Top 6 Reasons Listing Agents Recommend Staging a Home

Working with a real estate agent to sell your home is a good idea. Real estate agents know all the ins and outs of making a profitable sale; they know what appeals to buyers; they know how to present a home in the best possible light. This is why so many recommend staging.

What is staging? It is the process of making aesthetic changes to a home in order to present it to buyers in a way that appeals to them. Think of it in terms of designing sets for a theatrical performance. You want the sets to draw the audience into the story. Likewise, staging is intended to draw buyers into the experience of potentially owning your home.

If you are looking for a little more detail, here are the top six reasons listing agents recommend staging:

1. Buyers Tend to Visualize

At CityHome Collective in Salt Lake City, Utah, staging is a big thing because agents know that buyers tend to visualize themselves living in the homes they look at. If you have seen any of those home-buying programs on TV, you should understand this point.

How often do buyers talk about what they would do with certain spaces? Staging helps buyers better visualize themselves in those spaces. Likewise, staging removes any items that might interfere with buyer visualizations.

2. Staging Leads to Higher Prices

Though there are exceptions to every rule, staged homes generally get higher offers. It goes back to buyers and their visions. If a potential buyer leaves a home excited about it, he or she is more likely to put in a higher offer. The opposite is also true. A buyer who leaves a property not feeling so good about it is likely to make the lowest possible offer – if an offer is made at all.

3. Staged Homes Sell Faster

Continuing the trend of buyers visualizing themselves in potential homes, positive visualizations tend to lead to quick offers. The end result is that staged homes tend to sell faster. For purposes of illustration, imagine yourself being one of five buyers looking at a home listed by CityHome Collective.

All five of you were thrilled after viewing the home. You all have extremely positive feelings about it. How likely is it that you will make an offer? Probably pretty high.

4. Staged Homes Are More Photogenic

By its very nature, a staged home is more photogenic. Why does that matter? Because today’s real estate market puts a heavy emphasis on online sales. Buyers these days are more likely to choose the homes they want to see in person based on what they first see online. Sellers need great photographs just to get buyers to look.

5. Staging Hides Minor Flaws

Next up, staging can hide a home’s minor flaws. This is not being deceptive; it is simply a matter of encouraging buyers to focus on the positive aspects. The truth is that no home is perfect. Moreover, there are always things buyers will want to change themselves. Rather than encouraging them to focus on such things, staging encourages them to pay more attention to what they already love about the house.

6. Staging Can Limit Contingencies

Finally, staging a home can limit the number of contingencies attached to purchase offers. Understand that contingencies are generally commensurate with how people feel about the homes they view. A more positive reaction generally equals fewer contingencies.

Now you know why listing agents often recommend staging. If you are planning to sell your home, consider working with a professional to stage it first.