When selling a home, consider staging

Rusty mailbox. Broken tile in the entryway. Dead grass. Dirty roof. 

In the midst of everyday life, these are all things that homeowners sometimes ignore. But when selling a home, keeping the home just as it was lived in can cost time and money. 

When your house is for sale, staging it can pay off, according to Megan Morris, owner of MHM Professional Staging. Staging prepares a home for potential homebuyers.

According to Morris, 95% of Association of Staging Professionals staged homes sell in 11 days on the market as compared to 90. This means professionally staged homes sell 88% faster than homes that aren’t staged. These homes sell for 17% more money on average than homes that aren’t professionally staged. 

“It’s not that expensive when you look at the whole scheme of things,” Morris said. “If you’re going to save money by not having your house on the market as long and you’re going to get a higher amount of money, it pays for itself.” 

Much of selling a home is about first impressions, which starts with the exterior. If a potential homebuyer drives up to your house to notice you have not kept up the exterior of your home, it can change their opinion of the home.

“A lot of people come into the house through the garage every day, and they don’t even look at the front porch,” Morris said. “When you’re selling a house and someone walks up on the front porch and sees a broken tile or something up front, that’s a first impression. They might think the house isn’t well taken care of.” 

In the digital age, people also view your home through photos online, so your online first impression counts. Often, Realtors and home sellers may use smart phones to take these photos, which Morris said is less effective. Homeowners should invest in high-quality photography, and their homes should be staged for the photos. 

“You are just a click away from being deleted,” Morris said. 

When selling a home, it’s important that potential buyers can envision themselves in the space. When your family photos are on the walls, it still looks like your house. 

“It’s better to go ahead and pack those all up and know that it’s going to your next house, and have the house look more neutral,” Morris said. “Then the people are going to notice the architecture; they’re going to notice more of the elements of the house.” 

Professional staging offers several options to the homeowner. Owners can get a professional evaluation of the home and then make the changes, or they can have the stager make the changes, as well.

Julie Bettosini, co-founder of Stockworth Realty Group, recommends home sellers in all price ranges stage their homes. 

“I think the return on the investment far exceeds the investment,” she said. “It’s not a cost. It comes back to you tenfold in the purchase price, as well as in the time on market,” she said. 

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].