Home Staging FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction: Home Staging for Selling | Section 1: What is Home Staging? | Section 2: How did Professional Home Staging Start? | Section 3: Home Staging Value | Section 4: Frequently Asked Questions about Home Staging | Section 5: Tips for Maximum impact you can do before home staging services

Introduction: Home Staging for Selling

When it comes to home staging for selling a home, first impressions are everything. In today's competitive real estate market, home staging has emerged as a powerful tool to captivate potential buyers and maximize the value of a property. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of home staging, addressing frequently asked questions or FAQ, exploring its undeniable value, sharing compelling statistics, and providing tips for achieving maximum impact. Whether you're a real estate agent, a homeowner, or a luxury homeowner, this guide will help you understand the importance of home staging and how to leverage it to your advantage. This home staging FAQ is meant to be the guide to all things home staging!

Section 1: What is Home Staging?

Home staging is the skillful practice of enhancing a property for sale by thoughtfully organizing and adorning it to highlight its prime attributes and foster a welcoming ambiance. It involves decluttering, organizing, and enhancing the aesthetics of each space to appeal to a wide range of potential buyers. By transforming a house into a welcoming and aspirational home, home staging plays a crucial role in attracting buyers and making a lasting impression.

Section 2: How did Professional Home Staging start?

Barbara Schwarz started Home Staging in 1986 in the Seattle real estate market. She noticed that empty houses looked unappealing to potential home buyers. She developed the concept of staging a house with furniture, artwork, and decorative accessories to make it more attractive to buyers. This marked the beginning of Home Staging as a viable marketing tool in the real estate world. Schwarz's idea took off and soon other realtors began to recognize the potential of staging. Home Staging is now standard practice in most real estate markets, and Schwarz is known as the founder of this successful concept.

Section 3: Home Staging Value

Numerous studies have proven the significant impact that home staging service can have on the sale of a property. According to the National Association of Realtors, staged homes tend to sell faster and at higher prices compared to non-staged homes. Additionally, a survey conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association revealed that 85% of staged homes sold for 6-25% more than their unstaged counterparts. These statistics highlight the undeniable value that home staging brings to the table, making it a worthwhile investment for sellers looking to maximize their returns. Staging a home also helps to make it more attractive and appealing to as many potential buyers, which can help to speed up the process of finding a buyer. Staging a home can also help the seller to showcase their home’s full potential and help buyers to make an informed decision on their future home.

Section 4: Frequently Asked Questions about Home Staging

What rooms should be staged?

Depending on the market conditions and competition national statistics show that the Heart of the Home are critical areas to stage. These would include the core living spaces, like the living room, dining room, kitchen, and the primary suite bedroom. In the Seattle market we find 90% of our home staging projects are for full service staging of the entire home.

Should I hire a professional staging company or DIY?

Hiring a professional home stager allows you to utilize their experience, inventory and understanding of buyer psychology. In addition when time is of the essence a professional home stager can stage an entire home before 3pm allow real estate photography pictures to be completed the same day.

How much does home staging cost?

Staging prices can vary depending on the scope and size of the project. An extremely basic express style vacant home staging where everything is pre-picked can start around $3,500. Home Staging companies are furniture rental, moving companies and design companies all under one roof. Because of this costs to purchase, maintain clean furniture, deliver and carry proper insurance all contribute to the cost of a professional and legal home staging company. Costs can go up based upon the level of furniture, art and accessories that are required to complete the stage. In addition to travel time, access to the property are all considerations in how long it may take and thus ultimately determining the labor costs involved. A 1200sq/ft high rise stage in the heart of downtown Seattle with a restrictive elevator, and restrictive time windows allowed by the HOA can cost the same amount as a large home in Redmond Washington where we immediate access to the front door from the trucks. House square footage does not always dictate the price of the stage.

Can I stage a home that is still occupied?

Yes, you can. However we do not recommend it. We personally have lived in our own staged homes, and we and our clients find it incredibly difficult to keep the home ready on a day to day basis to show at a moment's notice, especially in a competitive market like Seattle. We have found for our clients that allowing them to truly move out and leave the house vacant and clean for us allows them to also emotionally separate themselves from the house being their home, to the house now being a product for us to market. We have also found that in most cases the amount of time and labor it takes us to perform an occupied can sometimes push the cost to be more than a vacant since it takes us additional staging efforts to create a cohesive look during our design plan, in addition to the additional time on site rearranging furniture and accessories into a home owner's current furnishings. For more information about our occupied home staging service using existing furniture in the home and the entire process from initial consultation to staging your home feel free to check out our Occupied Home Staging Service page.

