You are getting ready to sell your home. The "to-do" list seems daunting. You may ask yourself, "do I really need to stage my home"? My short answer is yes with the caveat that the answer really depends upon your needs.
My experience as a real estate Broker confirms staging helps with homes being under contract faster, with better offers to select from, and creates a strong first impression. I often say, "you can't make a second first impression" so make the first one count!
Statistics support this. According to TheZebra.com.
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85% of staged homes sold for 5 to 23% over their listing price.
According to the National Association of Realtors®.
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22% of seller Brokers reported a 1 to 5% increase in selling price for homes that had been staged versus a non-staged home.
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A staged home spends 73% less time on the market than a non-staged home.
Going back to the first impressions matter. We know that 92% of home buyers start their research online. We also know that buyers watch some type of home improvement shows like DIY, or HGTV, on television and follow DIY on social media.
A decluttered, updated, best-use-of-space home that is staged combined with professional photography, virtual tours, and aerial footage has the most dramatic impact for setting the stage (pun intended) for a great first impression. We know that the longer a buyer is looking at photos on a real estate website the more inclined they are to view the home in person.
In a competitive market like we continue to experience in the spring of 2022, videos, matter port virtual tours, and professional photos are instrumental for buyers when searching for homes online. These great tools can help the buyer eliminate homes in order to optimize their time for viewing homes.
If you believe that first impressions are important, then yes, staging matters!
