0 CommentsBy Maryellen Walsh on March 4th, 2013
Tags: home staging, Stage to Move, staging
Categories: Agents and Offices, Ask the experts, Selling, Westchester
Many real estate professionals and first-time sellers always seem to wonder whether or not staging is worth the time or financial commitment when preparing a home for sale. We decided to consult expert Kara Woods, staging professional and founder of Stage to Move, to find out: Is Staging Really Successful?
Kara says shows us the stats – they tell the story:
- Nationwide, staged homes on average sell 78 percent quicker.
- According to Houlihan Lawrence’s 4Q Market report for 2012, a home for sale in Bedford averaged 170 days on the market.
- 170 days x .078 (speed at which a staged home sells) = 38 days on the market.
- 90 percent of Stage to Move‘s homes sell in 32 days or less.
We then decided to ask how staging helps sells a home:
- Staged homes have the detail repair work done in advance, which leaves the owner and broker in control at negotiation time.
- Staged homes take better pictures, and better pictures means more traffic at open houses AND online.
- A well-staged home creates a lifestyle, something that’s tangible to sellers. Lifestyle sells.
Staging prices can vary. They can range from as little as $100 per hour for a consultation to several thousand dollars if furniture rental is necessary.
Sellers can’t control the location, interest rates or housing market fluctuations. Sellers can control how their home looks and prepare it to appeal to the broadest market. After dozens of stagings, we are “drinking the Kool-Aid”!
Kara Woods is a certified stager with 2 accreditations (CSP, AHS). She is also a certified staging instructor. For more information, contact Kara at her website at www.stagetomove.com.