How long does the staging process take?

The actual process starts with our initial bid and our consultation. Depending on the project we may use pictures from existing listings to perform a bid or have someone come take a quick look to see the scope and size of the project. Once we have a signed contract and deposit on place, we start the actual staging process behind the scenes. Depending on the scope of the project our staging team will spend hours to weeks in the warehouse preparing the looks and prepping every detail to execute the home staging as quickly as possible once we are on site. All items are packaged in our warehouse based upon the room, we mark our bags full of throw pillows, floral arrangements and bedding for the location in the home they should be placed, in addition all artwork will be carefully selected and or made in our own custom frame shop in preparation for staging day.

Basic express home staging which may be one van or truck worth of furniture and accessories can potentially take only a few hours to execute once a small team arrives on site. On the other hand, a luxury waterfront property in Medina on the other hand can take 2 full days and require 2 or 3 of our staging teams to execute in those 2 days. The amount of furniture, accessories and art can change dramatically when moving from a express home stage, to a deluxe and ultimately a luxury home stage. For comparison we have had basic express condos that have 15 pieces of furniture, 4 bins of accessories and 6 pieces of smaller art. Compare that to a Medina waterfront luxury property where we are bringing 45 bins of accessories, 120+ furniture pieces, and 60 plus large pieces of custom artwork!

What kind of furniture do you use?

We travel throughout the year to the various Furniture markets in Las Vegas, Dallas and North Carolina. Vendors from all over the world come twice a year to each of these locations to showcase and sell their own furniture they produce, accessories and art. We will spend anything from a day to a week walking these massive facilities. Las Vegas Market for example grows every year and contains over 5,500,000 sq/ft of showrooms! By staying up to date on design trends, and seeing the latest product offerings, we are able to find furniture for all our various product levels from our express stage to the highest luxury items we offer as a cost effective price so we can help keep our home staging costs low.

Are home staging costs tax deductible?

Yes! Home Staging costs are tax deductible. They are a legitimate selling expense for both primary and secondary homes. Tax laws can change at any time, so we do recommend talking to your Certified Public Accountant for the latest information.

Is home staging worth it?

Absolutely yes! The Real Estate Staging Association, which we are a proud member of, compiles yearly statistics. The following are some of the highlights from the report. To view more reports regarding home staging check more out here: https://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=304550&module_id=164548

• In a 2021 survey of 4,600 properties, 73% sold over list price.

• In a 2021 survey of 4,600 properties, homes that were staged sold approximately 9 days faster than the average DOM.

• STAGED HOMES SOLD ON AVERAGE 99 DAYS DAYS $40k $40k OVER LIST PRICE

• THE AVERAGE STAGING INVESTMENT OF 1.3% RESULTED IN A 7.1% 7.1% OVER-LIST RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Can you buy Home Staging Furniture?

Absolutely! Not all home staging companies offer purchasing of the furniture but at Decorus we offer move in ready homes for the potential buyer! We offer full-house interior design packages, room packages or ala cart of all items we stage homes with. With supply chain issues still rearing their ugly head, expensive costs to higher an interior designer, long wait times on furniture purchasing the items already in a house can not only make financial sense but also allow your family to move in and be comfortable from the day of closing with the house you fell in love. Decorus also offers interior design packages where we can come in and curate the perfect look for you at a fraction of what an interior designer may charge. Best part this does not even have to be a house we have staged! Feel free to contact us today for more information regarding this program and how we can help make your vision a reality.

Home Staging for Real Estate Agents?

In today's competitive real estate market, realtors are constantly seeking strategies to stand out and ensure their listings get noticed. In addition, with low inventory and high interest rates capturing the listing has become a top priority. Home staging, the art of strategically designing interiors to enhance a property's appeal, has proven to be a game-changer. For realtors, leveraging home staging not only maximizes a property's potential but also often shortens its time on the market for their client. A well-staged home can make all the difference, creating a memorable first impression for prospective buyers and painting a vivid picture of a life they can lead within those walls. As a realtor, investing in home staging can truly be the edge that sets you apart in a bustling market and help you capture that listing over competing realtors.

Home Staging Certification?

There are several organizations which provide training and certification on best practices in the industry. Here at Decorus our founder Natalie Lorenz has certifications from Certified Staging Professionals (CSP), Home Staging and Redesign Alliance (HSRA), Staging Studio and the Real Estate Staging Association. To learn more about our amazing founder Natalie Lorenz check out her personal website.

