By Patricia Spangler
Originally Published in Merritt Island Now Magazine; reprinted with permission.
Home Staging is Effective
If you’ve considered selling your house your REALTOR® may suggest ways to increase value, but most require inconvenience, financial investment and considerable elbow grease at a
stressful time. Home staging is one such option to weigh carefully. Since the goal is to attain the best price possible, spending that doesn’t increase actual house value may seem
counterproductive. However, data shows that decluttering and staging can truncate time on the market and increase the quantity and quality of purchase offers by capitalizing on the way the human brain processes spaces.
In a class for REALTORS® I attended, the instructor explained how the human brain has trouble interpreting empty spaces. I recalled a video I recorded for out-of-state clients who purchased a home under construction. They wanted to see progress so I walked through the framework
narrating each space using blueprints. I was having a hard time envisioning tables, chairs, couches, etc. in the spaces. Since my eyes had no place to rest, I couldn’t conceive the potential presence of items that make a house a home. During class, I thought of a beautifully renovated but entirely vacant property I listed months prior which had no offers. Ultimately, I had
the designer stage the vacant property and, after months of inactivity, it sold with multiple offers within weeks.
Make More Money and Sell Your Home Faster
What might this mean for you before selling? It means you might want to roll up your sleeves, put on your ratty jeans and take out your checkbook. Lisa Pelc of Bella Casa Staging and Redesign says prior to listing, “Packing starts now!” Whether you see it anymore or not, you’re probably surrounded by clutter which evokes a negative response. When it’s time for a reality check, your home stager is quite helpful to speak truth into your messy world before rearranging furniture and bringing in updated pieces to attract buyers.
Beyond the indentured labor required for early packing, cost and return on investment are worth consideration. According to Lisa Pelc, staged houses typically sell 73% faster for 3-6% more
money. Let’s put this into perspective: When you stage a $250K house, on average, it typically sells in 13 days for $7,500-$15,000 more than a non-staged house.
Considering the facts, staging can shorten the stressful period of showing a home to sell, boost
profit and even teach you to declutter and decorate your next home more tastefully!
