As home stagers, we have a lot of experience working with homeowners in many different situations. We always want the absolute best for our clients, no matter what their situation is or when they contact us during the home sale process. But, we have come to learn the most successful clients all have one thing in common. They contact us BEFORE they hire their Realtor. You may think it doesn’t make a difference, but we are here to tell you the top 5 reasons why you should always contact a stager first if you want to have the most successful sale.
Reason #1: Stagers are the Experts in Preparing Your Home for Sale
When it comes to preparing a home for sale, professional stagers are the experts in creating the maximum impact that will increase your homes perceived value. A Realtor may be able to give you a few useful pointers, but they won’t be able to share all of the knowledge that a professional stager has after years of specialized education and experience. When you contact a stager first, you are ensuring that your home will be at it’s absolute best during the sale.
Reason #2: Some Realtors Will Try to Convince You that You Don’t Need to Stage At All
We love working with Realtors, and we don’t want to knock anyone’s business, but some Realtors are just not educated on the true value of home staging. They might believe they are helping you save money by convincing you that you don’t need a stager, but that’s not true. Home staging is not a cost, it’s an investment that will increase the perceived value of your home and lead to a return in the form of a quicker sale and higher sales price. The statistics show that home staging works – the National Association of Realtors has found that professionally staged properties sell for up to 25% more. Another study by RESA showed that staged homes sell up to 84% faster than unstaged homes, which will help you save money on mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, HOA fees and other carrying costs.
We recently had a client call us after her home had been on the market for many weeks with very little interest from buyers. Her Realtor told her that she didn’t need to stage, that homes are selling fast and her home will be sold in no time. But that’s not what happened. Her home didn’t sell, and even if it did, she would be leaving money on the table by not staging. She knew in her gut from the beginning that the home needed to be staged, but she didn’t feel comfortable addressing it with her Realtor. By the time she contacted us, she had wasted time and money as her home sat on the market, and she regretted not getting in touch sooner.
Reason #3: Timing
When a Realtor gets a new listing, their job is to get that listing on the market as quickly as possible. There will be pressure to list the home right away, even if it’s not ready or prepared properly. The easiest solution is to have your home prepared and ready to go, before you contact the Realtor. That way they can list the home immediately, and you don’t have to worry about any negative first impressions if your home is listed un-staged. Remember, when selling a property, the first impression is the MOST important impression.
Reason #4: Your Home May be Priced Higher Initially
Once a Realtor sees your home they will form an opinion on the listing price. Even if your home is staged later, it is unlikely that they will adjust their pricing higher. Just like with potential buyers, you want your home’s first impression with the Realtor to be the best. If you work with a stager first and present your home to the Realtor updated, staged and ready to be listed, there’s a good chance your home will be priced higher. This, coupled with the fact that staged homes typically receive more offers over asking, will give you a higher return than you may have expected, or even thought was possible.
Reason #5: Let Your Realtor Do What They Do Best
Your Realtor is the expert when it comes to marketing and selling your home, and they should be focused on doing just that. If your home needs to be repainted, your Realtor isn’t going to show up with the paint and a brush… the painter is. If your home needs to be professionally cleaned, your Realtor isn’t going to show up with a mop and broom… the cleaning company is. When it comes to preparing your home for sale, a professional stager is the expert. Your Realtor shouldn’t be expected, nor should you want them, to prepare and stage your home for sale. When your home is professionally staged before you contact your Realtor, they can focus on doing what they do best. In turn this will result in a faster and more successful sale, and less stress for everyone involved.
We always recommend working with a professional stager no matter what type of property you’re selling, but we know that some of you will want to do it yourself. Check out our blog to learn the 10 DIY Home Staging Mistakes That You Should Avoid.
