Whether you’re downsizing in preparation for retirement, looking to move into your dream home or perhaps selling an investment property, you want to receive top dollar for your home.
So how much are you willing to invest to help ensure that happens?
Many sellers in the King County area are spending a little extra to have their home staged with tasteful furniture, flowers, artwork and other stylish accents. That investment frequently helps them secure asking price or better, says Jessica Scotti, a Realtor with Engel & Völkers Seattle Eastside and a home staging professional.
Here’s some reasons to consider staging your home for sale:
- Survey says – A 2018 international survey by Home Staging Resource found staged homes more often fetched higher selling prices than similar homes that were not staged, and that 68 percent of staged homes sold for at least nine percent higher than a similar, unstaged neighbor’s home.
- Investment pays off – The same survey of 4,200 staged homes, mostly in the U.S., also found that the more a seller spends on staging, the better chance they have of increasing the selling price of their home.
- Help your turnaround time – If you’ve purchased a home for investment purposes, when the time comes to sell, it’ll move more quickly, Scotti says. “It makes a huge impact visually. It’s like a comfort zone when you walk into a home that’s furnished as opposed to empty.”
Imagine the possibilities
Scotti’s passion and belief in staging as a way to better serve clients has developed from experience, she says.
“When I show a home that is staged, people’s faces light up when they walk in.” The use of color and accents to make a home look its best taps into people’s imaginations, she adds, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or stepping up to your dream home. “When you can walk into a home and already envision living there, it makes a huge difference.”
Your home can be a blank canvas
With 20 years experience in real estate, Scotti has seen the market heat up and cool down various times. With the King County market not overheated today as it was two years ago, sellers looking for an edge are turning to staging as a way to increase the chances of their home standing out, she notes.
Scotti’s company, ManifeStaging, has a full inventory of furniture and other pieces to help accentuate the best features of your home, whether or not you’re still living there. “It’s a great opportunity to utilize what’s existing and can be a way to help you declutter in advance of relocating,” she says.
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To find out how staging can help you get the most out of your home at selling time, email Jessica at jessica.scotti@engelvoelkers.com or call her at 253-343-3889. You can also follow Engel & Völkers Seattle Eastside on Facebook.
Attention to detail in the staging of a home can pay dividends for a seller, says Scotti.
