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             Home staging is where you decorate your house in an effort to entice buyers to bite—may seem counter-intuitive at first blush: Why spend money on a place if you're moving out? Simple answer: because it can get you more money for your home sale. And evidence shows it's usually well worth the effort. On average, staged homes sell 88% faster and for 10-20% more than non staged ones, which is nothing to sneeze at. But just how much does home staging really cost? Here's the scoop, so you can decide if it's worth the investment for you.

 

How much does home staging cost?

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File this one under "obvious"—but the pricier the home, the more it costs to stage. As a general rule of thumb, the cost can be from  $250  to $600  for an initial design consultation based on the amount of hours spent onsite.  $200 to $600 per month per room if items needed are leased. Therefore, a 2,000-square-foot home would cost around $2,000 to $2,400 if fully staged.   It also requires either a two to three-month minimum contract, "even if you sell the home in 24 hours." This all affects the total cost.

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However,  if you can stage it lightly without bringing in heavy furniture, the cost can drop dramatically. In this case, you are avoiding monthly lease fees on heavy furniture, and heavy pieces can be added virtually (check how we do it here). This is unexpansive  alternative for empty houses, and most of the time included in our listing packages. This is why it's important to bring a good stager onsite to determine what can and should be done to bring you best return. 

                                           

What can cost extra?

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Most of the time, stagers work with the knickknacks and art that the homeowner already owns. But sometimes we need to purchase new accessories, fresh towels, flowers, and/or fruit, as these small touches make a big difference, and these new purchases can add to the overall cost of the project.

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The layout of your home could also add a ka-ching to a home staging expert's price tag. A job that requires heavy lifting in a multistory house usually means hiring additional help to move furniture.

And if you're listing a completely vacant home because you've already moved out, you're looking at the additional expense of renting every stick of furniture and all décor items.

Conversely, if you inherited a ton of antiques (or have a One King's Lane addiction), you may need to put excess belongings into storage, tacking that monthly rental onto your overall staging costs.

A final expense, an important one that can help ensure staging success, is the price of painting a room. A fresh coat in a 12-by-12 square foot room will cost a DIYer around $200, or $400 to $700 if left to the pros.

                             

How to save on home staging

 

You don't have to stage your entire house from basement to laundry room to the attic. "A great way to save money when staging is by focusing on the main areas of a home. These are the rooms you spend the most time in—your kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom. Another wallet-friendly home staging option is to limit yourself to just a consultation with a home stager.

 

When we tour a home with the owner, offering suggestions to maximize the potential for each room, the price is far less, $250 for up to 2 hours. 

 

Sellers who are listing their home with us receive our complimentary, no charge consulting for staging (ask you BLIS agent for more details)!

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The biggest savings? Selling your home faster, at a better price, and without months of carrying costs—because your house was properly staged and buyer-ready.

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