5 Myths about Home Staging
Selling a home can often be a long process, and home sellers are usually quite overwhelmed with all the things that they need to consider in order to get their house on the market and eventually sold. Although it is generally understood that home owners need to implement some tweaks and changes in order to increase the value of their house before listing it, there are still some myths and misconceptions when it comes to home staging. These misconceptions could potentially cost property owners the chance of selling their home at maximum value!
Myth: Home staging is too expensive
Realty: This is a common misconception for those unfamiliar with the home staging process, and we totally understand why! For a long time, home staging was seen as a luxury and not a necessity, when selling a home. That may have once been true, but the reality is that the majority of today’s buyers expect homes to look ‘magazine ready’ (thanks to shows like The Block & House Rules), but they are also looking for their next home, a home that has been well cared for, a place to start making new memories. A home that is well presented will certainly peak the interest of buyers while they are sifting through images of listed homes online, thus making home staging an indispensable step in selling any home.
Due to the fact that most buyers need to be convinced of a home’s value long before they consider attending an open house, first impressions that are built purely on the photographs of a home which have been found online are paramount. Whether it’s a studio apartment, or multi million dollar property, buyers want to be able to see the potential of a home. When competing house listings feature beautifully curated spaces, you’re going to want your listing to be able to compare with them!
Whilst we believe that every property should be staged when it comes time to sell, we should also mention that it’s frequently older or smaller homes that benefit from home staging the most. These homes often need extra help in showcasing their potential, and home staging can help do just that.
How can RAHS help? If you still in the home, the first step should be a pre-sale consultation with us ($220.00 incl. GST). During the one hour consult, we will walk through your home, identify & provide actionable steps to get you the maximum value for your property and to ensure it is ‘market ready’.
Our integrated staging follows the pre-sale sale consult & is designed for sellers who will continue to live in the home whilst it is on the market. Whether it be supplemental furnishings, art, decor or accessories, we will select pieces that will compliment your existing furniture. Prices for Integrated Staging are tailored to each project.
Our Vacant Staging service is designed for properties that have been vacated. We provide obligation free quotes on vacant properties.
Myth: Home staging won’t make a difference to the final selling price of my house
Reality: The truth is, the benefits of home staging in helping to achieve a higher sale price, far outweigh the initial investment. Consider this: you could invest in home staging and effectively increase the value of your home, leading to a quicker sale at a higher price. Or you might have a house on the market for months and months, and end up reducing the asking price by tens of thousands of dollars because you’re not attracting the right buyers. We know which scenario we’d prefer!
Research has shown that for every $100 invested in staging, the potential return is $400 - that’s a return on investment of up to 400%! As for the effect on the final sale price? Well, statistically speaking, a staged home will sell for 17% more on average than a non-staged home. The numbers don’t lie - home staging definitely makes a huge impact on the final selling price of a house.
RAHS RESULT: We recently furnished & styled the below vacant property in Mogareeka. Our client invested in $3500 worth of staging & the property was sold at the 1st open for $22k over asking price.
Image Credit: Kit Goldsworthy
Myth: Home Staging & Interior Designers are the same thing
Reality: While many professionals, like us, offer their design services for both home staging and interior designing, the truth is that these two types of property styling services are completely different in terms of their process, aesthetic and desired outcome.
Where the purpose of interior design is to create a home that suits your personality, the purpose of home staging is to create a home that other people can see themselves living in. Interior design is decorating for yourself. Home staging is decorating for the masses! It’s very infrequent that the two overlap.
So while both interior design and home staging require a decorative eye and an artful hand, these skills are utilised in completely different ways.
Myth: I don’t need to remove my personal photographs and sentimental items
Reality: A lived in home always contains personal belongings, collections, and an aesthetic suited specifically to the people living in the home. They almost always include photographs and sentimental items.
However, when you are selling a home, the presence of these items can actually be detrimental, because it’s a frequent reminder that buyers are stepping into someone else’s home – rather than envisaging themselves in that space. Depersonalising a space is so important, as it allows potential buyers to see themselves living in that space themselves and home staging can help to create a more balanced and neutral environment. This helps the property appeal to a larger audience and even updates the décor to suit current trends.
Myth: Vacant houses look bigger
Reality: This is such a common misconception, that we even offer home staging packages specifically for vacant homes! Many times, our clients come to us after their vacant homes have failed to sell after being on the market for months. Once we work our magic, the houses sell within weeks!
Here’s why: while vacant homes may theoretically look bigger, large, empty & cold spaces are not what most buyers look for in their future home. Most people want to be able to see themselves living in the space, and it’s difficult for buyers to imagine what to do in a completely empty space. Remember that a home on the market should be selling ‘the lifestyle’ – this is hard to do when you’re only showing four walls and a floor! Scale is also really difficult for people to envision when looking at vacant spaces.
At Right At Home Staging, we are committed to helping you show your home in the best possible light. We hope that by sharing these myths and misconceptions, we can help you on your journey to maximising your home’s potential!
Want to learn more about our home staging services? Get in touch with us today, and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions!