The Art of Home Staging: Elevating Your Property's Appeal and Value
Written by Wena Roeloffze, REALTOR and Lifestyle Expert. Owner of Realty Club 74, brokered by Coldwell Banker Realty.
In the competitive world of real estate, first impressions matter. Whether you're a homeowner looking to sell or a real estate agent aiming to attract potential buyers, staging your home can make all the difference. Far from just arranging furniture and adding a few decorative touches, home staging is an art that involves strategically showcasing your property to highlight its best features and create an irresistible allure. Let's delve into why staging a home is not just beneficial but crucial in today's market.
Every day I write a post about a unique listing in Southeast Wisconsin, and this morning I featured a loft in Milwaukee which fits my subject for the day perfectly. The loft features poster wall art on some walls, which are very interesting, but sadly, the pictures of it, do not display the art, skill and playfulness of this living space. Staging this vacant property would have made such a great difference.
1. Maximizing Visual Appeal: When potential buyers step into a staged home, they're greeted with a carefully curated environment that ignites their imagination. Staging allows you to declutter spaces, arrange furniture to optimize flow, and accentuate architectural details. By presenting a clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing space, you create a canvas upon which buyers can envision themselves living, thereby increasing the likelihood of an emotional connection with the property.
I have seen it so many times when working with buyers, that a visually pleasing environment really gets them excited about the house and mostly also about making an offer, because they can imagine their furniture and belongings much clearer in a neat and beautiful setting, compared to a vacant or cluttered space. Your mind plays tricks on you when looking at a home in 2 different ways. Look at these 2 pictures below. They are the same room, but each picture invoke a different feeling.
Empty bedroom
Staged bedroom
2. Highlighting Key Features: Every home has a unique selling point, whether it's a cozy fireplace, a stunning view, or a spacious master suite. Effective staging draws attention to these features, emphasizing their importance and desirability. Through strategic placement of furniture, lighting, and accessories, stagers can direct the focus of potential buyers towards the aspects of the home that are most likely to captivate them, thereby increasing the perceived value of the property.
As a REALTOR and Lifestyle Expert, I specialize in finding the unique selling point of a home and in doing so, create the right marketing to “speak” to the right type of buyer/(s). Not everyone is concerned with a natural fireplace or a finished basement. Sometimes the key element of a home is a small detail that would make a huge difference. For example, once I had a beautiful condo that offered a very unique private backyard setting. The location of the home was not the buyer’s interested, but because it was something that meant a lot to the buyer, the marketing did a great job in highlighting that small key feature. The images showed how the private space can be enjoyed and made that little backyard the highlight in the marketing.
3. Creating a Lifestyle Narrative: Beyond showcasing the physical attributes of a home, staging allows you to tell a story. By creating themed spaces that evoke a particular lifestyle or ambiance, you can appeal to the aspirations and dreams of prospective buyers. Whether it's a tranquil oasis in the backyard, a cozy reading nook in the living room, or a sleek, modern kitchen perfect for entertaining, staging helps buyers envision themselves living the life they've always imagined in your home.
Someone’s dream home can be anything THEY dream of. Price, location and amenities are not the main considerations. The main consideration is the dream of the buyer. Coldwell Banker even had the Dream Campaign to highlight this very aspect. The unique key feature will naturally lead to a lifestyle narrative, whether it’s a $70k home or a $700k home - it’s all the same and offers someone a dream coming true.
4. Facilitating Faster Sales: In a competitive real estate market, time is of the essence. Staged homes tend to sell faster than their un-staged counterparts, often commanding higher prices in the process. According to the National Association of Realtors, 83% of buyers' agents agree that staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home. By creating an inviting atmosphere that resonates with a wide range of potential buyers, staging increases the likelihood of receiving multiple offers and achieving a swift sale.
Some home sellers will say that they are not in a rush to sell. From experience, however, I can definitely say that ALL home sellers love having offers within the first few days - without exception. As a home owner or family member who needs to sell, I understand how much sentimental value you have about the home. Please bear in mind though that how you live or lived in the home, is completely different and separate from selling your home. That’s why you hire a REALTOR to give you options, advice and determine which key feature to be highlighted for a faster sale.
5. Enhancing Online Presence: In today's digital age, the majority of homebuyers begin their search online. High-quality photographs and virtual tours play a crucial role in attracting potential buyers to your listing. Staging ensures that your home looks its best in photographs and virtual tours, captivating viewers and enticing them to schedule a showing. Professional staging can help your listing stand out from the competition, generating more interest and inquiries from serious buyers.
Which brings me back to my Home of the Day discussion. I can think of so many ways that the listing agent could come up with to enhance the look and feel of this loft. The poster wall murals would have really be highlighted with accent lighting and bespoke furniture placement to create a video that will capture any audience. In the comment section below, let me know what you would’ve done to make this loft shine.
Staging offers a multitude of benefits for both sellers and real estate agents. By investing in professional staging services, you can elevate your property's appeal, attract more buyers, and ultimately achieve a successful sale at the best possible price. Remember, when it comes to selling your home, presentation is everything, and staging is the key to making a lasting impression. You may be worried that staging is just for pricey or luxury properties, but you would be mistaken. Every home is someone else’s dream home and your home can shine so bright with our help. Get in touch with us to hear how staging can benefit your sale.