% to 25% over their listing price.
Professional stagers can significantly elevate your home’s appeal, but their services come at a cost. Professional staging typically ranges from $1,500 for smaller homes to $10,000 or more for larger luxury properties, according to HomeLight.com, which offers a software tool that helps connect buyers to real estate agents and potential lenders. Staging consultations average $150 to $600. Many factors influence the exact cost: home size, level of service you need, and local market conditions.
More moving articles from Yahoo Local
“We base our walk-and-talk consultation fees on the property, ranging from $275 to $575 for 90 minutes,” said Corrie Taylor, owner of home staging and design company Set2Sell. “Written consultations begin at $625, but we take pictures and notes and prepare a detailed report of everything a homeowner should complete — including repairs — before marketing.” A complete staging project usually begins around $4,000, according to Taylor.
While some real estate professionals hire professional home stagers, others do their own staging, including Rebecca L. Francis, a BHHS Fox & Roach real estate broker associate who is also a designer by trade. “It’s just part of our service,” she said.
Professional stagers bring unique skills and resources to the table. They understand how to create spaces that resonate with potential buyers — and sellers may recoup much of the expense they incur by hiring a pro if their home commands a higher sale price.
Working with a professional stager
Staging professionals know how to make your home appeal to as large an audience of potential buyers as possible. They have a knack for making spaces look like something out of a magazine. Stagers are experts at appealing to different types of buyers. For example, they might create a cozy nursery to attract families, even if you don’t have kids. Stagers can spot things you miss, help declutter, and highlight your home’s best features.
Taylor takes a conservative approach to her staging, saying she leans toward a transitional approach that works well in most spaces. “I keep in mind items married to the property that won't change,” she said, “like carpet, tile, fixtures, lighting, and built-ins.
“When we stage historical properties or those with a unique style or period, we develop a more intentional design but still incorporate transitional pieces to show that despite the specific architectural style, many pieces of furniture still work — hence the appeal to a wider demographic,” Taylor said.
Francis loves a low-cost approach to staging. She incorporates the homeowner’s possessions into the staging and spends as little as possible but sometimes takes a side trip to HomeGoods or IKEA for additional props or supplies.
There’s also nothing wrong with spending money on a larger project, Francis said, like updating a bathroom or kitchen, especially if your move is more distant. “People want something that’s move-in ready,” said Francis. “Take time to update. It’ll get more people through the door and move the house sooner. Most homebuyers have just spent a ton to buy a house — they don’t want to spend more to renovate immediately.”
Taking a DIY approach to home staging
Many homeowners choose to tackle home staging on their own to save money. Taylor suggests paying for a consultation even if you do the rest. “I’ve seen timely and costly mistakes when homeowners choose the wrong paint color or pack up possessions that would complement the staging,” she said. When she does a walk-through, she provides a plan with recommendations about paint, flooring, lighting, and other updates.
Francis recommends searching Houzz.com or Pinterest for inspiration. “HomeGoods is your friend and an inexpensive way to solve design problems, as is Amazon,” she said. “Remember: white goes a long way for getting a neat, clean look,” she said.
If you decide to go the DIY route, start by decluttering and deep cleaning. Fix obvious problems, inside and out, and remember less is more when it comes to personal items. You want potential buyers to picture their stuff in the same, not yours, according to Taylor.
It can be a good idea to swap out a family above the fireplace or on a living room wall with a less-personal print or photograph, Francis said. “We’re going to photograph your home for marketing, and you don’t want shots of your family circulating all over the internet — like social media.”
Pro home staging vs. DIY staging
Whether you hire a stager, work with a real estate agent, or do it yourself, staging a home will improve your opportunity to sell quickly and for top dollar, according to Ahlum. “You don’t need an HGTV remodel, but you do need to declutter, lighten and brighten, open up spaces for visitors to walk through, and show that living in your home is easy and fun.”
The result of your hard work? A fresh, stylish-looking home inviting potential buyers to come in, walk around, and imagine your house becoming theirs.
