Unhelpful Staging Tips

Not All Home Staging Advice is Helpful

Here's how we responded.

The internet is full of home staging advice from other stagers, realtors, and interior designers. For the most part, that advice is consistent and accurate. However, there are certainly some exceptions.

Today, we are highlighting three concerning pieces of advice that you should navigate away from when selling your next listing...

1. IT'S A NEGOTIATION?

The odd advice: "See if you can negotiate with the stager to reduce costs by having only certain rooms staged."

Our response: We are on the same team as the home seller and listing agent, and we aren't treating the listing as though its a hostage negotiation.

2. USE VIRTUAL STAGING?

The odd advice: "Consider virtual only. The cost to stage a home virtually is around 10 percent of what a physical staging would run you."

Our response: Yes, virtual staging is cheaper because it's...well, cheap. Virtual staging creates an (unsurprisingly) unrealistic perspective of the home, often going so far as to change the view through the windows, recolor walls, and replace flooring.

When potential buyers tour the home, they will already be set up for disappointment because the expectations set forth in MLS photos online will most certainly not match the true nature of the listing. No one can expect to receive competitive offers from disappointed buyers.

3. JUST DIY IT?

The odd advice: "Even though you're busy already, make time to declutter your home, clean it thoroughly, and rearrange all your furniture. Oh, and do some repainting, too."

Our response: Sure, you can do this, but do you have the time and interest in doing so? Most often, the answer is no. If clutter causes you anxiety, if your furniture or decor are outdated or improperly sized for the space, no amount of rearranging will result in a higher selling price. Home buyers are smart, but they can't always see past a mess, a polarizing color palette, or a blank space.

Our goal as home stagers is to create less work for you, not more.