Portland Home Staging Works 2020

We’ve yet to understand the full impacts of the 2020 pandemic on the real estate market, but one thing that is certain is that more home buyers are looking at homes online. They’re clicking through dozens of photos and sometimes taking virtual tours before, or sometimes instead of, touring in person. That means home staging is more important than ever in 2020. Photographs of an empty home typically do not look as good online, and even in 3D virtual tours, furnishings in the room help the buyer to grasp the dimensions and potential functions of the space. Even that being said, staging isn’t the best choice for every home. I’ll explain more as we go.

Latest Statistics on the Power of Home Staging

The effectiveness of home staging has been well researched. First, we go to a 2018 study by Home Staging Resource, an industry association. They found that, among the 4,200 homes they surveyed:

• Professionally staged homes sold for more 85% of the time. 
• 40% of staged homes sold for more than a comparable unstaged home in the same neighborhood. 

Okay, these numbers sound fantastic! But let’s also keep in mind that the higher the home is priced, the more likely the sellers have the funds to stage it and the more likely the buyer will expect the home (in that price range) to be staged for market.

Next, let’s look at the National Association of Realtors’ 2019 research on home staging. By surveying over 2,000 real estate agents across the country, they obtained some interesting results:

• 40% of buyers’ agents state that home staging affects buyers’ view of the home. Staging a home sets off nice architectural features while distracting from bad ones, and allows buyers to “step into” the home and imagine living there. 
• Nearly half of sellers’ agents recommend cleaning and decluttering to their clients, but only 28% of agents actually recommend that the home be staged prior to listing.
• Real estate reality TV shows are a trending influence among buyers in 2019 and will be in 2020 — One-fifth of buyers’ agents surveyed reported that their clients were disappointed when viewing homes, because they weren’t staged as well as they expected based on shows like House Hunters.

How to stage a home that is still occupied?

“Great,” you might be thinking, “but I’m still living in my home — how am I supposed to ‘stage’ it?” In fact, the majority of home buyers and sellers in Portland sell their current home before buying a new one, so don’t panic. You can absolutely “stage” your home so that it looks great online and draws higher offers, all while living in it. Sure, it’s not as easy as staging a vacant home, but a dedicated listing agent, home designer, and homeowner working as a team can make it happen.

We pay for an initial interior design consult for every client that wants one! The interior designer will do a walk through of the home with you and make suggestions on arranging your own furnishings to create the best market appearance. If you’re looking to paint or remodel prior to listing, the interior designer can help you choose colors, fixtures, and more – all with the intent of helping the home sell for the highest market value.

There are two key words to know when shopping for home staging services:

• A “rearrange” is when a team of staging professionals comes in and provides guidance to homeowners on how to declutter and organize their space. Then, they select items of furniture to feature, rearrange the space, and leave the home ready for listing photos to be taken.
• An “enhancement” is when the homeowners’ current belongings are used to stage a home alongside supplemental furnishing, art and decor from a professional home stager. Stagers usually charge more for this service, but we it can be a solid investment in your home’s resale value. 

Should I stage my vacant house?

Staging isn’t for every vacant property. The smaller the home or condo, the less likely we are to recommend staging. Some smaller spaces simply look bigger and more inviting empty. The reverse is also true. If your home has huge open spaces, it might feel cold when empty. Also, we know, after representing hundreds of home sellers, which types of homes buyers are expecting to see staged, and which ones will sell just fine vacant. Trust your local expert and consider these two rules of thumb: 1. the more expensive the property the more likely the buyer will expect staging and 2. the bigger the property the more important staging becomes.

Either route you choose, the first step to successfully selling an occupied or vacant home is to get it looking spic and span. Check out our full blog post on spring cleaning and decluttering your space for a successful home sale!

Looking for recommendations for good home stagers? Our sellers’ agents have worked with the best in Portland — it’s one of the reason we’re at the top of our game. Contact us today!