“Home staging,” the rearranging of furniture and decorating of home interiors and even exteriors to make them more presentable and appealing to the greatest number of prospective buyers, is taking on a new popularity.
Before & After Home Staging Photos From Staging Magic
Staging may include a wide variety of changes or alterations from the simple re-arrangement or removal of furniture to total makeovers of rooms or outdoor patios. The practice came into its own more than a decade ago on the West Coast.
“Home sellers in California wouldn’t think of showing their home without having it staged first,” said Karen Hunter of Staging Magic, a home staging firm in Jericho.
Hunter said staging not only focuses on “de-cluttering and de-personalizing.” A stager, she said, works with the homeowner to achieve a “look” that enables a prospective purchaser to see himself or herself living in the home.
“We try to minimize or eliminate ‘taste-specific’ decorative items and wall colors,” Hunter said. “The homeowner may love it, but it may not be to everyone’s taste. So if they want to sell their home, it’s best to keep things neutral.”
“Potential buyers make their decision to purchase a home in the first 30 seconds upon entering,” said Elizabeth Tucker of Design Remix, Inc., who, with her partner Luisa Rizzo, serves homes on Nassau’s North Shore as well as the South Shore. Tucker and Rizzo both have degrees in interior design and said this background helps them better “showcase” homes.
“We draw floor plans, showing the homeowner what the staged home will look like and how it will be more appealing to prospective buyers,” said Rizzo. “We draw on our knowledge of color theory to help homeowners use color more effectively in showing their home.”
“The way you live in your home is not the way you sell your home,” Hunter explained. “A home stager’s job is to step back and look at the house the way a prospective purchaser would. Sometimes a homeowner is very upset to learn that a cherished piece of indoor sculpture or ornate hand-carved chairs may act as turn-offs to some buyers.”
Stagers have varied backgrounds; some, such as Hunter, who has worked in clothing design and merchandising, take a certificate course from Home Staging Resource, a private firm; the course is recognized by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), a professional trade organization that certifies stagers.
Fees for stagers vary, depending on the square footage of the home and the extent of work. Tucker and Rizzo said a 2,500 sq. ft. home that would require staging of three or four rooms could cost from $1,300 to $1,500, plus the cost of items. Hunter says her typical consultation runs about $250.
“It’s developing a strategy for putting a home’s best foot forward, to make for a faster and more successful showing and ultimately sale,” Tucker said.
Rizzo and Tucker said RESA reviewed 15 homes that were staged before being listed. The homes, RESA found, “sold, on average, in 25 days.”
Rizzo said the staging helps “entice potential buyers by highlighting a home’s best features and making it feel spacious, warm and inviting.” “Staging gives the home a competitive edge that sets it apart from the others,” Hunter says. “Sellers who don’t stage their home before listing it are seriously compromising their chances for a quicker, more lucrative sale.”
