
Why home staging pays off
A study among American real estate agents proves how home staging pays off. Where it was used, almost two-thirds of property sales achieved the asking price or even exceeded it. In one-fifth of cases, the property was sold at a price 15 percent above the asking price. Iris Houghten, first chairwoman of the German Association for Home Staging and Redesign (DGHR), emphasizes that the first reduction in the asking price that sellers offer is always higher than the cost of home staging.
The effects on the selling time are equally positive. With home staging, it was reduced by more than half. In addition, when a property is presented in an appealing way, more than a quarter of prospective buyers are more likely to overlook minor flaws. Furthermore, almost half of prospective buyers are more willing to view a "staged" property that they have seen online beforehand.
What exactly does home staging involve? Take selling a used car, for example: you spruce it up before putting it on the market. Home staging does exactly the same thing for properties. Properties are often shown to prospective buyers either while they are still occupied or completely empty. In such settings, however, potential buyers usually find it difficult to imagine their own future home. Home staging "depersonalizes" the property. Personal items are removed and the room is given a "neutral" but friendly décor without being overloaded. This is because even "cluttered" properties can hinder the imagination of prospective buyers. The same applies to completely empty rooms.
To help potential buyers use their imagination, subtle furniture, colors, lighting, and decorations are used. This not only helps to make room proportions more visible and highlight special features of the property, but also pays off in online 360-degree tours and in the photos used on the internet and in the property listing. Interested parties can then plan in their mind's eye how they would furnish the property themselves. For several years now, there have been inexpensive home staging options available, such as cardboard furniture, which "stages" a simple interior for the viewer. Some prospective buyers have even asked if the furniture can be purchased as well. Since this makes it easier for potential buyers to imagine the property as their own, they are more likely to decide to buy.
In the US, home staging does not stop at furnishing. Here, pleasant scents are sometimes used to give prospective buyers a positive feeling about the property when they view it. For example, cookies or cakes are baked. This is already used in a similar way in shopping centers in Germany. Taking this a step further in the US, amateur actors are hired to act out happy family life in the house. At first, they are not recognizable as actors. Instead, they are mistaken for the family who are going about their daily lives despite the viewing.
Those who use home staging to furnish their property for the desired target group can optimize the sale price and the time it takes to sell.
Do you have questions about marketing your property? Contact us. We will be happy to advise you.
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