The Benefits of Staging Your San Francisco Home For Sale

The Benefits of Staging Your Home For Sale

What is home staging?

Real Estate Staging is the act of preparing and showcasing a home for sale so that it is optimally presented for the market. It is a systematic and coordinated methodology in which knowledge of real estate marketing, home renovation and creative design principles are applied to attract and emotionally hook the buyer. Staging is usually performed by a design professional though in some cases, the homeowner will oversee the process directly.

Preparing a property for sale involves all or some of the following: deep-cleaning, de-cluttering, updating, refinishing floors, repairing, painting and steam cleaning or replacing carpets. Showcasing is the process of interior design: arranging furniture, accessories, art and light.

Whether the property is occupied or vacant, staging is almost always recommended before listing a property in order to maximize sales price and minimize time on market.

“Danielle recently helped us sell our Noe Valley condo and I thought she did a great job. What I liked best about her is that she’s quite knowledgeable about the San Francisco real estate market and she’s very reliable. In particular, she proposed a number of things we could do (e.g. painting, refurbishing some of the floors and staging) to make the place look good to potential buyers without spending too much money. Once we decided on those improvements, she and her staff coordinated all the work and quickly prepped the placed for sale.

All throughout the process, she kept us well-informed and promptly responded to our questions and concerns. In the end, our place closed within a month of the open house.”

– Stephanie and Jim

Benefits of professionally staging your listings:

• Professionally staged homes show better than competing listings and will standout in prospective buyers’ minds.

• Staged properties sell faster than homes that have not been staged. From the date of listing until the day of closing, home staging shortens the sales timeline.

• Buyers view staged listings as “well-maintained”. They perceive the home to be cleaner and more updated than they would without staging.

• Buyers become emotionally attached to a staged home. Rather than wondering about the owners, they imagine themselves living in the property. Once a buyer is emotionally attached, they are more inclined to overlook flaws.

• Buyers’ agents recognize that professionally staged listings are “move-in” ready and are more inclined to show staged properties. Agents prefer to show well-presented homes to their buyer clients because they are easier to sell!

• Photos of professionally staged listings look better in print and web media. Vacant or cluttered rooms do not photograph well and without great photos, the benefits of online & print marketing are severely diminished.

Does staging work?

YES. Homes that are staged typically sell for at least 1-5% more and sell faster than non-staged homes. (Some say there is a 10-15% bump in sales price when you professionally stage your home.) Our suggested pre-sale improvements usually cost anywhere from $7,000-$20,000, depending on square footage & property condition.

Example: $750,000 home –> 1-5% value increase after staging = $7,500-$37,500 gain vs. risk of spending $7,000-$10,000.

Example: $1,000,000 home –> 1-5% value increase after staging = $10,000 – $50,000 gain vs. risk of spending $10,000-$20,000.

Example: $1,500,000 home –> 1-5% value increase after staging = $15,000 – $75,000 gain vs. risk of spending $15,000-$25,000.

Worst-case scenario:

Generally speaking, the worst-case scenario is that you will break even on the cost of the pre-sale improvements. You will still benefit from an easier, faster sale with less room for negotiation during escrow and a more emotionally attached, committed buyer. On its own, this is a big win!

Your staging experience should be a positive one. Professional home stagers are trained to see what you cannot. Staging is not about you or your personal taste. It is about preparing and marketing your property to appeal to the most qualified buyers in order to sell for more money, in less time.