Sometimes a little imagination and design is all you need to sell a home. Staging can bring an otherwise empty and dull home to life. This in turn inspires buyers to imagine themselves living in the home. According to a study conducted by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), homes that are staged are selling faster and at higher prices than those that are not staged. Seventy-seven percent of buyers’ agents said that staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home, and 40 percent are more willing to walk through a staged home they first saw online. This study shows how valuable staging a home is to get it sold and fast. Not only does it help to sell the home quickly but can also increase the home value. “The highest share of buyers’ agents, 31 percent, reported that staging a home increases its dollar value by 1 to 5 percent. Thirteen percent said that staging increases the dollar value 6 to 10 percent. Sellers’ agents report even more value is added from staging: 29 percent reported an increase of one to five percent in dollar value offered by buyers, 21 percent reporting an increase of 8 to 10 percent, and 5 percent reported an increase of 11 to 15 percent.”
Space and design is so crucial to most advertising, and it doesn’t stop at the real estate market. It’s important to have your home looking as fresh and stylish as possible to attract buyers. Bad online photos and poor design can make a beautiful home hard to sell. We live in a visual world and with so many buyers coming from online it’s important to make a great first impression virtually. Virtual staging has been added to the mix as well, allowing savvy photoshop users to edit in furniture. This is also a useful tool for pre-construction homes that have yet to be built- it gives potential buyers insight into what the home will look like. Staging a home is an extra advertisement cost but with how much it impacts a sale, even adding value to your home it seems a no brainer to give it a try.