References
NAR Library & Archives has already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
Staging a Home
81 Home Staging Tips That Help Buyers Fall in Love (House Logic, 2022)
“Staging a house – where you decorate your house to entice buyers to bite – helps sell homes from three to 30 times faster than unstaged houses, according to a 2022 survey by the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. The same survey found staged homes sold for up to 20% more than the competition.”
“White Boxing? May Encourage Sales (REALTOR® Magazine, Apr. 11, 2022)
“White boxing is about removing everything from a property and showing an empty space of just bare floors and white walls. For homes that are not in the best shape—whether damaged, neglected, or aged—white boxing can be a good strategy, Kimberly Jay, a broker with Compass in New York, told Apartment Therapy.”
How Much Does it Cost to Stage a House – And How Much Will You Gain? (realtor.com®, Apr. 1, 2022)
“File this one under “obvious”—but the pricier the staged home, the higher the potential home staging costs. As a general rule of thumb, the average cost for most stagers is $300 to $600 for an initial design consultation, and $500 to $600 per month per staged room. Therefore, staging a 2,000-square-foot home would cost around $2,000 to $2,400 a month,” explains real estate professional Crystal Leigh Hemphill. Most professional home stagers also require a three-month minimum staging contract, “even if you sell the home in 24 hours.” That could bring your final staging bill to $7,200.”
What Successful Real Estate Agents Have to Say About Home Staging (The Roanoke Times, Apr. 1, 2022)
“Home staging is an approach where sellers and real estate agents declutter and depersonalize a home to make it seem more appealing to buyers. Sometimes this involves removing or hiding personal items like family photos and clothes. It can also mean rearranging or replacing the owner's furniture with pieces that have more neutral colors or make a room feel roomier or more welcoming. This allows buyers to picture themselves living in a home and making it their own.
Home Staging Expert Shares Top Five Tips to Selling Your Home Instantly (House Beautiful, Feb. 21, 2022)
According to home staging experts, the first most important tips for staging your home to sell are as follow: remove personal items, make your rooms work harder (AKA optimize their function with storage, layout, lighting) remove signs (and smells) of pets, look for quick fixes and DIY opportunities, and let the real estate agents do their job!
Home Staging Guide (National Association of REALTORS®)
This guide from the National Association of REALTORS® offers a variety of sources on staging from REALTOR® Magazine. From staging in on a budget to how scent impacts buyers, you will find the ultimate collection of staging advice here!
Virtual Staging
Though virtual staging was making a name for itself pre-2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it into the limelight, allowing sellers to stage homes without having yet another stranger step foot into their space.
Virtual Staging: An Innovative Way to Impress Buyers (Redfin, Apr. 14, 2022)
“Virtual staging, like traditional staging, is decorating a property to showcase its best features and qualities to make it more attractive to homebuyers. But as the name implies, virtual staging is done with a computer. There’s no real furniture, area rugs, potted plants, or other décor involved. Professional virtual stagers digitally insert decorative elements in high-resolution photos to show an empty room’s full potential.”
Is it Real, or is it Sketchfab? Matterport Adds Virtual Staging Vendor to Partner Platform (Inman, Mar. 4, 2022)
“Objects from Sketchfab can be still or animated, and like all other aspects of a Matterport tour, they can be “walked by” and considered from different angles. The company is known for working with a number of prominent consumer goods manufacturers in the creation and publishing of 3D renderings for marketing, sales and product configuration.”
Best Virtual Staging Companies (The Balance, Jul. 16, 2022)
“Virtual staging companies can help increase traffic to listings, raise the sales price of the property, and catch more seller leads who are impressed with the product. 23% of sellers’ agents reported an increase of 1% to 5% of the dollar value offered by buyers, in comparison to similar homes. We researched more than a dozen virtual staging companies before we selected our top choices. We reviewed each based on their features, turnaround time, price, reviews, and more. Here are our top picks.”
Tips for Staging Specific Areas of the House
7 Living Room Improvements That’ll Help Sell Your Home for More Money (realtor.com®, Mar. 26, 2022)
When trying to entice buyers, make sure to highlight the following 7 aspects of your home; let the natural light shine, use neutral wall colors, open up the space, streamline décor and stage thoughtfully, remove old carpeting and replace with wood, vinyl, or tile, demonstrate the versatility of your rooms, and finally, incorporate extra shelving or storage.
3 Things Home Stagers Always Do to Make a Bedroom Look Neater (Apartment Therapy, Feb. 4, 2022)
Bedrooms are one of the most personal areas of a home, and therefore one of the most important to stage correctly. Professional stagers want you to remember these three tips for a successful bedroom staging: clear out clutter, eliminate pieces instead of adding them, tone down the color – simple and effective!
Home Office Staging the New Trend? NAR Highlights Findings in New Report (RIS Media, Apr. 17, 2021)
”Which areas are most commonly staged? According to the report, living rooms rank at the top at 90%, followed by kitchens (80%), master bedrooms (78%) and dining rooms (69%). Since the pandemic, 39% also staged a home office.”
eBooks & Other Resources
The following eBooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (eBook)
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Audiobook)
Clear Your Clutter (Audiobook, eBook)
Clutter Busting! (Audiobook)
Clutter Free (eBook)
Consider It Sold (eBook)
Home Staging for Dummies (eBook)
Home Staging That Works (eBook)
The Clutter Cure (eBook)
The Everything Organize Your Home Book (eBook)
The Quick-Fix Home Organizer (eBook)
Go Organize! (eBook)
The Learning Annex® Presents Uncluttering Your Space (eBook)
Secrets of Home Staging: The Essential Guide to Getting Higher Offers Faster (Audiobook)
Staging to Sell (eBook)
Books, Videos, Research Reports & More
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell (Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2007) HF 5438 D19
How to Stage Your Home to Sell for Top Dollar (Concord, CA: www.stagedhomes.com, 2006) DVD023
Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell Your House for More Money (New York, NY: Wiley, 2006) HF 5438 Sch9
Home Staging: Creating Buyer-Friendly Rooms to Sell Your House (Arlington, MN: Center Stage Home, 2004) HF 5438 M43
Preparing Your Home to Sell: How to Increase Your Home's Sales Appeal (Minneapolis, MN: David Knox, 2002) DVD001
Dress Your House for Success (New York: Three Rivers Press, 1997) HD 1341 W43d
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