Sell Your Chicago Home Faster: Home Staging tips from the Top Chicago Real Estate Agents
Welcome to the world of Home Staging, where every detail matters in making your home appealing to potential buyers. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the ins and outs of Home Staging, offering valuable insights and expert advice from local Chicago real estate agents to attract more prospective buyers to help you sell your home quickly.
Home Staging: What Is It?
So, what exactly is Home Staging? Simply put, it's the art of preparing and decorating a home to make it look its absolute best for potential buyers when they walk through the front door. It's about creating an atmosphere that invites buyers in and allows them to envision themselves living there. A professional home stager can bring out the best in your home with the correct placement of throw pillows and renting furniture that complements the room so prospective buyers can picture what their future home looks like when move-in ready.
The Importance of Home Staging
Why is Home Staging so crucial in real estate? Studies have shown that staged homes sell faster and at higher prices than their un-staged counterparts. This means that hiring a staging company could put more money in your pocket and a quicker sale, so ask your local Chicago real estate agent for home staging tips or for a professional staging company that can help increase the home's selling price.
The Home Staging Process
Why is Home Staging so crucial in real estate? Studies have shown that staged homes sell faster and at higher prices than their un-staged counterparts. This means that hiring a staging company could put more money in your pocket and a quicker sale, so ask your local Chicago real estate agent for home staging tips or for a professional staging company that can help increase the home's selling price.
Home Staging Effect on Buyer’s View of Home
Preparing Your Home
Before diving into the aesthetics, it's essential to declutter and depersonalize your space, so remove personal photos and family photos, random coffee table books, or any other personal items. Potential buyers should be able to imagine their life in your home.
Repairs and Maintenance
Address any needed repairs and maintenance issues. A leaky faucet or a cracked tile can send the wrong message to buyers, so a well staged home should include some minor repairs of things like broken light fixtures and scratched hardwood floors. The home should appear move-in ready, so a potential buyer can get a good first impression. Your staging efforts shouldn't involve any major home improvement projects.
Furniture Arrangement
Rearranging furniture to optimize the space of each room can make your home feel more spacious and inviting. It also may be time to get rid of the old couch that has been sitting unused in the finished basement entertainment room. You should also remove any broken outdoor furniture, or rent some storage units to remove the furniture temporarily.
Color and Lighting
Choose neutral colors that appeal to a broader audience and lighting fixtures that compliment your home's natural light to ensure adequate lighting to brighten up the space. Most buyers will have a better first impression of the home and your staging efforts if all the lights are on and everything is visible.
Use Real Plants (if Available)
Houseplants will help with the staging process and they should be real potted plants. Artificial flowers and plants can make the home feel more like a hotel or office space, so using real plants and fresh flowers will provide a more welcoming environment.
Invest in a Few High-end Staging Accessories for the Kitchen and Dining Room
A few top-notch kitchen decoration items may help a potential buyer imagine themselves cooking a gourmet meal in the kitchen of their future home. Grab an olive oil decanter or utensil holders from Le Creuset. Kitchens and dining rooms are cluttered and can easily get messy, especially when you are trying to schedule in person showings while living in the house.
Home Improvement Tips to Sell a Home
DIY Home Staging Tips (Where to Shop On a Budget)
You don't always need a professional to stage your home. Here are some DIY tips:
Curb Appeal: Enhance your home's exterior with landscaping and a fresh coat of paint.
Cleanliness: A spotless home is a must. Pay attention to every nook and cranny.
Décor: Use tasteful decorations and artwork to make your home feel inviting, but avoid personal photographs.
Aromas: Pleasant scents can leave a lasting impression. Consider baking cookies before a showing.
Professional Home Staging Services
While you can stage your home on your own, professional Home Stagers bring expertise and finesse to the process. They have an eye for design and can transform your space into a buyer's paradise. Your local Chicago real estate agent can help with recommending home staging companies, or you could check with the National Association of Realtors for more tips and advice on how a professional stager can help sell your home.
Virtual Staging
Virtual staging is a digital technique used in online listings for real estate and interior design to enhance the visual appeal of a property. It involves creating realistic computer-generated images of a space, typically an empty or unfurnished room, and then adding virtual furniture, decor, and other elements to make it look more attractive and inviting. With virtual staging service, you could create multiple configurations of each room to entice future buyers, without having to pay for furniture rental or having home stagers come to your home. The virtual home stager can have more options with furniture placement and endless combinations of throw pillows (or throw blankets).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How much does professional Home Staging cost?
Professional Home Staging costs vary depending on the size of your home and your location. On average, you can expect to pay between $300 to $600 for a home staging consultation and $1,000 to $5,000 for home staging services.
Q: Who pays for home staging?
The real estate agent selling the property may offer to cover the costs of home staging, but agreement can vary about which person pays for the home staging. It would be advisable to have an agreement covering what each party is responsible for, especially if the home does not sell for any reason.
Q: How much does home staging cost?
According to the Fixed Price Guide, homeowners typically spend between $1000 and $3000 to stage their homes professionally. You can get home staging services for less, if you are willing to research some home staging tips and act as your own home stager.
Q: Is Home Staging worth the investment?
Absolutely! Staged homes tend to sell faster, reducing your carrying costs.
Q: Can I stage my home while living in it?
Yes, it's possible to stage your home while living in it. Professional stagers can work around your existing furniture and décor, but staging a house is an ongoing process until the home sells (or goes under contract).
Q: Do I need to Stage every room in my house?
Not necessarily. While it's essential to focus on key areas like the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom, you can skip staging less important spaces like utility rooms. You could store any excess throw pillows or throw blankets in your finished attic or storage units.
Q: How long does the Home Staging process take?
The timeline for Home Staging varies depending on your home's condition. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Q: What is the Real Estate Staging Association?
The Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA®) was established in April 2007 by a collective of 600 real estate stagers and several home staging training providers. Their shared goal was to elevate the standards of excellence and professionalism within the real estate staging industry by creating its very first trade association. Back then, there were no independent, nonprofit trade organizations dedicated to addressing the needs of all stagers, regardless of their specific designations and training backgrounds. Remarkably, this remains the case even today.
The founders of RESA recognized the importance of impartiality and inclusivity. They saw a pressing need for an organization that would offer support to all stagers, regardless of the various designations they might hold, and that could advocate for the industry as a whole. From the moment of its inception, RESA's members and corporate partners committed to coming together to lead the industry. They did so by voluntarily adhering to a strict code of ethics and by actively championing RESA's overarching mission.
Q: What is the 3 foot 5 foot rule in staging a home?
Too many images can cause confusion. When it comes to accessories the 3-by-5-foot standard applies for surface decor and other items: surface decorations between 3-foot and 5-foot, including coffee tables and credenzas, are best balanced with accents with a clear finish.
Q: Does staging a home really work?
Staging is an easy way for buyers to visualize themselves in a home. The National Association of Realtors reported that staged houses sell faster compared to their homes.
Conclusion
Home Staging is a powerful tool in the real estate world, allowing you to sell your home faster and for a better price. Whether you opt for a DIY approach or hire a professional staging company, the key is to create a space that resonates with potential buyers. So, start staging and get ready to say goodbye to your home, and hello to a lucrative sale.
