Considering selling your home and tempted to handle the staging on your own to save money? While it’s possible, consulting a professional stager could significantly boost your final sale price. Expert insights can make all the difference.

Online home staging consultations open doors to collaborating with top-notch stagers, regardless of your location or the absence of local experts. Experience the magic of expert advice, no matter where you are.

Benefits of an Online Home Staging Consultation.

An online home staging consultation, as opposed to an in-person consultation, offers several distinct advantages:

1. Convenience: Clients can easily schedule sessions at times that work best for them, without needing to coordinate for a physical meeting.
2. Safety: Especially in situations where health concerns (like pandemics) are prevalent, online consultations reduce risks associated with personal interactions.
3. Accessibility: Clients from any geographic location can access top-notch professionals, not just those located nearby.
4. Cost-Effective: Often, online consultations can be less expensive as there are no travel expenses or time associated with commuting.
5. Flexibility: It’s easier to reschedule or adjust appointment times without the hassle of considering commute or travel disruptions.
6. Documentation: Virtual consultations can be recorded (with permission), allowing homeowners to review advice and instructions as needed.
7. Immediate Implementation: Clients can start making recommended changes right after the consultation.
8. Eco-friendly: Reduces carbon footprint as there’s no need for vehicular transportation.
9. Comfort: Being in the comfort of one’s own home can make the consultation less intimidating and more relaxed for some clients.
10. Efficiency: Digital tools can be employed during the consultation, like screen sharing, which can help in showing visuals, designs, or examples instantly.

However, it’s worth noting that while online consultations offer many benefits, in-person consultations can provide a tactile and immediate understanding of space, which might be preferred by some clients or specific projects.

Benefits of Doing a Home Staging Consultation with a Professional versus Self Staging

Opting for an online consultation with a professional stager, as opposed to self-staging based on personal preferences, has multiple advantages:

1. Expert Insight: Professional stagers have the training and experience to identify a home’s strengths and weaknesses, ensuring the best features are highlighted.
2. Objective View: Homeowners may be emotionally attached to their property and its decor. A professional provides an unbiased perspective, focusing on broad buyer appeal rather than personal tastes.
3. Cost-Effective: While there’s an upfront fee, investing in a professional consultation can lead to a higher sale price, often compensating for the initial outlay and reducing potential lost profits from price reductions.
4. Current Market Trends: Stagers are updated on the latest home design and buyer trends, ensuring the home appeals to the contemporary buyer’s preferences.
5. Space Optimization: A professional can suggest layouts and designs that make rooms appear larger and more functional, maximizing the potential of every space.
6. Resource Recommendations: Professional stagers often have a list of trusted vendors, from furniture rental companies to painters, which can be invaluable for homeowners.
7. Efficiency: Based on their experience, professional stagers can quickly identify solutions, saving homeowners time and effort.
8. Avoid Common Mistakes: Without professional guidance, homeowners might over-personalize or clutter spaces. Stagers help prevent such pitfalls.
9. Enhanced Online Appeal: In the digital age, property listings often start online. Stagers know how to create spaces that photograph well, increasing online interest.
10. Psychological Impact: Stagers understand the psychology of buyers and create spaces that evoke feelings of warmth, comfort, and potential.
11. Flexibility & Convenience: Online consultations can be scheduled at the homeowner’s convenience and provide actionable advice without the need for in-person visits.
12. Value Proposition: A well-staged home differentiates itself in the market, especially in areas with many similar property listings.
13. Boosts Confidence: Having the endorsement of a professional can boost a seller’s confidence in their property’s presentation during showings and open houses.

While self-staging might seem like a cost-saving approach, the expertise and insights of a professional stager, even in an online format, can yield a swifter sale and often a better return on investment.

Ready to get a better sales price on your home?

Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.

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Every initial inquiry about home staging usually begins with, “What’s the cost?”

Likewise, if you offer a service or product, you’ve likely been asked the same.

While the cost of home staging might catch some off guard, it’s essential to consider its value. Thinking it’s “too expensive” is relative. Compared to the price drop on your home? It’s a wise investment!

“Home staging is more expensive than I expected.” More expensive compared to what? Not your first price reduction. 

I completely understand the instinct to seek the best deal possible. A recent client expressed that the staging costs exceeded her expectations, but she chose to proceed. She recalled instances where investing a bit more yielded significant returns and satisfaction.

She’s insightful! She hoped for a specific selling price, yet a realtor confided that, given its present state, her home might fall short by $20K. Homes that don’t outshine the competition often linger on the market, frequently leading to reductions of around $10K. This protraction not only causes stress but also escalates costs, including mortgages and utilities.

