New Jersey Real Estate Digest: Tip of the Day: Selling? Staging Effect Dollars

When selling a home, there is a relationship between the selling price and how buyer feels about the house – how the home showed. With the change in the market of last year, sellers have to “show off“ the attractions of a home to make is stand out from the other places a buyer sees. The home stager helps sellers make the transition from lived-in home to house for sale shortening the time a home spends on the market. To get top dollar for a home, sellers should seek the advice of a home stager.

Home stagers give aggressive advice to help people sell their homes. They may
suggest new paint colors, how to rearrange furniture, what to take off walls and
shelves. If needed, they’ll even loan or rent furniture and accessories to dress
up a place” reports Annie Calovich of the Wichita Eagle.

What the seller must remember is buyers want to look at a home and imagine it being their home. If there are too many reminders (personal items, knickknacks, and pictures) that disturb the potential buyer’s imagining, the buyer will look elsewhere. Staging helps the seller remove all disturbing influences. Large furniture pieces may be comfortable but two many pieces become clutter and make a room appear smaller. Less furniture can also make a small room appear larger. The home stager can help the seller determine what will help the house sell.

According to Keith Rockmael, a contributor to The Christian Science Monitor:

Many people are under the misconception that staging is a pricey option for rich homeowners. Not true: Staging is about the creativity, not the money. What some people don't realize when they sell their house "as is" or don't stage is that it can actually cost them money.

Home staging need not be expensive if the homeowner is willing to help with the work of preparing a house for sale. A staging consultation can cost as little as $250. Some professional realtors take the extra training to become home stagers or have a list of home stagers they have worked with in the past and are willing to arrange a consultation.

Preparation of a home for sale is different from just living in the home. Clutter, often familiar and comfortable to the homeowner, can prevent a top dollar home sale. Having an expert help you take the steps to depersonalizing a home may well be worth the price of a consultation.