Are you confused about what occupied home staging is, why you might need this service, and what to expect when hiring a home stager? Occupied home staging is a service offered by some professional stagers where they re-arrange what you already have in your home, bring in carefully selected decor items, and make the house ready for photography and showings. This is quite different than vacant home staging, where rental furniture and props are brought in to stage an empty house. Many sellers believe they don’t need staging if they have a furnished home, but there are times when enlisting a professional stager is a wise investment in marketing.
People often hear the words ‘home staging’ and think of vacant properties in need of furniture. However, occupied home staging is just as important as vacant home staging. As a realtor, or home seller, a home staging consultation and plan will get your home market ready and give you an advantage over other homes on the market. Realtors may think that telling clients to de-personalize, de-clutter and perhaps repair a few things is enough, but this doesn’t really make the home stand out among others that are staged. A home stager will come in with a fresh take on rearranging furniture, placement of art, and add pops of color to get your home ready for real estate photos and showings.
So what should you expect when bringing a home stager in to get your house ready for market? When the home stager comes for the initial consultation they will spend time with the home owner and possibly the realtor creating a plan to enhance the floor plan, let in more light, and create focal points in each room. They will also discuss whether there will be a need to edit (declutter/remove) items along the way. A home stager is not a decorator. The biggest difference between decorating and homes staging is that decorating is about the people who live in the house. Home staging focuses on the house, the architectural features, the light and the space. Home stagers concentrate on focal points, and the strategic placement of furniture and accessories throughout the space of each room.
Home stagers will follow up to implement their plan, bringing along several key decor pieces to get your home polished for pictures and showings if needed. Sometimes these items include artwork, throw pillows, and greenery. During this visit the stager might also rearrange key pieces of furniture and make updates suggested during the consultation. The goal is to get your home styled to sell and give you or your client an edge in a competitive market.
Using a home stager is essential when putting a home on the market to get it sold quickly for the most money. Staged homes often sell faster. According to the 2017 National Association of REALTORS Report, A Profile on Home Staging, Seventy-seven percent of agents said staging made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
Finally, the cost of occupied home staging will always cost you less than the first price reduction in a home. And even in a “hot” market, home staging is essential to get the TOP price for your home. Why leave money on the table?