The outcome? After staging, her home attracted two offers above the asking price within a day and 15 offers in a week, finally selling at a price $30K beyond her initial expectation!

Her investment in staging yielded a return 30 times its cost. Rather than potentially losing $20K, she sold rapidly, netting an extra $30K. So, is staging an expense you can overlook?

Consider another scenario: After staging a client’s home, it was snapped up on its very first day on the market at the full asking price. Although they didn’t secure an amount above their initial price due to maintenance and repair needs, the swift sale spared them the hassle of countless showings and the stress associated with it. Moreover, they saved a considerable sum on monthly maintenance costs.

“Home staging is too expensive. That belief is going to cost you.”

In another case, I staged a home that had been on the market several years without selling. In the beginning, the owner did not want to spend money on staging and tried to sell it vacant. No luck. They had numerous price reductions. After a year or more they decided to stage with a lower priced staging service that did minimal staging in some of the rooms. No luck. Finally, two years later they contacted me. After doing a professional staging job, the house sold in 6 weeks. That was actually very fast considering the home had been on the market for years and had the stigma of “what is wrong with that house that it has not sold yet”. Think of all the money and time this seller lost in trying to save a little on home staging costs.

How much are you prepared to shave off your sales price for a cut-rate staging service, or by skipping staging altogether?

Is the immediate savings on staging worth the potential loss in your final sale price? What truly matters: a short-term saving or a quicker, more profitable sale in the long run?

Ready to drop your expensive belief?

Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.

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Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!

Aligned Design- All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer |  Brochure

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

If you are like most people selling your home in a seller’s market, where there are few houses for sale and lots of buyers, you would think spending money on home staging is a dumb idea.

After all, why spend money on staging when you can reasonably expect it will sell quickly. Why spend money on fixing things or remodeling? Why spend money on painting, or even cleaning?

I see it all the time. I live in a small town that has limited housing, so it is always a seller’s market. I am amazed sometimes at the listing photos I see online.

I get it. What you are really saying is why spend any money at all if you do not have to. You do have holding costs like mortgage and utilities after all and will have to pay your realtor and closing costs.

“That is an interesting belief that will cost you.”

Think about it. The supply of houses is limited. People are looking to buy. They want the best house they can get for the money. If there are five houses for sale, and they all look just OK, including yours, you will likely still sell quickly but at what price? About the same as everyone else with a similar OK house.

What if your house looks amazing compared to the other similar homes? Everyone is going to want it. What will happen? Can you say bidding war?

What do I mean when I say amazing? Your house is clean, repaired, beautifully staged and move in ready. You have professional photos showing it off online. Everyone will want it and they all know everyone else will want it too!

OK, I hear your gears grinding from here…. but how much will it cost me to do all that compared to how much more I will get on my home sale? I am glad you asked.

In my experience, if people spend .5 to 1% of the home’s value on getting their home ready for market, which includes the painting, repairs, cleaning, and staging, they often get 10-20% more on their home sale.

For example, I recently staged a home in a seller’s market. The realtor was concerned that the seller would be lucky to get 20K less than they wanted to list for in the house’s current condition.   The owner knew they needed to move their things out and get it cleaned. They were not considering doing much more. The realtor suggested home staging.

We started with a consultation in which I recommended painting over some colors I knew would not be appealing to buyers, installing some missing lights, removing most of the existing furniture and personal items , having it cleaned,  having the yard work done and for me to stage it. I believe the maintenance and painting probably cost them about $500.  The consultation, staging and accessory rentals cost about $1500. So, the owner spent about $2000 to prepare it for market.

So, what happened? After I staged the home, the seller received 2 over asking price offers within 24 hours and 15 offers in 7 days.  They sold the house for 30K over asking price! So not only did they make up for the 20K the realtor thought they could not get to meet their asking price, but they also made an additional 30K. That is 50K more than expected, because they spent 2K on preparing and staging.

Note this was a small house, so costs to prepare or stage and prepare larger houses can vary quite a bit based on the size and what they need. At the same time, larger houses have a much higher sales price and greater opportunity for the seller to make even more on the sale.

Spending money on home staging is kind of like going on a diet. You have to put up with a little short-term pain of spending some money up front to get the big pay-off in the end. Or instead, maybe I should say home staging is like going on a healthy diet….you know it is the right thing to do to get a return of perfect health, and with home staging to get the return of your best sales price. It is simply hard to get started!

So, are you going to hang out eating cookies all day or do what is good for you?

So Are You Going to Eat Cookies All Day?

Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. Click on the pictures to learn more. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote

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