Is staging an occupied home necessary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out this listing and draw your own conclusions about whether staging would’ve helped:

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Mc-Lean/1742-Valley-Ave-22101/home/9411733?600390594=copy_variant&utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=share_sheet

NP. With some of those photos, the problem is the photographer. The rooms look awfully dark, and that can be fixed with good lighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've used two realtors and both of them included staging as part of their commission.

meaning they paid for it out of their commision?

DP but a lot of realtors cover staging (ours also covered landscaping and cleaning). They get paid a huge commission, so yes, they (or their broker, I don't know what the deal is) cover the cost.

In other words, you pay for the staging by paying a higher commission to your realtor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. DCUM hates real estate agents. To them, they're no different than used car dealers. You can't trust any of them. They're all stupid. They just want to rip you off.

Good staging will absolute help sell a house. You don't have to break the bank on it and you don't have to stage every room. But yes, done right, it will make a difference.

Here's another thing. A lot of real estate agents frequent this board, and they'll try to convince you that your house will never sell unless you do everything they say, including paying them extra for things like recommending their lawn crew, painters, or staging your house. Remember that all these extra things come out of your pocket, not theirs. I've also read suggestions here that realtors get a kickback from contractors they recommend--don't know how widespread this is, but it wouldn't surprise me.

I don't think staging is always bad, and sometimes it may help. (But gawd I'm sick of those gold, huge, star- or sun-frame mirrors.) But maybe get some friends to tell you if they think your house and furniture need it, or if you can "stage" it yourself simply by decluttering, repainting, and maybe getting a storage unit for grandma's hideous faux-empire china cabinet.

[Anonymous]

It helps to sell your home quicker imo.

Because having it furnished by a professional stager (or real estate agent) defines all the important spaces in the home which is the first thing buyers consider when looking at a prospective property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It helps to sell your home quicker imo.

Because having it furnished by a professional stager (or real estate agent) defines all the important spaces in the home which is the first thing buyers consider when looking at a prospective property.

What does "defines all the important spaces in the home" even mean? For 99% of homes, it's already obvious where "important spaces" like the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and basement are, what their function is, and what these "important spaces" are contributing to family life. If the problem is that a living room is so messy that it distracts from the fact that it's a living room, well then, the realtor just needs to tell the seller to declutter and hire one of those portable pink storage units. If "define important spaces" is some sort of stager-speak for "pay for something that has a vague purpose," that's not really an overall vibe or design goal I'd trust to sell my home anyway.

[Anonymous]

Maybe not staging, but often removing some of the very personalized items/furniture, decluttering the space and introducing a few "generic" pieces can help other people imagine themselves living there easier. It doesn't have to cost a lot. Some realtors include this into their service fees.

[Anonymous]

Staging does not require buying or renting new things unless your furniture and items are lower quality than what would be expected in the home, or in poor condition, or exceptionally unique or weird in some way that might turn people off.

Our realtor helped us “stage” using items we already had. The house was free of clutter, very clean, and had fresh paint. It sold very quickly.

[Anonymous]

I'm still resentful that our realtor talked us into (because my sister is gullible) staging my mom's bright, airy, uncluttered condo. For many thousands of dollars, they moved out my mom's mid-century modern furniture, and we ended up with blah white Wayfair furniture. Is that really what people in that particular condo market wanted to see?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe not staging, but often removing some of the very personalized items/furniture, decluttering the space and introducing a few "generic" pieces can help other people imagine themselves living there easier. It doesn't have to cost a lot. Some realtors include this into their service fees.

This is what our parents did when they sold their homes--take out the family photos and childrens' artwork, clear surfaces of clutter, fix what needs to be fixed, and repaint. Back in the day, any realtor worth their salt would have done this on a walk-through with the client, pointing out this old light fixture that needs to be replaced, or that stained carpet or ugly chair that should be removed before the house goes on the market.

When did this become something extra, something worthy of becoming a special line item that's priced into service fees--i.e., used to jack up fees? It's not like realtors hold the secret MLS keys anymore, so why not spend that free hour walking through the seller's house with them?

[Anonymous]

I love looking at staged homes for sale because I get some pretty good decorating ideas for my own home.

I make sure to always let the realtor know as soon as I come in that I am simply looking - - not looking to buy.

I have had no qualms so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm still resentful that our realtor talked us into (because my sister is gullible) staging my mom's bright, airy, uncluttered condo. For many thousands of dollars, they moved out my mom's mid-century modern furniture, and we ended up with blah white Wayfair furniture. Is that really what people in that particular condo market wanted to see?

How much did you have to pay for the staging??

I thought that some of the furniture used by stagers isn’t all that real.
Like the beds used in the bedrooms……

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It helps to sell your home quicker imo.

Because having it furnished by a professional stager (or real estate agent) defines all the important spaces in the home which is the first thing buyers consider when looking at a prospective property.

What does "defines all the important spaces in the home" even mean? For 99% of homes, it's already obvious where "important spaces" like the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and basement are, what their function is, and what these "important spaces" are contributing to family life. If the problem is that a living room is so messy that it distracts from the fact that it's a living room, well then, the realtor just needs to tell the seller to declutter and hire one of those portable pink storage units. If "define important spaces" is some sort of stager-speak for "pay for something that has a vague purpose," that's not really an overall vibe or design goal I'd trust to sell my home anyway.

I watch a lot of real estate programs on HGTV and when someone will refer to a staged home and what benefit the staging achieves, this is usually how the staging reasoning is spoken.

Like that old show, Flip Or Flop…..Tarek and Christina always staged their homes for sale (and according to their show paid between $1,500-$5,000 for it!) and commented that they noticed it defined the space(s) in the home.

[Anonymous]

How's it going, OP? Did you get any offers?