Does Staging Add REAL Value
- 29.05.2007
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Today I heard that a home seller was uncomfortable with spending money on staging. He didn’t want to spend on anything that did not add “real” value to the house. I admire that attitude in this cut throat day and age! But to be true to his philosophy, no money should be spent on any marketing efforts.
If one were selling a $250,000 car, would the seller’s motives be questioned if he were to have it professionally detailed? We all know the shine likely will not outlast the first drive in the country. But, at least the new owner will have a clean start and can drive away with pride. Staging is something along those lines, although I prefer to think it requires more talent and professional expertise than car detailing.
Staging is not intended to be deceptive. It is not meant to conceal problems other than the cosmetic. It is merely done to highlight the positives to the point where they outweigh the negatives.
In fact, the staging process may actually open things up to closer inspection. We stagers tend to remove a lot of things from most rooms. After staging, more of the walls, floors and windows are easily inspected. The features are easier to think about because all the distraction of collections and clutter and barricades of furniture are gone. It’s just that the staged home looks so great it makes the buyer forget about nit picking over a few flaws. Just as one might forgive a few character lines on a beautiful woman’s face, the buyer takes a more balanced view of the home’s potential.
When a seller invests in more traditional work - perhaps some painting or new fixtures - the advice of a professional stager is important. It can make sure the expenditures are actually for something the majority of buyers will find valuable.
And at the end of the deal when a staged house sells for more than the unstaged competition, doesn’t it prove that staging did add “real” value to the property? Perhaps the difference is just that the seller gets to walk away with that value in his pocket. Is the scenario so sinful when we know that on the other side of the transaction there’s a happy buyer who has acquired the home he fell in love with for exactly the price he felt it was worth?
Today I heard that a home seller was uncomfortable with spending money on staging. He didn’t want to spend on anything that did not add “real” value to the house. I admire that attitude in this cut throat day and age! But to be true to his philosophy, no money should be spent on any marketing efforts.
If one were selling a $250,000 car, would the seller’s motives be questioned if he were to have it professionally detailed? We all know the shine likely will not outlast the first drive in the country. But, at least the new owner will have a clean start and can drive away with pride. Staging is something along those lines, although I prefer to think it requires more talent and professional expertise than car detailing.
Staging is not intended to be deceptive. It is not meant to conceal problems other than the cosmetic. It is merely done to highlight the positives to the point where they outweigh the negatives.
In fact, the staging process may actually open things up to closer inspection. We stagers tend to remove a lot of things from most rooms. After staging, more of the walls, floors and windows are easily inspected. The features are easier to think about because all the distraction of collections and clutter and barricades of furniture are gone. It’s just that the staged home looks so great it makes the buyer forget about nit picking over a few flaws. Just as one might forgive a few character lines on a beautiful woman’s face, the buyer takes a more balanced view of the home’s potential.
When a seller invests in more traditional work - perhaps some painting or new fixtures - the advice of a professional stager is important. It can make sure the expenditures are actually for something the majority of buyers will find valuable.
And at the end of the deal when a staged house sells for more than the unstaged competition, doesn’t it prove that staging did add “real” value to the property? Perhaps the difference is just that the seller gets to walk away with that value in his pocket. Is the scenario so sinful when we know that on the other side of the transaction there’s a happy buyer who has acquired the home he fell in love with for exactly the price he felt it was worth?
