It has taken some time, but the housing market is finally turning around. Rising sales mean that sellers need an edge if they want to come out on top. As real estate agents, we know that staging a house can help a seller get top-dollar, but it can be hard to convince your clients to do the same.
Below are five ways to help inspire sellers to stage their homes before listing them:
Explain the Benefits
Clients often have the impression that staging a home is all about making it pretty by simply adding small touches, such as flowers on a table or extra pillows on a bed. They don’t realize that the process of staging is really about marketing the home so that it will sell. Staging makes the future buyer focus on the features of the home, rather than the seller’s own decorating style and personal effects. The first step to inspire a seller to stage a home is to explain these benefits, then show the seller why it makes sense for them to invest in staging
Show the Seller the Money
The Real Estate Staging Association tells us that homes that are professionally staged before they are listed typically sell for more money. Staged homes also spend about 73 percent less time on the market than a non-staged home. While some sellers may balk at the cost of a professional stager, showing them the numbers can make for a compelling argument and can help inspire them to give it a try.
A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Most buyers typically view pictures of a home for sale while they are looking around online, long before they actually go out and see it in person. Many buyers even view real estate listings on their smartphones or mobile devices. Unfortunately, these buyers will often ultimately choose whether they want to see a house simply by how it looks in photos of a listing. Technology can work in the agent’s favor, however. The photos of a staged house can put it right to the top of a buyer’s “must-see” list.
Blinded by Love
While taking a survey of buyers and agents, The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents found that 82 percent of homebuyers were more likely to be distracted from the flaws or issues of a home when the house was staged. In fact, their research showed that there was not only a better chance that the buyer would fall in love with the house, but that they might even pay more for the privilege of owning it. That’s a compelling argument for sellers who remain on the fence about staging!
Stand Out From the Rest
In an area where there aren’t a lot of staged homes, it may be more difficult to convince sellers to have their home staged. You can often inspire them to consider it by showing them different examples of how a staged house will stand out from the rest of the homes for sale in a neighborhood. Conversely, if the trend for staging has caught on in your area, show the seller how their home might pale in comparison to the professionally staged homes.
