The Real Estate Staging Association studied 63 unstaged homes in 2013 that spent an average of 143 days on the market with no offers. After staging, those same homes were relisted and generated first offers in an average of 40 days.
In a separate study, RESA looked at 481 homes that were staged before hitting the market. They garnered an offer in an average of 23 days.
I suggest to all my clients that we stage their home. Many people think this is an expensive undertaking but the fact is that it is not. My stager works with my clients, spending a couple of hours giving them tips about what to do in each room of their home. They use the homeowners furnishings, often just rearranging things a bit to make the home flow better, appear more open and accommodate today's lifestyles in a better manner. Sometimes suggestions about updating paint colors or removing wallpaper may be made.
In the homes where the sellers have taken the advice and gotten their home ready to go before it hits the market, they have typically seen a fast sale and have then been free to begin the moving process.
About real estate issues in and around Northern Virginia by Christine Shevock, Realtor with RE/MAX Allegience, Burke, VA. Licensed in Virginia
