The life cycle of home staging has been short indeed — less than 20 years. TV and cable have brought the profession into the limelight with shows featuring staging projects that have proven, immediate benefits to home sellers. These benefits include more showings, a faster sale and a higher sales price.
But what about buyers? Is buying a staged home better than buying an unstaged home? Other than the obvious visual appeal of a very clean, nicely furnished and inviting home, are there other benefits that buyers realize when they purchase a staged home? The answer is yes. Staging benefits home buyers in two principle ways:
- Staging saves a buyer time. The “honey-do” list can be quite long when moving into a new or previously owned home. Staged homes have already been repainted, repaired, cleaned and updated. A new homeowner can begin to enjoy the home they’ve just purchased instead of spending their time working on a never-ending fix-it list.
- Staging saves a buyer money.When everything in a home is repainted, repaired and refreshed, there is no immediate out-of-pocket costs to a new buyer for fixtures and maintenance. Discretionary monies can be spent on aesthetics that will make the house a home for them such as new furniture or a wide-screen television.
Home staging benefits both sides of a home sale transaction which is one reason that is has taken off so rapidly. With more and more real estate agents recommending staging, it should continue to gain in popularity and become a “must-have” on buyers’ wish lists.