Frequently Asked Questions

It may seem that way, but the key difference is one makes you money and the other costs you money.  Staging is a marketing tool to sell your home.  It is visual merchandising in the same way retailers use visual merchandising to appeal to the greatest amount of buyers.  Staging highlights the best features of your home, creating a warm welcoming space in order for buyers to envision themselves living there.  Think of staging as a silent salesperson.   And what would you want that salesperson to say?

Rather than seeing staging as a cost, it is an investment that protects the equity in your home.  It is a cost effective solution to maximize the return on what is typically your biggest investment.  Today’s buyer is market savvy and they know what they want.  They want move-in ready.  When they are walking through your home they are making a mental checklist of all that will need to be done.  Attached to that mental checklist are estimates on how much item will cost.  Their estimates are not only inflated but it also reduces their offer.  And if their list is too long, it lessens the likelihood of an offer.  Don’t give your buyer bargaining power.

The market is hot right now, and my house will sell anyway.

Yes, you’re right. It will sell, but the question remains when and for how much?  Don’t leave money on the table unnecessarily.  When you don’t stage your home, you’re helping your neighbour sell theirs.

Did you know that 90% of buyers can not envision a space beyond what they are presented with?  One of the key elements of staging is to create a vision. This means for every 10 buyers only 1 can envision the space.  This also means your market size has been reduced considerably.  This is why vacant homes have a tendency to sit on the market longer than an occupied listing and are more difficult to sell than an occupied home.

We’re all familiar with the phrase “presentation is everything”.  Prepacking and depersonalizing is the editing process of preparing your home for sale.  It would be the equivalent of handing in a school assignment half complete.  Stagers guide you to the best selling colours for your home, appropriate floor plans and layouts in order to maximize living space, how to accessorize, but also tell you what repairs and updates will net you the biggest return on your investment.

Nothing.  While the assumption might be to prepack and declutter prior to your appointment, you don’t need to do anything.  This way, when we are making recommendation, we are able to “shop” your home first if we think something is better suited in another room.  This saves you both time and money.

Have a question that hasn’t been answered? Reach out to us.