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Dressed to Sell: Survey Says Home Staging Helps Sell Homes for Higher Price

Published by Joseph Ferrara (2) March 26th, 2008 in Home Staging, Homeowner tips, Marketing tips and Studies & Stats. Comments

The obvious reaction is— duh. Of course, it makes sense to show your home in the best light for a prospective buyer. Who would argue the fact the nicer the home looks, the more likely it is to sell faster and for more money than another that does not show well? Home buying is just like dating, you want to look your best (or you’ll never get to first base).

An article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the value of home staging. It cited a survey of 2,000 real estate agents nationwide by Home Gain, a consumer focused real estate website. The results— an overwhelming 91% of the agents recommended professional staging. The returns on investment appear well worth it— staging costs ranged from $400 to $600 but increased home sale prices $1,900 to $2,400! The article also mentioned a 2007 study by the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) (polling 400 agents) which indicated staging costs for a 2300 square foot home ranged from $500 to over $1000. (Of course, larger multi-million dollar homes could raise the staging costs substantially.)

OK, so we know home staging works. Now what? How the heck do you do it and where do you start?

Here are some suggestions from Home Gain’s HomeSaleMaximizer tool. It provides a checklist of things to do (click the link), as well as some facts and figures on your possible ROI.

What To Do : Average Return on Investment

Clean/de-clutter. 543%

Yard: 415%

Staging: 378%

Lighten and brighten: 310%

Exterior paint: 194%

Interior paint: 190%

See more home staging results here. As with any tool, costs may vary —- and if you are a do-it-yourselfer you will save considerably more money.

Another cool feature of this staging tool is the Checklist. Pick an area and get suggestions on exactly what to do.

With homes on the market for longer periods of times, anything that can help homeowners is worth taking a look at. And hey, a clean and nicely presented house is great for buyers too. [Note to buyers: even though a house looks great, don't neglect to do your due diligence and have the home inspected by experienced professionals.]

HomeGain continues to surprise me. First I checked their Buyer Link program, which came highly recommended by a professional I trust. Now, they offer this HomeSaleMaximizer tool to help homeowners.

Hmm… these HomeGainers are gaining….. converts.

Further Research:

International Association of Home Staging Professionals (iahsp.com)

Stagedhomes.com

Related Post:

Home Staging, Gourmet Real Estate

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  • Gena - I tend to agree with you that some of the items called staging today, were things we as real estate agents were taught years ago.

    I was under the impression that home staging involved more of an interior decorating aspect and possibly adding furniture to a vacant property.
  • No question about it. Home Staging does work. I've done it for years with my home sellers, long before it was tagged as "staging." If a home seller wants results, quicker sale, priced correctly the home will sell faster than a house that is vacant or cluttered and for more dollars.

    I'm sure that I speak for a lot of Realtors who have helped stage their home sellers houses when I say, "I wish I had coined the term, home staging." Maybe we did and we just didn't know it.

    Good article.
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