Despite the fact that home staging is quite a new concept in Australia, it has seen an enormous rise in popularity in the last decade. In fact, according to some experts, it has added as much as 10% to the sale price of a property.
What Is Home Staging?
Put, home staging is making a house look appealing for buyers. Home staging aims to make buyers envision what it would be like living in that house. It gives them an idea of how they could place furniture in the house to bring out its best attributes.
A resident that looks good inside and out tends to attract more buyers. Buyers are willing to pay more when a house is well-staged than when it is unfurnished.
Why Have Home Staging Services Become So Popular?
At one time, home staging services were used only for luxury homes. However, today, this service is used for houses in all price ranges.
The real estate market, just like other industries, has also evolved tremendously in the last few decades. A few decades ago, it was enough to clean up your house with a fresh coat of paint, make the necessary repairs, and tidy up a little bit.
Today, however, things have changed dramatically. With the advent of HGTV reality shows that focus on staging homes for sale, buyer expectations of what a house they wish to buy have risen considerably.
Data reveals that about 95% of all prospective home buyers search for future homes on the internet. If you don’t have beautiful photographs of your home online, the chances of buyers showing up to see your property are rather low.
And finally, since home staging services have become more affordable, people are availing of such services more frequently. Because real estate markets have become increasingly competitive, the chances are that you will be competing with others who have had their properties staged for sale.
So, if you stage your home to make it look its best, then you could end up either not being able to sell your property, or selling it at a price that is lower than its actual value.
What Can Home Staging Services Do for You?
The first thing you need to understand about home staging is that it is not interior decorating. The purpose of interior decoration is to create a space that is extremely personal to you; it may or may not appeal to others.
Home staging, on the other hand, is de-personalising your home so that others can see themselves living in it. This means getting rid of personal touches such as family pictures, your favourite couch, and even the dog bed.
Home staging could be as simple as putting up just a few key items of decoration to brighten up a house, or as complex, as completely furnishing and decorating an empty home.
Home staging services will also help you with your online listing. Getting a professional stager to do up your home, and then getting a professional photographer to showcase your home in its best light can help attract the kind of buyers you are looking for, sometimes for prices that are higher than you expect.
How Much Would It Cost To Use Home Staging Services?
It will entirely depend on the amount of work that will go into staging your home. It will also depend on where your property is located. Some stages will have a set fee, while others may charge you by the hour.
Whatever be the case, you should hammer out all the details before you sign the contract so that you know precisely what you will be getting.