In addition to our founder, all our professional home stagers receive in-house training in addition we have them all take the Home Staging course presented by Staging Studio based out of San Antonio, Texas.

Does Staging a Home Really Work for potential buyers?

What is the 3 foot 5 foot rule in staging a home?

 The "3-foot / 5-foot rule" in home staging is a guideline focusing on the visual impact of a space at different distances. Here's a breakdown of what it entails:

1. 3-Foot Rule: This part of the rule pertains to the details that are noticeable from up close, within three feet. When potential buyers or buyers agents walk through a home, they will inevitably get close to various elements like countertops, shelves, and furnishings. The 3-foot rule emphasizes the importance of attention to detail in these areas. It's about ensuring that surfaces are clean, items are neatly arranged, and smaller decor elements are thoughtfully placed. This close-up view should convey quality, cleanliness, and attention to detail.

2. 5-Foot Rule: This aspect of the rule considers what is seen from a slightly further distance, around five feet. This is more about the overall impression of a room or space. From this distance, viewers take in things like the layout of the furniture, color schemes, and larger decorative elements. The 5-foot rule is about ensuring that the room looks cohesive, well-organized, and aesthetically pleasing from a regular standing or walking perspective. It's important that the space feels inviting and well put together from this viewpoint.

In essence, the 3-foot / 5-foot rule used by professional stagers is about ensuring that a home is visually appealing both at a closer, more detailed level, and from a regular viewing distance. This approach helps in creating a space that not only looks good in photographs but also feels right when potential buyers are physically moving through the home, examining it closely, and imagining themselves living there.

Section 5: Tips for Maximum Impact you can do before Home Staging services

1. Depersonalize and neutralize:

Remove all personal photos, personal items and decor that may distract potential buyers. Opt for neutral color schemes when choosing fresh paint colors. Not sure which colors to choose? That’s where your home stager can help with a color consultation and home readiness consultation. Choosing the correct color can help market the house to as broad an audience as possible to create a blank canvas that allows buyers to envision their own style is paramount in a competitive market.

In the Seattle market we recommend Vacant staging. Vacant staging allows us to bring a cohesive look to an empty home. This helps buyers better visualize the space and how they can make it their own. It also gives buyers a more comfortable and trusting feeling, as they know the space has been professionally prepared for their viewing. In addition, if you are selling your home, you are already moving out when it sells. The whole goal with staging the home is to spend less time on the market and sell for more money. Keeping ahead of the competition in a competitive market with low inventory is crucial to success in the home sale process.

2. Highlight key features:

Showcase the unique selling points of the property, whether it's a stunning fireplace, a spacious backyard, entertainment room or a gourmet kitchen. The key to achieving stand-out listing photos on online listings is focusing on these features with strategic furniture placement and tasteful accessories. Regardless of market conditions and whether it is a low interest rate environment, high interest rate environment or a buying frenzy. The goal remains the same with marketing the home, get as many buyers interested and at the home as we can with neutral and inviting home staging. With over 1000+ staged homes over our 7 years in business allows us to get in and get the house handed over to the Real Estate photographer the same-day in all but the most luxury homes. Our professionalism and fast execution help us stand out from the competition and have created a reputation for us we are proud of.

3. Enhance curb appeal:

The exterior of a home is the first thing buyers see. Time to take out those cleaning supplies for a in depth spring cleaning. As the home seller you want to ensure a welcoming and well-maintained entrance by updating landscaping, refreshing your flower boxes with fresh flowers, repainting the front door and adding attractive outdoor furniture. In addition, having a freshly cleaned exterior on a resale is paramount. We recommend a power wash or soft wash on the exterior of homes and roofs, along with any hard surfaces. Just like the interior of the home, the exterior of the home should match.

4. Let there be light:

Maximizing natural light can make a space feel more open and inviting. Remove heavy curtains, clean windows, and deep clean all surfaces in the home before your home staging date.

Conclusion:

In the competitive world of real estate, professional staging has proven to be a game-changer. By presenting a property in its best light, sellers can attract the most buyers, sell faster, and command higher prices. Whether you're a real estate agent looking to impress clients, a homeowner aiming to sell your property quickly, or a luxury homeowner seeking to showcase the full potential of your home's appeal, home staging is a powerful tool that should not be overlooked. Embrace the art of home staging, and unlock the true value of your property. Thanks for checking our our Home Staging FAQ !