{"id":9837,"date":"2019-03-28T20:28:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T03:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=9837"},"modified":"2024-03-15T06:26:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T13:26:24","slug":"how-to-stage-a-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-stage-a-house\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stage a House from Top to Bottom: A Seller’s Guide to the Fundamentals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Look up \u201cstaging\u201d online and the first definition<\/a> you\u2019ll come across reads: \u201cthe method of presenting a play or other dramatic performance.\u201d What\u2019s that got to do with your home sale?<\/p>\n

More than you think.<\/p>\n

In film, TV, and theater, staging refers in part to the backdrop, props, and furniture that provide the setting where the actors will tell the story. And that\u2019s exactly what you need to transform your home into: an attractive yet neutral setting where your future buyers will feel welcome to live out their own stories.<\/p>\n

As lovely as that sounds, staging is a lot of work for strangers that you\u2019ll only meet once, or not at all. That\u2019s why we broke down the process for how to stage a house into manageable steps with ideas and inspiration to make every room look its best.<\/p>\n

Staging a home for sale: What\u2019s all the hype about?<\/h2>\n

The whole point of staging is to create a welcoming environment that showcases the house (instead of its current occupants) so that buyers can more easily envision themselves living there.<\/p>\n

Sellers reap rewards from the process, too: staging helps homes sell faster and for more money<\/a>, according to industry surveys.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) conducted a Profile of Home Staging<\/a> and found that 31% of agents reported that their homes sold for 1% to 5% more thanks to staging, 13% said their homes sold for 6% to 10% more, and 5% indicated that their sold prices increased by 11% to 20%.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Source: (nar.realtor<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A more recent 2018 study conducted by Home Staging Resources compared the sold prices between staged homes and their nearby, \u201cunstaged\u201d comparables, and the results were striking.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Source: (Home Staging Resource<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A grand total of 85% of all 4,200 staged homes surveyed sold for anywhere from 6% to 25% more than unstaged homes, with 68% of those selling for at least 9% more than \u201cunstaged\u201d neighbors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Source: (Home Staging Resource<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Source: (Home Staging Resource<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So if you\u2019re selling a home that would net you $300,000 unstaged\u2014staging has the potential to net you an extra $15,000 on the low 5% end, all the way up to $75,000 on the high 25% end.<\/p>\n

True, it\u2019s more likely that staging will bring in up to 25% more on million-dollar luxury homes, but even on modest homes where staging only nets an extra 5%\u2014that\u2019s nothing to sneeze at.<\/p>\n

Of course, staging only pays if it costs you less to do than you\u2019ll make in profit, so let\u2019s dive into a little crash course on how to crunch the numbers.<\/p>\n

Do the math: How much will staging cost?<\/h3>\n

Do a quick online search of home staging costs<\/a> and you\u2019ll hear numbers anywhere from a reasonable $1,000 or two, all the way up to an alarming $8,000 to $15,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those high figures threaten to eat up potential profit on your $300,000 home, but that doesn\u2019t mean you should abandon the prospect of staging outright as there are ways to make staging affordable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The dent staging will put in your wallet depends on three things:<\/p>\n