Staging your home makes financial sense
A booming real estate market doesn’t reduce the benefits of hiring a stager. In fact, working with a professional can only add more value, says designer and stager Becky Freeman, because it results in even higher offers.
“As well, in a seller’s market, you have to give buyers a reason for the high price,” says Freeman, adding that her clients can typically expect a return on the cost of staging equal to between 1 and 3 per cent of the asking price.
DIY expert Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault, who wrote a staging course curriculum for Sheridan College, says the process should be seen as an investment rather than a cost. “If you give me $5,000 and I give you $20,000, where’s the question?” she asks.
An effective stager brings fresh eyes to a property, Freeman says. “People think their home is decorated perfectly, but often it has to be refined and decluttered — the analogy would be to a boutique hotel suite.”
Both say pre-showing organization is key.
After visiting a site, Freeman creates a report for clients that details jobs to be done, with a clickable shopping list. She can also connect homeowners with third-party experts, such as organizers and tradespeople.
Near the top of her to-do list is ensuring that there’s a “purpose” for every room. “The buyer is looking and thinking, ‘what can I use this room for?’ So every room must have a specific reason.”
Sellers often make the mistake of underestimating just how stressful the process will be, or how much work will need to be done.
“One of my strengths is as an empathy coach who understands it’s not going to be easy. But I can explain the need to get rid of stuff, or store items, or do this or that in terms of how they will work as marketing tactics.” To “sweeten” the news, Freeman always arrives at the first meeting with chocolate in hand.
To reduce stress, stager Nella Deluca often suggests people go on vacation while she addresses the staging details, including one of her pet peeves — poorly scaled rugs. (“They should anchor the furniture, and not float!” she says firmly.)
Social media may play an increasingly important role in real estate marketing, but Allaire Perrault has a caveat. “It’s easy to fake reality by adding filters or shoot with an extra-wide lens to make something look bigger. But don’t set people up to be disappointed! As with everything, under-promise and over deliver.”
Deluca is all for homeowners doing renovation prior to listing, but reminds them it’s not their chance to do a dream makeover. “They will want to do things they love that make the space very self-specific. That can make it challenging to sell. Anything that’s fixed should be neutral, not too ornate and universally appealing.”
Allaire Perrault agrees that decor matters when selling a home. “But you have to stage for all the senses,” she adds. “If the floor squeaks and the stair rails wobble and the door handles are loose or sticky, each of those things goes on a buyer’s subconscious chore list, one that has costs attached to it.”
Staging often focuses on the interior of a home, but Allaire Perrault reminds sellers that prospective buyers will often drive by a house before touring it. “If the exterior doesn’t capture them, they’ll just keep going,” she says.
Shrubbery should be cut back so that the bones of the house can be seen, and so that as much natural light as possible hits the interior. Drapery linings should not clash with exterior paint or masonry col- ours. A fast and inexpensive fix for mismatched metal mail boxes, house numbers and light fixtures, she suggests, is to spray them out in a consistent finish.
Many stagers advise against strong colours, but Allaire Perrault thinks the front door entrance can be an exception to the rule.
“I often like to create one moment with colour — maybe a flower urn or wicker chair painted bright yellow or turquoise,” Allaire Perrault says. “Buyers on a junket might see 15 properties in one day. At the end, they are wondering if they are thinking about the beige house, or the other beige house. The home with the brightly-coloured urn is going to stick with them.”