CBS News Today --- Staging: Home sellers' secret weapon

This Sunday's video on Home Staging has people talking, and I can see why.  First off, I've never known any Stager who was paid $30,000 to Stage a house.  Not to say homeowners don't some times need to make improvements to their home that can add up -- but the Stager does not get paid for this work, the contractors do.  More about this below.

Although I don't agree with everything that was said, I do agree with this:  Home Staging is a home seller's not-so-secret-weapon for getting their home sold faster and for a higher price.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7366894n

I wonder if it is geographical differences because my friends in the business in other markets, including Chicago, can certainly charge more for their service than we can here in Charlotte.  For this reason, I wasn't too thrilled with the over generalized statement that "home staging costs about 3% of the listing price."  The cost to Stage can vary wildly.  My guess is that when this statement was made, they were including all  the expenses of getting a home ready for the market, including painting, flooring, repairs and upgrades.

Although I've seen statistics stating that Home Staging costs can range from .5% to 3% of listing price, I honestly don't know any Home Stager who bids their jobs based upon a percentage of the listing price. It's more about where the house is located, whether it is a vacant home staging or an occupied home staging, the houses's condition, the style of the house, and and how many rooms are to be staged that factor into the cost of real estate Staging.

What I LOVE about this broadcast segment is the Chicago real estate agent, Ian Schwartz, who said, "You have 2 choices, either stage it or not. And if the answer's "not", I'm not working with you". He states that he cannot waste time on ugly houses and doesn't want to have to apologize for any of his listings. So, "Bravo" Ian Schwartz! Ian is one of the top real estate agents in the Chicago area, and now we know why.

So thank you, CBS Sunday Morning for informing home sellers of the importance and benefits of having your home professionally staged. Yes, hiring a professional home stager and hiring the right real estate agent are definitely a home seller's not-so-secret weapons when selling a home!



www.ballantynehomestaging.com | 980.322.5825 | carol@ballantynehomestaging.com