The Importance of Staging for Selling a Home at Top Dollar

Selling a home is a major financial transaction, and you want to get the best possible price for your property. One of the best ways to do this is to stage your home. 

This market is particularly sensitive to how a home “shows” in photos online and during Open House events or personal tours of your property. You want your home to stand out and be memorable to buyers because of how it made them feel during their tour. Staging can take a home from boring to beautiful, from “meh” to marvelous! Be “that” home that they talk about and want to come back to! 

Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale by making it look its very best. This includes decluttering, rearranging furniture, and adding decorative touches. When a home is staged well, it appeals to more buyers and sells for more money. 

A good acronym to remember the process of prepping your home for market is what I like to call “The 3 D’s of Staging: Declutter, Depersonalize and Deep-Clean".  

If you're thinking of selling your home, staging is a must! Here are some tips for staging your home yourself: 

• Declutter: Remove any unnecessary furniture, clothes, and other belongings from your home. This will make your home look more spacious and organized. 

• Depersonalize: You want potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves living in your home. Remove family photos, collectibles, trophies, “dead heads” (taxidermied critters) and anything else that could distract from the home itself. 

• Deep Clean and repair: Clean your home thoroughly and make any necessary repairs. This will make your home look well-maintained and move-in ready. Torn screens, scratched paint, dead light bulbs, etc, should all be repaired or replaced before the first tour. 

• Rearrange furniture: Rearrange your furniture to create a better flow and create more functional living spaces. “Honor the focal point” and complement the architectural features. If you don’t know what this means or how to do it, a professional stager does and can help you execute that beautifully! 

• Okay, a 4th “D” is Decorate: Add decorative touches such as throw pillows, blankets, and artwork to your home to make it more inviting. Avoid filling the space with tiny decor items which can clutter the field and distract from the home itself. 

Here are some of the benefits of staging your home: 

• Increased buyer interest: A staged home is more likely to attract buyers because it looks clean, well-maintained, and move-in ready. 

• Higher selling price: Staged homes typically sell for more money than unstaged homes. 

• Quicker sale: Staged homes tend to sell more quickly than unstaged homes. 

• Less stress for you: Staging your home can help you avoid the stress of having to make many repairs or do expensive renovations before you sell. While some repairs are essential and relatively affordable, staging can often complement your home’s current features in such a way that renovations are not necessary to achieve the goal of presenting your home in its most attractive light. This can save you money and effort and help you get your home on the market “faster and fabulous”!  

Staging your home is a very important step in the selling process. By following these tips, you can make your home more appealing to buyers and increase your chances of selling it for top dollar and in a shorter amount of time.  

If you don't have the time, energy or creative skills to stage your home yourself, you can hire a professional home stager. A professional stager can help you create a cohesive and stylish look that will make the spaces in your home “universally appealing” to potential buyers! 

Lucky for you, The Maz Team has a professional home stager on staff to help you use your own furniture and accessories when you’re ready to stage your property. If need be, we will bring in a few pieces to supplement your items and tie it all together quite fashionably. If you are planning to move out first and want to list your home vacant, we will pay a stager to bring in a full set of furniture, wall art and accessories to provide an amazing ensemble in the most essential spaces before your home hits the market! Call us and let’s get started!