Staging - who pays? How much does it cost?
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Anonymous
| We are selling off a lot of our furniture as part of downsizing and in advance of listing our home. As a result, we expect that we will need to have some of it staged. Are there realtor out there that do it as part of their commission? If not, how much does it cost to stage a 3500 sq foot home? |
Anonymous
| Realtor should pay unless they charge 2% or less |
Anonymous
| I think it depends on the listing price -- I think it's more common to have the agent pay for it if it's an expensive property. Less common if lower priced housing -- thinking under $1M. It would be interesting to hear what agents think. |
Anonymous
| I negotiated to split it with my realtor on a $450k coop. Not sure how common that was though. |
Anonymous
| Many realtors provide basic staging (nice furniture, art work, some accessories, a few odds and ends to make the house look nice) as part of their service. This is a basic service to gain business. You can also hire more fancy stagers who will stage your home like something out of a gorgeous house magazine (every single detail attended to, high end furniture, lots of accessories, etc) for a monthly fee. |
Anonymous
|
This really varies. When we interviewed agents to sell our house, one paid for it outright, but mentioned it would be mostly done with items we had in the house, plus additional art, towels, etc. One would pay for it but only for the first month plus initial staging fee. One only offered a "consultation" with their stager but it would be up to us to retain their services and pay for them. We chose the first one since we already had nice items and had decluttered. Bottom line: ask the agents.
I also got an independent quote from a stager who does a lot of business and it was $1495 for the initial staging plus $295 per month, and they would do a thorough staging - I thought they offered a lot of unnecessary things and the price was so high. This was for a 3500 sq ft house. |
Anonymous
Thank you - could I ask you who you used? |
Anonymous
| Our agent did it as part of her marketing package. This was almost 10 years ago when 2.5 % was standard, so she got paid for it. Today, I'd definitely negotiate a lower fee, and I'd probably expect the agent to do some staging (a few rooms or pieces) for a 2% fee. For a 1 %, I'd probably expect to pay for any staging. |
Anonymous
| I interviewed a bunch. They all paid for staging except redfin. Redfin was 1% so I saved $20k so I paid the $3k for staging myself. |
Anonymous
| You can make a $500 run to Crate & Barrell go a long way too. Some pillows, fresh linens, odds & ends can make a home look very fresh & modern. And you can take that stuff with you to your new place. |
Anonymous
| The best thing anyone can do to sell their house is to declutter and deep clean. If you must, pay for off-site storage. |
Anonymous
| My agent listed my home for 1.5% and paid for the consult with the excellent stager he works with. For me, that was enough. The stager was very knowledgeable about getting a house ready for sale, and made alot of helpful recommendations. What was espe nice was that she worked with what I already owned. She recommended a few small purchases from Homegoods/Target like slipcovers, pillows, inexpensive artwork and mirrors. Most importantly she pushed me to get the house painted with a "gray-beige" color and that did really made a big difference when I went to sell. My home sold for the highest price ever in my development and over asking price. My agent was wonderful throughout the process. He definitely earned his 1.5% (and I'm sure he netted significantly less after broker splits and paying for the staging consult, a top notch photographer, brochures, etc.). |
Anonymous
Can you give me any his name, please? |
Anonymous
I know. I think he should be flooded with business so he can get the volume. |
Anonymous
| Where can I find these realtors? |