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Home staging is the process of professionally arranging and decorating a house, so it's appealing to buyers. The process typically includes adding decorations, rearranging furniture, and removing or adding furniture. Staging typically removes personalization from the home so prospective buyers can envision themselves living there.
Home staging includes an initial design consultation fee and then a charge per month per staged room. On average, the consultation costs $300-$600, and the monthly charge is $500-$600 per room. The price will vary depending on the size of your home, how long it requires staging, how much staging it needs, and the company you hire.
What you get with home staging depends on the type of package you order. However, a typical home staging includes:
Yes, the data shows that home staging can help sell a house faster and for more money. For someone to be interested in your home, they have to be able to see themselves living in it. A home stager understands this and gets rid of any personal items that remind prospective buyers that others live there.
Home stagers may have different perspectives on this, but generally, it's not recommended to set the table when staging a home. First, a set table makes the room seem more cluttered. Secondly, seeing a set table makes people focus on the items in the room rather than the room itself.
Virtual home staging uses graphic design to alter the pictures of a home. There are staging apps and visual design platforms that make adjusting the images easy. Typically, virtual home staging is used with empty homes, so the owners don't have to rent an entire household's worth of furniture.
The best, and most recognizable, home staging certifications in the United States are:
The average cost of staging a room is $550 per month. It's important to note that you may not need to stage every room in the house. Let's say you decide to stage your kitchen, living room, dining room, and patio. If the house takes two months to sell, you'll pay around $4,400.
Home stagers typically have connections where they can rent out furniture for home staging. These may be event rental companies, local furniture stores, or other home stagers with a furniture inventory. You can try to rent furniture independently, but home stagers typically have access to industry discounts they can get on your behalf.
Yes, you can rent furniture for home staging, and this is the route most home sellers take. You don't want to invest in purchasing items when you plan to move out of the house, and the items may not fit your new home. Many vendors specialize in renting out furniture for home staging.
The IRS states that home staging is a reasonable selling expense for both primary and secondary homes. However, if a home is staged and then taken off the market without being sold, the staging costs are no longer tax deductible.
According to a 2017 report by the National Association of Realtors, its usually the seller who pays home staging costs. However, a realtor may pay this expense when selling a luxury home. Additionally, you could negotiate that the agent pays for home staging before you list with them.
Yes, you can buy home staging furniture versus renting it. Usually, sellers only do this if they think the furniture will work in their next home. Home stagers sometimes choose to buy home staging furniture, so they have an inventory for future clients.
Some of the top home staging do’s and don’ts are:
Do:
Yes, there are businesses that specialize in antique home staging. If you opt for antique furniture, make sure it matches your home. For example, antique furniture makes sense in a heritage home, but it may look out of place in a modern home.