Why Should I Stage My House? (SELLERS)

I’m often asked this question by sellers:  ”Why Should I Stage My House?” and it usually has to do with the investment.  Come on, you know we’re all pinching pennies when we’re selling our homes…wanting to get the most money offered and give the least amount of allowances.  But let’s walk through a couple of reasons that impact your pocketbook in a positive way:

1. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the averaging staging investment is 1-3% of a home‘s selling price, and generates a return of 8 – 10%.  Do the math:  $350,000 listing would cost roughly between $3500 – $10,500 and yields $28,000 – $35,000.  Now, I’m not a math whiz, but that makes pretty good sense to me.
2. Did you know the cost of staging may be a tax deduction?  Of course, check with your tax professional but you can point them to IRS Publication 523 to determine if you qualify. 
3. The more organized & attractive the home shows, the more desirable people will perceive it to be.  For example, a well organized pantry isn’t going to sell the house alone, but it does contribute to the confidence level the potential buyers will have in the care & maintenance of the house while you owned it (“gee, if their pantry is THIS organized, I’ll be they really maintained the HVAC system, watered the foundation regularly, blah blah blah).