What is home staging?  

 

Home Staging is a proven and effective sales technique that integrates decorating with marketing to create an experience for home buyers. It’s more than just furnishing a home – it’s the visual presentation of a property, clearly defining each space to sell a lifestyle. The process of Home Staging focuses on eliminating all potential distractions within your home to draw the focus to the best-selling features of your home, maximizing your property’s potential in the eyes of potential buyers. By removing distractions, potential buyers can focus on the home’s selling features. This can be as simple as reducing clutter and reorganizing spaces through furniture placement and accessorizing or a more involved process including the creation of a staging plan and the addition of furniture and accessories needed to execute the plan.

 

Why does home staging work?  

 

Home Staging is about creating an emotional connection with potential buyers. Most of today’s buyers look for their next home online. Your property needs to not only capture their attention but capture their emotion! A staged home looks great in MLS photographs, allowing you to market your home to the largest audience possible. It is critical to differentiate yourself from the competition and connect with buyers on an emotional level. Specifically, Home Staging works to clearly define each space in the property which supports selling a lifestyle. If your home is filled with personal items, an excess of things, or bold colors, buyers are often distracted and fail to see the true potential of the space. Home Staging eliminates all potential distractions and draws focus to the features of the property instead of the items within. By neutralizing colors, clearing out clutter, and creating proper flow, potential buyers can better visualize themselves living there. Not to be forgotten, a goal of Home Staging is to remove any limiting factor a potential buyer may find when they are considering whether to purchase your home. Take a look at our portfolio to see the Five Starr Difference!

 

Home much does home staging cost?  

 

Home Staging pricing can vary quite a bit.  At Five Starr Staging we try to keep the pricing simple and at a great value.  Our contracts are all 90 day contracts.  If staging is desired longer than 90 days then there is a monthly rental fee, but we have only had to bill that fee 3 times in since we began staging.  We charge a flat rate for consultation, design, packing, delivery, installation, travel and de staging.  The rate is dependent on the size of the property and the number of spaces being staged. Staging pricing varies based on the amount of inventory required, travel time, and labor involved for your property. A good ballpark estimate is $3 per square foot and we’d be happy to give you a more accurate estimate. Our 60-minute design consultation property walk through is the best place to start! 

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Is home staging worth the money?

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Several studies show that home staging helps homes sell faster and for more money than non-staged homes.

 

Once staged, homes spend an average of 73% less time on the market and buyers are willing to spend 1% to 5% more of the dollar value on a staged home than a non-staged home*.

 

In the competitive housing market of today, home staging is one of the best marketing strategies at your disposal.  Home staging can fit any budget. While some investment is required, it can be minimal depending on your situation. Keep in mind that the investment you make will come back to you when the home sells faster and for top dollar.

*According to Stats from a 2021 Survey conducted by RESA - Real Estate Staging Association 

 

 

How do I know if I need staging?  

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Every home can benefit from home staging to increase its appeal to buyers. Even the most beautifully decorated and organized homes can benefit from it because what makes a home appealing while it’s on the market is different from what makes it appealing while someone is living in it. Empty homes benefit from it, too, because staging helps buyers visualize how to set up their furniture in it and understand the size of each room better.

 

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Can the staging contract be paid for through escrow?  

 

Yes, we do allow some repeat  clients the ability to pay half at contract signing and the remainder at the close of escrow for staging fees.  This is on a case by case basis.

 

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Does staging include moving the seller’s items out of the home?  

 

Yes it can.  We often contract with sellers to do pre staging work such as moving items, decluttering and even home cleaning if necessary. These are al a carte items outside of the staging contract.

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Should I stage before listing my home?  

 

Definitely! While it may sound cliché, you only get one chance to make a first impression. In fact, staging is what you do after you have cleaned, decluttered, painted and made minor repairs. When your home is listed, you want to be sure that it is ready to show at its best, both in pictures and for showings.
 

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Why should I spend money on a house I am selling?  

 

For many people, their home is their biggest investment. Investing in Home Staging supports maximizing the return on this investment. Dollars spent on Home Staging go a long way to help ensure that you sell your home faster, and for more money. All statistics show that the investment in staging your home is always less than your first price reduction. Buyers are looking for a “move-in ready” home and will pay more to get this. Home Staging is about selling an experience, not just a home.
 

 

How far in advance should I plan for staging?  

 

If you are thinking of staging your home, it really helps if you contact us sooner than later to allow us the time necessary to address all of your home’s needs.
 

 

How do I choose a home stager?

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Well, of course the easy answer is if you’re looking at this site, it’s safe to say you have already found your Home Staging Professional! But if you’re still not sure, research your local Home Stagers. Check out their portfolio and reviews.  Most Home Stagers offer similar pricing - you should never base your decision solely on price. Remember, Home Staging is an investment and saving a few dollars could mean not realizing several thousand on the return of your home.

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What do you use to hang artwork?

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We use nails. Many people ask if we use 3M’s. 3M’s do not cure after 30 days. They hold for a few days, then they will pull the paint and the drywall. They could also damage hardwood floors.

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Why can’t you stage my house tomorrow?

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Typically, we book out 2-3 weeks in advance. This means inventory may not be available to accommodate a last minute stage. Please give us as much notice as possible!

 

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When my home goes into escrow, when do you destage it?

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Please let us know when your house goes under contract or have your real estate agent reach out to us to let us know. We need to know as soon as the contingencies are removed from the sale, so we can finalize furniture pick up! Needless to say, it’s also really important that we remove our furniture before the home closes.

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Who needs to be at the staging?

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Just us! It’s much easier and faster for our team to have the home to themselves while we are staging. Also, it is so much more fun to walk in once we’ve finished for the big reveal! Our clients typically just give us a lockbox code or let us in, and then we do the rest!

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